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

• Official Number: 135309
• Built: 1877, Chicago, Illinois
• Builder: W. L. Anderson
• Home Port: Chicago, IL
• Final Location: Lake Michigan, approximately 1 mile off Kenosha, WI
• Coordinates: N 42° 34.400′ / W 087° 45.750′
• Depth: 50 ft (15.2 m)
• Vessel Type: Two-masted schooner
• Material: Wood
• Length: 62.1 ft (18.9 m)
• Beam: 17.2 ft (5.2 m)
• Depth of Hold: 5.2 ft (1.6 m)
• Gross Tonnage: 38.32
• Propulsion: Sail

Description

The Edna was a small, wooden, two-masted schooner built in 1877 by W.L. Anderson in Chicago. She was constructed to carry bulk cargoes such as sand and gravel and rated A1 at the time of completion. At just over 62 feet long and under 40 gross tons, she was among the smaller commercial sailing vessels of her era, well-suited for nearshore trading across southern Lake Michigan.

History

• Owner: N. L. Anderson of Chicago
• Service Routes: Chicago to Kenosha and other nearby ports
• Primary Cargo: Sand, gravel, general goods
• Final Enrollment Surrendered: Chicago, June 14, 1888 – “Vessel Lost”

Final Disposition

• Date: October 26, 1887
• Cause: Foundering due to sudden leak while approaching Kenosha
• Weather: Moderate seas
• Casualties: None; 4 crew rescued
• Rescue: Crew saved by tug Kitty Smoke and Kenosha Life Saving Station, notably James Mahoney, lifesaver
• Final Cargo: Sand and gravel
• Sinking: Vessel filled and sank rapidly, masts reportedly visible above water due to shallow depth

“The schr. Edna, of Chicago, loaded with sand and gravel at this port, by some accident filled with water and sunk about one mile off the harbor at 3 o’clock this afternoon… the entire crew of four men were rescued.”
— Milwaukee Sentinel, October 27, 1887

Wreck Description & Site Notes

According to Brendon Baillod in Soundings, Spring 1998, the Edna was not documented in modern wreck literature until relatively recently. Despite her sinking location being known for over a century, her hull was not definitively recorded until 1995, when her presumed remains were plotted on Jerry Guyer’s Shipwreck Charts.

• Likely lies upright and intact, stabilized by ballast (gravel)
• Masts probably protruded from the surface post-sinking; removed or lost later
• No salvage attempts recorded
• Still considered unconfirmed but highly probable as the Edna
• No modern ROV or dive survey formally published

Resources & Links

• Milwaukee Sentinel, October 27, 1887 (Newspapers.com)
• Soundings Journal, Spring 1998, Brendon Baillod
• Wisconsin Historical Society Shipwreck Database
• NOAA Wisconsin Shipwrecks
• [Jerry Guyer’s Shipwreck Charts (private collection reference)]
• [Kenosha Life Saving Station records (NARA, Great Lakes Region)]
• Library of Congress: Chronicling America

Conclusion

The schooner Edna is a rare example of a small sand schooner whose demise and rescue efforts were well documented in contemporary press but later overlooked in shipwreck databases until the late 20th century. Her potential rediscovery contributes valuable context to the region’s nearshore wreck history. The site likely holds interest for local archaeologists and divers, pending formal confirmation and site mapping.

Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms

Region: Lake Michigan, Kenosha
Vessel Type: Schooner, cargo
Cause of Loss: Foundering
Material: Wood
Cargo: Sand, Gravel
Date Lost: October 26, 1887
Period: Post-Civil War
Dive Difficulty: Intermediate
Hazards: Sediment coverage, uncertain location
Preservation Status: Presumed intact, unconfirmed

Would you like to commission or review a wreck site scan or sonar interpretation for confirmation?

edna-us-135309 1887-10-27 02:59:00