Glad Tidings – Detroit River Schooner Shipwreck (1894)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Glad Tidings
• Type: Wooden schooner (yacht-converted cargo vessel)
• Year Built: 1883
• Builder: James Butler, Manitowoc, WI
• Dimensions: 59.6 ft (18.17 m) length; 20 ft (6.10 m) beam; 6.4 ft (1.95 m) depth
• Registered Tonnage: 45 gross tons (later 75–81 gross tons after rebuild)
• Location: Near Fighting Island, Detroit River
• Coordinates: Unknown
• Official Number: 85788
• Original Owners: Henry Bundy (original); John Mullerweiss & Co. (1888); B.B. Inman (1893)
• Number of Masts: 2

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

The Glad Tidings was a wooden schooner originally designed as a yacht but converted for use in cargo trade. Built in Manitowoc, WI in 1883, she carried two masts and was lightly built, suited to both pleasure and commercial use. Throughout her service life she was lengthened and rebuilt for merchandise and lumber transport, reflecting the adaptability of Great Lakes schooners.

Description

The Glad Tidings was a wooden schooner originally designed as a yacht but converted for use in cargo trade. Built in Manitowoc, WI in 1883, she carried two masts and was lightly built, suited to both pleasure and commercial use. Throughout her service life she was lengthened and rebuilt for merchandise and lumber transport, reflecting the adaptability of Great Lakes schooners.

History

The vessel was the third of Captain Henry Bundy’s so-called “Gospel Ships,” built at a cost of $4,700. Initially intended for passenger and light cargo routes between Chicago, Georgian Bay, Detroit, and Cleveland, she entered service in 1883. By 1887 she was in operation along the Lake Superior south shore.

In November 1888, she was sold to John Mullerweiss & Co. of Alpena, MI, after which Bundy pursued steam vessel operations. Rebuilt at Alpena in 1889, her length was increased by 20 feet, raising her tonnage from 45 to about 75 gross tons. By 1890–1893 she was owned by B.B. Inman of Duluth, MN, where she alternated between lumber, stone, and excursion service. She was repaired after a beaching at Cleveland in 1893 and adapted for passenger excursions.

Significant Incidents

• On 29 July 1894, while engaged in the stone trade between Kelly’s Island, OH and Detroit, MI, Glad Tidings collided with the whaleback steamer Pathfinder near Fighting Island in the Detroit River. The schooner sank rapidly, taking all four crew with her. The collision was a total loss, marking the end of her 11-year career.

Final Disposition

No confirmed wreck location or salvage documented. Presumed broken up in the riverbed near Fighting Island.

Current Condition & Accessibility

Access: Not dive-accessible (wreck not located)
Entry Point: N/A
Conditions: Detroit River—strong currents, poor visibility
Depth Range: Variable; likely shallow (<50 ft)
Emergency Contacts: USCG Sector Detroit
Permits: Not applicable
Dive Support: Not applicable

Resources & Links

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Four crew lost; names not documented in accessible records. Further research required in Detroit and Kelly’s Island newspapers from late July 1894. Possible leads in Alpena and Duluth records.