- Propeller
- 20ffw 6m
- 185ft Length
- Vermilion OH, Lake Erie
- 41 29.741 82 06.678
According to a telephone message from Lorain, Ohio, the steam screw vessel Sarah E. Sheldon, with 14 people on board, ran aground four miles east of the port. During the rescue attempt, a tug managed to get alongside the Sheldon for a brief moment, allowing five crew members to jump onto the tug. Unfortunately, before the others could follow, the tug was carried away by the powerful waves. The captain of the tug, unable to approach the stranded vessel, returned to Lorain and safely landed the rescued crew members.
Confirming earlier reports, the tug captain stated that two crew members had jumped overboard when the Sheldon struck the rocks. Although they were equipped with life preservers, they were swept out into the lake and lost. At present, the Sheldon rests on a sandy bottom and is being battered by relentless waves that completely submerge her. Approximately five or six crew members remain on the vessel.
In response to the incident, the Cleveland Lifesaving crew departed with a surf boat to the scene, with hopes of rescuing the remaining men on the stranded vessel. The Sheldon, a wooden vessel built in 1875 and owned in Cleveland, was loaded with coal bound for the Detroit River. It encountered a severe gale, which likely caused the vessel to become unmanageable due to a broken rudder. The boat ultimately crashed onto the rocks four miles east of Lorain and began to disintegrate.
The Sarah E. Sheldon, with a gross tonnage of 693 and net tonnage of 517, was a steam screw vessel. Built in 1872 at Black River, Ohio, it had a home port in Cleveland. The vessel measured 184.1 feet in length, 32.4 feet in beam, and 13.8 feet in depth. It primarily served in freight transportation, operated with a crew of 19, and had a horsepower rating of 570.
The Merchant Vessel List of the United States for 1904 provides additional historical details about the Sarah E. Sheldon. It was initially enrolled in Cleveland in 1872 and underwent several ownership changes. In 1876, the vessel was rebuilt with two decks and three masts, increasing its dimensions to 184.1 x 32.4 x 13.8 feet and its tonnage to 907.24 gross and 739.45 net tons.
Over the years, the Sarah E. Sheldon encountered various incidents and underwent repairs and modifications. In 1880, it arrived at a port with its stern split open. Major repairs were conducted in 1883, and in 1884, it came under the ownership of M.A. Bradley and others in Cleveland. Notably, in 1887, the vessel received new cabins and water bottoms for its boilers. That same year, a collision occurred between the Sarah E. Sheldon and the schooner Alva Bradley, resulting in the wrecking of the latter. The Sheldon was towed to Soo, Michigan, for assessment.
In subsequent years, the Sarah E. Sheldon faced further challenges. It experienced disabled machinery in Detroit in 1889 and struck a rock at a dock in Soo, Michigan, causing a leak in 1893. The vessel was razed and rebuilt in 1894, resulting in a configuration with one deck and one mast. Laid up in Buffalo, New York, in 1898, the Sheldon underwent additional modifications, including the installation of a steel boiler-house and reinforced bow for ice work in 1899.
However, on October 20, 1905, the Sarah E. Sheldon met its tragic end when it ran ashore and was wrecked off Lorain, Ohio. Three days later, on October 23, the vessel’s documents were surrendered in
Cleveland. Loss of American Vessels Reported During the Fiscal Year 1906 noted the loss of the Sarah E. Sheldon, with two lives lost, as a result of the incident.
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