History
The ATHENIAN was a schooner-barge that was built in 1856 by S.C. Jones in Buffalo, New York. It had a length of 136.1 feet, a beam of 26.2 feet, a depth of 11 feet, and a tonnage of 283. The vessel was originally enrolled in Buffalo, New York, and later in Oswego, New York, and Chicago, Illinois.
On April 17, 1880, the ATHENIAN, laden with lumber, encountered a storm off Au Sable, Michigan, and went ashore. It was reported as a complete wreck. The incident occurred after the vessel had loaded lumber at Oscoda and was caught by a gale while still tied to the dock. The pounding against the dock caused significant damage to the vessel, and falling piles of lumber from atop the dock further contributed to its destruction. The ATHENIAN was owned by the Oscoda Salt & Lumber Co. at the time of the loss.
No loss of life was reported in connection with the wreck, and the vessel was carrying lumber as cargo. It is worth mentioning that there is a possibility that this ATHENIAN is the same vessel that was wrecked in Waiska Bay, Lake Superior, in 1873 and later recovered in 1874. The ATHENIAN had undergone rebuilding in 1866 prior to its loss in 1880.
