Identification & Site Information

• Name: AUGUSTUS
• Former Names: None reported
• Official Number: 29961
• Date Built and Launched: 1885
• Builder: Unknown, Spoonville, Michigan
• Homeport: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (as of 1910)
• Final Owner: Capt. Cota and Larson
• Vessel Type: Wooden Scow-Schooner (Flat-Bottomed Cargo Vessel)
• Hull Materials: Wood
• Number of Masts: Two
• Power: Sail-powered
• Measurements: Length: 78 ft (23.8 m) Beam: 20 ft (6.1 m) Depth: 6 ft (1.8 m)
• Gross Tonnage: 64 tons
• Net Tonnage: 59 tons
• Primary Cargo: Hay (as seen in its final voyage)
• Final Owners: Capt. Cota and Larson

Vessel Type

The AUGUSTUS was a wooden scow-Schooner, a flat-bottomed sailing vessel commonly used on the Great Lakes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Scow-schooners were primarily designed for:

• Hauling bulky, lightweight cargo (such as hay, lumber, and other agricultural products)
• Operating in shallow waters (due to their flat-bottomed design)
• Serving small ports and rivers where larger vessels could not navigate

This vessel type was once a common sight on the Great Lakes, but by the early 20th century, most had been replaced by steam-powered freighters.

History

The AUGUSTUS operated for 33 years, primarily transporting agricultural products and light freight across Lake Michigan and the surrounding rivers before being destroyed by fire at Red River, Wisconsin, in 1918.

Key Events in the Vessel’s History:

• 1885: Built in Spoonville, Michigan, for cargo transport on the Great Lakes.
• 1910: Reported as homeported in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• November 24, 1918: Destroyed by fire at Red River, Wisconsin.

Final Disposition

The AUGUSTUS was lost on November 24, 1918, after it caught fire while docked at Red River, Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan.

The Disaster

• The vessel was moored at the dock when a fire broke out on board.
• The flames quickly spread, consuming both the vessel and its cargo of 58 tons of hay.
• The AUGUSTUS was declared a Total Loss.
• No lives were lost in the incident.

Despite surviving into the 20th century, the AUGUSTUS met a common fate for wooden schooners—fire, a hazard that often spelled the end for aging wooden vessels.

Located By & Date Found

Nil return. There are no confirmed reports of the AUGUSTUS‘s wreck remains being discovered or documented near Red River, Wisconsin.

Since it burned to a Total Loss while docked, any remains were likely removed or lost over time.

NOTMARs & Advisories

Nil return. No modern navigational hazards related to this wreck are reported in Red River, Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan.

Resources & Links

• Historical Databases:
• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Ships Database
• David Swayze Great Lakes Shipwreck File
• Local Archives:
• Wisconsin Maritime Museum (Potential shipwreck records for Lake Michigan)
• Door County Historical Society (May have records of the Red River fire incident)

Conclusion

The AUGUSTUS was one of the last scow-schooners operating on the Great Lakes, a remnant of an earlier era when sail-powered freight vessels dominated inland shipping.

Its loss by fire in 1918 marked the end of an era, as steam-powered vessels and modern freighters replaced these aging wooden schooners.