- Rear paddlewheeler
- 21ffw 7m
- 77 feet in length
- Kamaniskeg Lake, Barry’s Bay ON
- N45.395466 W-77.688359
The Mayflower was a Canadian flat-bottom steamer that sank on November 12, 1912. It was built in Combermere, Ontario, in 1903 and was a wooden ship measuring 77 feet in length. The vessel was powered by two steam engines that drove a single paddle wheel located at the stern.
On the ill-fated night of the sinking, the Mayflower was en route from Barry’s Bay to Combermere, carrying the body of John Brown to his brother-in-law, a local Combermere city councillor. A winter storm struck, causing the ship to sink in Kamaniskeg Lake. Tragically, nine lives were lost in the disaster, but three survivors managed to stay afloat by clinging to the casket containing John Brown’s body. They eventually reached a small island called Gull Island, now known as Parcher Island, where they built a fire using debris and wreckage that washed ashore. The incident gained worldwide attention and was reported by Ripley’s Believe it or Not.
At the time, this tragedy marked the worst inland maritime disaster in Canadian history. In remembrance of the ship, an island on Kamaniskeg Lake was named after it.
After the sinking, parts of the Mayflower remained exposed above the water by about 2 feet, posing a navigational hazard. To address the issue, port authorities from Ottawa arrived and used dynamite to destroy the protruding parts, ensuring the safety of other waterway users.
The victims of the disaster were J.C. Hudson (owner and engineer), A. Parcher (pilot), J. Delaney (fireman), George Bothwell (passenger from Ottawa), R. Pachal (passenger from Yorkton, Sask), P. O’Brien (passenger from Combermere), Wm. Boehme (passenger from Combermere), Wm. Murphy (passenger from Rockingham), and Mrs. Elizabeth McWhirter (passenger from Fort Stewart).
The Mayflower was owned by Hudson Bros. of Combermere, Ontario, and primarily operated on the Madawaska River. It had a tonnage of 59 gross tons and met its tragic end near Barry’s Bay, Ontario. The vessel was wrecked, resulting in the loss of nine lives. While licensed as a tug, it was used for passenger transport without a lifeboat on that particular trip. The hull had been weakened by alterations, contributing to the disaster.
The sinking of the Mayflower occurred on a cold and windy night, with snowfall intensifying. It is believed that if the captain had received some indication of trouble, the ship might have made it to shore and all lives could have been saved. The ship was on a special trip to retrieve the body of John Brown, who had died in a gun accident in Saskatchewan, for burial in Fort Stewart.
The Mayflower was built by Napoleon Tessier in Combermere in 1903 for the Hudson brothers. It was a flat-bottomed wooden vessel designed for navigating shallow waters. The ship had two cross compound steam engines and a single rear paddle wheel with twelve paddles. Modifications were made to the paddle wheel at some point due to handling and steering difficulties. The vessel lacked proper certification and was deemed unseaworthy by some, while others claim it had been officially inspected the previous summer.
Various factors have been attributed to the sinking of the Mayflower, including poor maintenance, shallow draught leading to waves overwhelming the ship, harsh weather conditions, the lack of proper certification for pilot Aaron Parcher, modification to the paddle wheel, deteriorating caulking, and the absence of cargo for proper balance. There were rumors of alcohol consumption by the captain and crew, but these were never substantiated.
Today, the Mayflower rests at the sandy bottom of Kamaniskeg Lake, broken and decaying. Divers consider it the most popular dive site in the area. Mayflower Park, located in downtown Combermere at the boat-launching ramp, was established in 1967 as a centennial project to honor the memory of those who lost their lives in the tragedy.
Photogallery 2023 Corey Phillips cc #
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