The schooner E.B. Gannett, built in 1864 on Galloo Island, Ontario, met a tragic end on August 23, 1870. Owned by Gannett & Miner of Sacketts Harbor, New York, the vessel was a two-masted schooner with a tonnage of 71. It was carrying a cargo of 40 tons of waterlime and was bound for Ogdensburg when disaster struck.
Approximately twelve miles north of Oswego, New York, the E.B. Gannett sprung a leak and began taking on water. Unable to contain the flooding, the schooner eventually foundered in deep water. The crew managed to escape onto the yawl and reached shore safely at Nine Mile Point.
News of the incident was reported in the Oswego Advertiser and Times on August 24, 1870. The E.B. Gannett’s sinking marked the end of its journey, leaving behind only memories of its time as a vessel owned by Gannett & Miner. Another report in the Toronto Globe on September 2, 1870, confirmed the sinking of the schooner and noted its ownership in Sackett’s Harbor.
This unfortunate event serves as a reminder of the perils faced by sailors and the unpredictability of the waters of Lake Ontario.
Sources and External Links
- Oswego Advertiser and Times August 24, 1870
- Toronto Globe September 2, 1870
- David Swayze Shipwreck File
- Oswego Advertiser & Times (Oswego, NY), Aug. 24, 1870
- Oswego Advertiser & Times (Oswego, NY), Wed., Dec. 5, 1866
- Great Lakes Ships C. Patrick Labadie
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes Website
- Donald V. Baut Notes
- Steamboat Era in the Muskokas by Richard Tatley
