On November 20, 1904, the steamer PHILIP MINCH met a devastating fate as it was totally destroyed by a fire approximately 8 miles east of Marblehead Light in Lake Erie. The vessel had departed from Conneaut the previous Saturday, bound for port to load coal.
Around 8 miles from Marblehead Light, one of the crew members detected a fire in the stern of the ship. Despite their efforts, the crew could not control the rapidly spreading flames, and the vessel soon became engulfed in the conflagration.
Realizing that extinguishing the fire was impossible, Captain B. A. Benson made the decision to lower the yawl boats. At around 2 o’clock in the morning, the entire crew successfully abandoned the ship and reached the city of Sandusky, though they were left fatigued from their ordeal.
The steamer PHILIP MINCH, which had been in service for many years and was owned by the Minch Co. of Fairport, had a gross tonnage of 3,000. The crew, consisting of 17 men, lost all of their belongings, including wearing apparel, in the fire.
The wreck of the PHILIP MINCH was later located by Captain Otto Biemiller of the tug THISTLE in Canadian waters, about 6 miles east of Chickenole Reef and near Middle Island. The U.S. government and the Canadian government discussed raising the hull as it was unclear which jurisdiction was responsible for the wreck, but the ship ultimately remained at the bottom of the lake.
In November 1904, the U.S. steamer VISITOR provided further information on the wreck’s location and confirmed that it lay in 45 feet of water. No part of the vessel remained visible above the water except for a broken spar held by the rigging. A barrel buoy with red and black horizontal stripes was placed near the site to mark the wreck.
In September 1905, a contract was awarded to blow up part of the wreck to create a safer depth over it. The remains of the steamer PHILIP MINCH now rest at the bottom of Lake Erie, a reminder of the dangers faced by vessels navigating the Great Lakes.
