Other Names #
- Picton Old
- Picton 2 Masts Standing
- Petrie 2
- Schooner
- 155ffw 51m
- 82.5 Ft long
- Point Petre, Lake Ontario
The Blanche, a 14-year-old schooner with a registered tonnage of 92 tons, was bound from Brighton to Oswego in 1890 when it mysteriously disappeared in Lake Ontario. With its homeport in Napanee, the Blanche embarked on its fateful journey, never to be seen again. The vast expanse of Lake Ontario swallowed the vessel, leaving behind unanswered questions and an air of melancholy.
The Schooner Blanche had encountered misfortune before. According to the Casualty List for 1888, published in the Marine Record on January 3, 1889, the Blanche, owned by A. Campbell and hailing from the port of Port Colborne, had become a total loss on May 26, 1888. The value of the loss was estimated at $3,500, and its tonnage, including cargo, was recorded as 210.
The fate of the Blanche stirred the imagination and hearts of many. In an article from “The Picton Times” on November 10, 1932, the story of the Blanche’s disappearance resurfaced, capturing the attention of readers once again. The article spoke of Cat Hollow men, who, to this day, gazed out across Lake Ontario on moonlit nights, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Blanche’s ghostly apparition—a bone-white hull adorned with silver-sable sails.
The Blanche’s final journey was intertwined with the treacherous waters and infamous shipwreck sites near the Scotch Bonnet and Nicholson’s off the Prince Edward County shore. The area had witnessed its fair share of maritime tragedies, from the Devil’s Hitchingpost discovered by the government schooner Speedy in 1804 to the wreck of the Belle Sheridan some eighty years later. Yet, among them all, the Blanche’s demise stood out, both for the enigma surrounding its disappearance and the profound loss of life that accompanied it.
The article recounted the events leading up to the Blanche’s ill-fated voyage in 1888. As Captain John Henderson prepared for the sailing season, he bid farewell to his family in Cat Hollow, his young son Harold Batty among those witnessing his departure. Little did they know that this would be the last time they would set eyes on Captain Henderson and the Blanche.
Two months later, Captain Tom Matthews of the Fleetwing encountered the Blanche while sailing on Lake Ontario. A seemingly perfect moonlit night gave no indication of the impending storm. Captain Matthews noted a sudden drop in the barometer, and despite the favorable weather, he decided to shorten sail. He exchanged greetings with Captain Henderson, who was aboard the Blanche, and then the vessels went their separate ways.
Tragically, a squall struck without warning, lashing the Fleetwing and the Blanche. The Fleetwing weathered the storm, but the Blanche, with all sails set, succumbed to the merciless gale. The squall drove the Blanche beneath the waves, and neither the vessel nor its crew was ever seen again. Only months later, a battered body, barely recognizable, was discovered, its clothing torn away, except for the boots and socks on its swollen feet. The socks, hand-knitted and identified by a grieving mother, provided a poignant reminder of the tragedy that had befallen the Blanche.
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