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: Elma
• Official Number: 8895
• Year Built: 1873
• Builder: Philander Lester, Marine City, Michigan
• Original Owner: Soloman S. Gardner et al., Detroit, Michigan
• Later Owner(s): C.C. Blodgett, Detroit; Warren & Thurston, Tonawanda, NY
• Vessel Type: Wooden schooner-barge
• Sister Ship: Hattie (1873)
• Hull Materials: Wood
• Number of Decks: 1
• Number of Masts: 3
• Dimensions:
  • Length: 50.3 m (165.2 ft)
  • Beam: 9.1 m (30 ft)
  • Depth: 3.4 m (11 ft)
• Gross Tonnage: 400.68 tons
• Net Tonnage: 380.65 tons
• Final Location: Miner’s Castle, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, near Munising, Michigan, Lake Superior
• Date Lost: 28 September 1895
• Final Cargo: Lumber

Vessel Type

The Elma was a three-masted wooden schooner-barge, built for use in the lumber and package trade, often operated in tow with other barges by steamers along the Great Lakes.

Description

Elma had a robust wooden hull with a single deck, three masts, and a typical schooner-barge rig — a hybrid setup designed to be towed but still capable of limited sailing under emergency conditions. The deck layout included a central hold for bulk cargo such as lumber, framed by raised coamings and reinforced deck beams to carry heavy loads.

History

• 1873: Built by Philander Lester at Marine City, Michigan, for Soloman S. Gardner et al., Detroit.
• May 2, 1873: First enrolled at Detroit, Michigan.
• 1875–1878: Operated in C.C. Blodgett’s Propeller & Barge Line, running lumber from Bay City to Buffalo, often towed alongside sister vessels Hattie, Superior, and Buffalo by the tug Passaic.
• 1879: Listed at 418 tons.
• 1882: Re-measured to 400.68 gross tons.
• 1886–87: Underwent repairs to hull and rigging.
• 1891: Still regularly towed by Passaic.
• 1892, April 28: Sold to Warren & Thurston, Tonawanda, New York.
• 1895, September: On her final voyage, Elma was under tow of the steamer P.H. Birckhead with two other barges carrying lumber.

On 28 September 1895, while near Miner’s Castle at the Pictured Rocks during a violent gale, the towline parted. Elma broke free, drifted toward shore, and was repeatedly battered against the rocks until she broke apart. One crewmember tragically died attempting to reach shore.

• October 8, 1895: Enrollment documents were surrendered, finalizing her total loss.

Final Disposition

Total wreck near Miner’s Castle, Lake Superior, in 1895, with loss of one life.

Located By & Date Found

No formal modern dive survey is documented, but remains may exist scattered in shallow water off Miner’s Castle.

Notmars & Advisories

No active Notices to Mariners (NOTMAR) for the wreck site; divers should exercise caution due to rugged cliffs, submerged hazards, and wave exposure near Pictured Rocks.

Resources & Links

• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Vessels Online Index — Bowling Green State University
• Board of Lake Underwriters Marine Directory
• Edward J. Dowling Collection, University of Detroit Mercy
• C. Patrick Labadie Collection
• Newspaper archives covering 1895 incidents

Conclusion

Elma illustrates the life of schooner-barges on the Great Lakes during the peak of the lumber trade. Serving for over two decades, she hauled countless cargoes before being lost to a sudden Lake Superior storm near one of the region’s most dramatic shorelines. Her story underscores the vulnerability of towed barges in severe weather, even at the end of the 19th century.

Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms

wooden schooner-barge • lumber trade • Lake Superior • Miner’s Castle • Pictured Rocks • 19th-century shipwreck • tow loss • Great Lakes

elma-us-8895 1895-09-28 19:42:00