Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Contest
- Type: Schooner
- Year Built: 1855
- Builder: F. N. Jones
- Dimensions: Length 126 ft (38.4 m); Beam 28 ft 8 in (8.7 m); Depth of hold 11 ft (3.35 m)
- Registered Tonnage: 379 tons
- Location: Near the mouth of White Lake, Michigan
- Official Number: 4348
- Original Owners: Hart, Neuman & Co., Buffalo, NY; Taylor & Jewett, Buffalo, NY; N. C. Winlow, Buffalo; S. Cobb, Chicago
- Number of Masts: Three-masted
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
A three-masted wooden schooner used primarily in grain and bulk cargo trade on the upper Great Lakes. Typical of mid-19th-century construction with durable oak framing and relatively deep draft for capacity and stability under load.
Description
- Hull Material: Wood
- Number of Decks: 1
- Length: 38.4 m (126 ft)
- Beam: 8.7 m (28 ft 8 in)
- Depth: 3.35 m (11 ft)
- Tonnage (Old Style): 379 tons
- Rig: Likely a standard three-masted topsail schooner
History
- 1855, Nov 30: Lost foremast and bowsprit in a Lake Huron storm, shortly after launch
- 1858, Apr: Owned by Taylor & Jewett, Buffalo, NY
- 1858, Oct: Arrived at Detroit with storm damage—240 bushels wheat spoiled, anchors and sails lost
- 1860, Aug 2: Sprang leak on Lake Erie en route Port Colborne to Milwaukee; repaired at Clark’s dry dock, Detroit
- 1863: Underwent large repairs
- 1866: Owned by N. C. Winlow, Buffalo
- 1868, Sep 25: Ashore at Pelee Island, Lake Erie
- 1868, Oct: Reported lost in Lake Erie snowstorm (confusion likely with prior incident)
- 1870, Oct 17: Stranded at Mill Point, Lake Erie
- 1876: Marked “unseaworthy,” owned by S. Cobb, Chicago
- 1882, Oct 25: Final loss, driven ashore near White Lake, MI, Lake Michigan; stripped and broke up within days
Significant Incidents
- 1855: Lost foremast and bowsprit in a storm shortly after launch.
- 1868: Reported lost in a snowstorm, likely confusion with a prior incident.
- 1882: Driven ashore in a storm, deemed unsalvageable.
Final Disposition
Driven ashore in a storm near White Lake, Michigan. The vessel was deemed unsalvageable, stripped of useful gear, and broke apart in the days following. No casualties were reported.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No modern discovery or archaeological dive surveys have been documented. Wreckage is likely fully disarticulated or buried in shore sediments.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”contest-us-4348″ title=”References & Links”]
The Contest had an extensive operational history spanning nearly three decades, a notable lifespan for a wooden schooner subjected to repeated severe weather incidents and multiple groundings. Her final demise in 1882 near White Lake marked the end of a vessel already considered “unseaworthy” by 1876, typical of schooners in their twilight years, operating under tow or minimal sail until rendered useless by weather or age.
Legacy Notes & Full Historical Record
This section preserves the original unedited Shotline content for this wreck so that no historical detail is lost as we transition to the new logbook format.
Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name(s): Contest
- Official Number: 4348
- Year Built: 1855
- Built At: Buffalo, New York
- Builder: F. N. Jones
- Original Owner: Hart, Neuman & Co., Buffalo, NY
- Final Location: Near the mouth of White Lake, Michigan, Lake Michigan
- Date Lost: 25 October 1882
- Cause: Driven ashore in storm; stripped and broke up days later
Vessel Type
A three-masted wooden schooner used primarily in grain and bulk cargo trade on the upper Great Lakes. Typical of mid-19th-century construction with durable oak framing and relatively deep draft for capacity and stability under load.
Description
- Hull Material: Wood
- Number of Decks: 1
- Length: 38.4 m (126 ft)
- Beam: 8.7 m (28 ft 8 in)
- Depth: 3.35 m (11 ft)
- Tonnage (Old Style): 379 tons
- Rig: Likely a standard three-masted topsail schooner
History
- 1855, Nov 30: Lost foremast and bowsprit in a Lake Huron storm, shortly after launch
- 1858, Apr: Owned by Taylor & Jewett, Buffalo, NY
- 1858, Oct: Arrived at Detroit with storm damage—240 bushels wheat spoiled, anchors and sails lost
- 1860, Aug 2: Sprang leak on Lake Erie en route Port Colborne to Milwaukee; repaired at Clark’s dry dock, Detroit
- 1863: Underwent large repairs
- 1866: Owned by N. C. Winlow, Buffalo
- 1868, Sep 25: Ashore at Pelee Island, Lake Erie
- 1868, Oct: Reported lost in Lake Erie snowstorm (confusion likely with prior incident)
- 1870, Oct 17: Stranded at Mill Point, Lake Erie
- 1876: Marked “unseaworthy,” owned by S. Cobb, Chicago
- 1882, Oct 25: Final loss, driven ashore near White Lake, MI, Lake Michigan; stripped and broke up within days
Final Disposition
Driven ashore in a storm near White Lake, Michigan. The vessel was deemed unsalvageable, stripped of useful gear, and broke apart in the days following. No casualties were reported.
Located By & Date Found
No modern discovery or archaeological dive surveys have been documented. Wreckage is likely fully disarticulated or buried in shore sediments.
Notmars & Advisories
None noted.
Resources & Links
- [Board of Lake Underwriters Marine Directory]
- [Canadian Sessional Papers]
- [Erik Heyl, Early American Steamers]
- [Steamboat Era in the Muskokas by Richard Tatley]
- [C. Patrick Labadie Collection]
- [Donald V. Baut Archive]
- Newspaper archives (1860s–1880s shipping reports)
Conclusion
The Contest had an extensive operational history spanning nearly three decades, a notable lifespan for a wooden schooner subjected to repeated severe weather incidents and multiple groundings. Her final demise in 1882 near White Lake marked the end of a vessel already considered “unseaworthy” by 1876, typical of schooners in their twilight years, operating under tow or minimal sail until rendered useless by weather or age.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Wooden schooner
- Lake Michigan shipwreck
- 19th-century cargo sailing vessel
- Storm loss
- Stranding
- Grain & bulk freight schooner