- Schooner
- 25ffw 8m
- 171ft Length
- Point Pelee, Lake Erie
- 250 yds. offshore, Pigeon Bay near Leamington, ON
- 41 58.692 82 32.940
On October 7, 1893, two schooners were anchored off the west side of Point Pelee, battling a severe gale that swept over Lake Erie. Throughout the day, they had weathered the storm and displayed their lights as usual. However, at 11:00 p.m., the lights of the vessels suddenly vanished. The following morning at daybreak, it was discovered that one of the schooners, the DAVID STEWART, had sunk within 250 yards offshore. Five men and one woman were found clinging to the rigging, with powerful waves threatening their safety. A mile and a half away, the mast of the other schooner could be seen, but no signs of life were observed. The name of this second vessel remains unknown.
The DAVID STEWART, a schooner with a registered tonnage of 518 tons, was built in Cleveland and owned by Peck of Marine City. Unfortunately, the vessel had become a total loss due to foundering in the heavy southwest gale on Lake Erie on October 6, 1893. The crew endured a harrowing experience, spending fourteen hours in the rigging before being rescued by the fishing tug LOUISE from Sandusky. The estimated value of the vessel and its cargo amounted to $18,000.
According to historical records, the DAVID STEWART had a long history of incidents and ownership changes. It ran ashore on multiple occasions, including Peach Island in the Detroit River in 1868 and Pilot Island in Green Bay in the same year. In 1891, it was owned by John W. Squires of Marine City, Michigan, when it again went ashore near Geneva, Ohio, during a gale. The vessel was eventually released but met its final fate on October 6, 1893, when it sank and was abandoned in place.
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