The evening of July 16th, 1875 proved to be a very bad night for the crew of the steamer “Champlain II.” 148 years ago TONIGHT, while bound for Plattsburgh and travelling at nearly full speed, the vessel’s pilot, Mr. John Eldredge, rammed her onto the rocks at “Steam Mill Point,” just south of Essex. The incredible collision left three quarters of the 244-foot vessel high and dry on shore! Amazingly, no passengers were injured in the mishap, including prominent Plattsburgh businessman and politician Smith Weed, who was aboard with his wife, but photographs of the wreck caused a sensation and sightseers quickly flocked to the scene. One such curiosity-seeker was Keeseville photographer George Baldwin, who toted his heavy equipment along to capture the event. Baldwin’s shadow, along with his camera, can be seen on the rocks in the foreground. By this point, a pair of schooners have been brought alongside to remove expensive furnishings and the passenger’s baggage. It later became apparent that the pilot had been under the influence of morphine he had taken for a “cold.” He also was in possession of forged prescriptions that he could utilize at pharmacies all along the steamer’s route. After steering the vessel onto shore, Eldredge left the boat in a stupor and wandered off into the woods for two days. With her back broken, the Champlain II was deemed beyond saving and the steamer was scrapped on the spot, an area which became known on local maps as “Calamity Point.” The bones of the great vessel still lie there today, just beneath the waves.
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