TWLIGHT – 1858

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The Twilight, a small scow schooner, was constructed in 1858 in Charlotte, New York. Owned by Captain Ouderkirk and primarily employed for transporting wood, this vessel was a modest but essential part of the local maritime trade on Lake Ontario. With a wooden hull and a single deck, the Twilight had a tonnage of 39, measured by the old standard of the time.

Tragedy struck the Twilight on the evening of November 1, 1859, approximately 15 miles east of the Genesee River mouth, not far from its home port of Charlotte. The schooner was on a voyage from Sodus to Charlotte, laden with a cargo of wood. The ill-fated journey took a turn for the worse as the vessel encountered adverse weather conditions. With the wind blowing fiercely from the west, the Twilight sprang a leak when it was about five miles from its intended destination.

Captain Foster, the master of the Twilight, recognized the impossibility of reaching port in the face of the mounting peril. In a desperate bid to save his vessel and crew, he made the difficult decision to alter course and run down the lake, away from the safety of Charlotte’s shores. Desperation permeated the air as Captain Foster and his crew grappled with the mounting crisis.

The crew’s efforts to mitigate the damage proved futile as the relentless water gained rapidly on the pumps. Soon, the Twilight found itself inundated, with water surging over its deck and into its hold. The perilous situation reached its climax when the schooner, besieged by the relentless onslaught of the elements, capsized and sank beneath Lake Ontario’s unforgiving waters.

In the wake of the capsizing, the crew, with the exception of Captain Foster, was cast into the frigid waters of the lake. With remarkable presence of mind and unwavering determination, Captain Foster himself leaped into the water and swam toward the Twilight’s small boat, the crew’s only hope of survival. The small boat, which had become adrift during the chaos, served as a lifeline in the face of imminent danger.

The crew, clinging to parts of the schooner’s rigging, faced a grim situation. The Twilight had capsized approximately 15 miles from the safety of the shoreline, leaving them at the mercy of the elements. For nearly twelve harrowing hours, they rowed desperately toward hope, their survival resting on the fragile thread of endurance.

Finally, salvation arrived in the form of the propeller J.L. Tucker, under the command of Captain Soper. The propeller’s crew rescued the beleaguered Twilight crew, bringing them safely to the port of Rochester. In the aftermath of the disaster, it was evident that the crew had been forced to leave behind all their belongings, as nothing could be salvaged from the sunken vessel.

The Twilight, a modest vessel but a lifeline for its owner, Captain Ouderkirk, met its end on that fateful night. This unfortunate event marked a significant loss for the owner, who had experienced a series of misfortunes. Another vessel under his command, the Commerce, had recently run aground at Oswego, though it was eventually refloated.