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Vessel

Manhattan (1900 Squaw Island rescue steamer)

Also Manhattan

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

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ErasModern era
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Summary

The Manhattan was the coal-carrying steamer of the Gilchrist Steamship Company that rescued Owen McCauley and William Shields from the overturned light-crew sailboat on the morning of December 15, 1900. The ship carried the survivors and the bodies of the two women to Manitowoc.1

The held reports do not provide the steamer’s official number, dimensions, master, builder, or later history.

Open questions

  • Which Great Lakes vessel records identify this Manhattan and its registry?
  • Who commanded the ship and lowered the rescue boat?

See also

Footnotes

  1. Held Courier and Beaver Beacon accounts of the December 14–15, 1900 Squaw Island light-crew tragedy. ↩

Sources

  1. Charlevoix Courier, “48 Years Ago Tragedy Struck Squaw Island Light Crew; Lone Survivor Tells Story,” held Courier OCR compilation.
    Identifies the Manhattan as the coal-carrying steamer that sighted and rescued Owen McCauley and William Shields on the morning after the capsizing.
    charlevoix · charlevoixcourie1231unse
  2. Beaver Beacon, January 1965, “48 Years Ago Tragedy Struck Squaw Island Light Crew; Lone Survivor Tells Story.”
    Reprints the Manhattan rescue and identifies the Gilchrist Steamship Company.
    beaver_beacon · 1965-01_Beaver-Beacon