Shotline Diving Wreck Profile
- Name: Daylight
- Type: Steamer (Sidewheel)
- Year Built: 1865
- Builder: Constructed at Ferrysburg (then Ferrysville), Michigan
- Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
- Registered Tonnage: 68 tons
- Location: At dock, Ferrysburg, Michigan
- Official Number: 6200
Wreck Location Map
Vessel Type
Daylight was a wooden sidewheel steamer designed for local passenger and freight transport along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, primarily between smaller ports such as Manistee, Grand Haven, and Muskegon.
Description
Typical of mid-19th-century local steamers, Daylight featured a wooden hull and side-mounted paddlewheels. She was lightly built and modestly powered, reflecting her short-haul service in relatively sheltered coastal waters. At 68 gross tons, she was small even among Great Lakes steamers of the period.
History
- 1865: Built and enrolled in Detroit, MI; constructed at Ferrysville, MI (present-day Ferrysburg) to serve growing regional demand for small freight/passenger routes.
- 1867: Re-enrolled at Grand Haven, MI.
- 1868: Registered at Muskegon, MI, possibly indicating home port or frequent operational base.
- 1870: Operated on the Manistee–Grand Haven route, transporting passengers and light freight.
- October 1870: Experienced mechanical trouble when the whistle pipe blew out near Saugatuck, MI. She struck a pier and had to be towed by the IRA CHAFFE.
Significant Incidents
None noted.
Final Disposition
On 7 October 1870, Daylight caught fire while docked at a lumber mill in Ferrysburg, MI. The fire spread rapidly and consumed both the vessel and the adjacent mill. There are no reports of fatalities. The vessel was a total loss.
Current Condition & Accessibility
No underwater wreck site is reported for Daylight. As the fire occurred at dock and the hull was likely destroyed in shallow water or salvaged, no known remains exist.
Resources & Links
[shotline_reference_links slug=”daylight-us-6200″ title=”References & Links”]
Daylight represents the small, often overlooked local steamers that formed the backbone of regional commerce and passenger service on the Great Lakes during the mid-19th century. Though modest in size and capabilities, her loss—along with a valuable lumber mill—illustrates the vulnerability of both vessels and industry to fire in the era before modern fire suppression.
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): Daylight
- Registration Number: 6200
- Year Built: 1865
- Builder: Constructed at Ferrysburg (then Ferrysville), Michigan
- Vessel Type: Steamer (Sidewheel)
- Hull Material: Wood
- Gross Tonnage: 68 tons
- Date Lost: 7 October 1870
- Final Location: At dock, Ferrysburg, Michigan, Lake Michigan
Vessel Type
Daylight was a wooden sidewheel steamer designed for local passenger and freight transport along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, primarily between smaller ports such as Manistee, Grand Haven, and Muskegon.
Description
Typical of mid-19th-century local steamers, Daylight featured a wooden hull and side-mounted paddlewheels. She was lightly built and modestly powered, reflecting her short-haul service in relatively sheltered coastal waters. At 68 gross tons, she was small even among Great Lakes steamers of the period.
History
- 1865: Built and enrolled in Detroit, MI; constructed at Ferrysville, MI (present-day Ferrysburg) to serve growing regional demand for small freight/passenger routes.
- 1867: Re-enrolled at Grand Haven, MI.
- 1868: Registered at Muskegon, MI, possibly indicating home port or frequent operational base.
- 1870: Operated on the Manistee–Grand Haven route, transporting passengers and light freight.
- October 1870: Experienced mechanical trouble when the whistle pipe blew out near Saugatuck, MI. She struck a pier and had to be towed by the IRA CHAFFE.
Final Disposition
On 7 October 1870, Daylight caught fire while docked at a lumber mill in Ferrysburg, MI. The fire spread rapidly and consumed both the vessel and the adjacent mill. There are no reports of fatalities. The vessel was a total loss.
Located By & Date Found
No underwater wreck site is reported for Daylight. As the fire occurred at dock and the hull was likely destroyed in shallow water or salvaged, no known remains exist.
Notmars & Advisories
None noted.
Resources & Links
- List of Merchant Vessels of the United States (1870)
- Steamboat Era in the Muskokas by Richard Tatley
- Lytle List of Merchant Vessels
- Newspaper clippings (local Michigan sources, circa 1870)
- Collection of C. Patrick Labadie
Conclusion
Daylight represents the small, often overlooked local steamers that formed the backbone of regional commerce and passenger service on the Great Lakes during the mid-19th century. Though modest in size and capabilities, her loss—along with a valuable lumber mill—illustrates the vulnerability of both vessels and industry to fire in the era before modern fire suppression.
Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms
- Tags: sidewheel steamer, Michigan shipwreck, 19th-century local freight, fire loss
- Glossary:
- Sidewheel steamer: A steamboat powered by paddlewheels located on each side of the hull.
- Ferrysburg (Ferrysville): Michigan town on the Grand River near Lake Michigan, formerly a hub for lumber shipping.