OLIVER MOWAT C92584

History #

On Thursday afternoon, September 1, 1921, the Oliver Mowat, a renowned schooner on Lake Ontario, departed from Picton harbor bound for Oswego, New York, with plans to load a cargo of coal. Tragically, shortly before 11 p.m., the schooner was struck by the steam barge Key West near Main Duck Islands. Within minutes of the collision, the Oliver Mowat sank, claiming the lives of three crew members. Captain Thomas Lake Van Dusen, Mate Jacob Corby, and the ship’s cook, Miss Carrie McGuigan, drowned in the incident. Two other crewmembers, John Minaker and George Keegan, were rescued by the Key West.

The night of the accident was clear, and the crew of the Oliver Mowat observed the approaching freighter from the east. Despite signaling the steam barge, it continued its course and collided with the Mowat, tearing through its midsection. Efforts were made to keep the schooner afloat, but it quickly became apparent that it was destined to sink. The Key West backed away with the two survivors on board while Captain Van Dusen and Mate Corby remained on the sinking ship in a valiant attempt to save the cook. Sadly, they were unable to reach her before the vessel sank. The Dominion Wreck Commissioners conducted an inquiry in Montreal, which determined that Captain Van Dusen and Mate Corby were drawn down by the suction as the schooner went under. The captain’s bravery and chivalry were recognized as he chose to be the last to leave his ship and waited to offer help to the cook, who was in bed at the time of the collision and calling out for assistance. The Court paid tribute to the captain and the mate for their courage and stated that their loss of life was considered accidental and an aftermath of the collision.

The Oliver Mowat was originally built in 1873 at Bath and launched at Millhaven for Fraser & George, a hardware firm in Kingston. It was designed for the grain trade between Kingston and Chicago, using timber sourced from Amherst Island and the Bath area. The launch ceremony was attended by Sir Oliver Mowat, Lady Mowat, and their daughter, who broke a bottle of wine over the boat’s bow. The schooner had a long and successful history, with Captain Van Dusen commanding several other vessels throughout his career.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, two of the schooner’s masts were visible above the water near Main Duck Islands. To prevent them from posing a threat to other lake shipping, a diver from the Canadian lighthouse tender Grenville dynamited the masts from the sunken hull.

These events garnered significant attention at the time, and publications such as the Oswego Palladium and Toronto Mail & Empire reported on the incident. The Oliver Mowat’s tragic end and the loss of lives prompted an investigation by the Canadian Marine Department, and efforts were made to recover the bodies, although the water’s depth posed a challenge.

In the present day, National Geographic has launched an expedition with the aim of producing a model of the Oliver Mowat, demonstrating the enduring interest in maritime history and preserving the memory of this fateful event.