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.

U.S. Official No. unavailable; built 1881 – foundered 23 Nov 1902

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: Silvanus J. Macy (also spelled “Sylvanus J. Macy”) (wrecksite.eu)
• Built: 1881, Marine City, Michigan; oak-hulled steam freighter (perdurabo10.tripod.com)
• Official Number: Not recorded in available sources; further archival records may confirm.
• Dimensions: Approximately 171 ft length, with unusually deep hold (~21 ft) to carry extra cargo (WTTW Chicago News, perdurabo10.tripod.com)
• Route & Cargo: Loaded with coal, bound from Buffalo, NY toward Kenosha and Racine, Wisconsin (freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com)

Vessel Type

Oak-hulled steam freighter designed for bulk cargo transport—coal and grain—on the Great Lakes. Powered by steam-engine boilers typical of the era.

Description

Constructed with a robust oak hull and an extended hold depth to optimize cargo capacity. Fitted with steam propulsion, boilers, and engine rooms midship. Appears to have manual steering (wheel) given era. Designed for consort towing operations alongside schooner-barges.

History

• Operator: Inter‑Lake Transportation Co. of Detroit (as per fragmentary note) (freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com).
• Tow Consort: Frequently towed schooner-barge Mabel(l)e Wilson, captained by James E. Gotham (sometimes Myron), indicating operational linkage (perdurabo10.tripod.com).
• Leadership: Captain Myron W. Gotham—lost along with his son (also aboard) (Freepages).

Final Disaster & Casualties

• Date & Conditions: Caught in a severe lake gale on 23 Nov 1902, off Port Burwell, Lake Erie, with fierce southwest winds and mountain-high seas (perdurabo10.tripod.com).
• Separation & Foundering: The towline parted; Mabel(e) Wilson escaped under sail and found refuge; Silvanus took on water, ultimately foundering and sinking rapidly (perdurabo10.tripod.com).
• Loss of Life: Entire crew—estimated 14–18 men—drowned, including Captain Gotham and his son, Chief Engineer Walter F. Gregory, assistant George Webb, and wheelman John Nugent. No bodies recovered (perdurabo10.tripod.com).

Located & Site Condition

• No modern rediscovery record found—likely sank in deep water (~30 mi east of Long Point, based on floating debris reports) (perdurabo10.tripod.com).
• Debris sighted by passing steamers J. J. Albright and Seneca on 27 Nov, indicating sinking vicinity (perdurabo10.tripod.com).
• Wreck condition unknown—probably fragmented due to weather and time.

Notices & Advisories

• No official modern Notices to Mariners located. Local press may have issued collision or loss bulletins; not found in current sources.

Resources & References

• Genealogy/history site referencing Captain and crew loss (Freepages)
• Historic sinking account in RootsWeb and The Mind of James Donahue (perdurabo10.tripod.com)
• Debris float report from Facebook group; suggests location and crew total (Facebook)
• Wrecksite.eu entry confirming foundering at Port Burwell (wrecksite.eu)

Research Gaps & Next Steps

• Official Records: Retrieve Annual Report of the Commissioner for Navigation (1902) for formal record of loss and official coordinates.
• Crew Manifests & Casualty Lists: Consult Detroit and Buffalo enrollment documents, Michigan or Ontario Life‑Saving station logs.
• Newspapers: Access Sault News Record, Buffalo Courier, and Port Burwell press (Nov–Dec 1902) for detailed incident reports.
• Diver Survey: Multibeam or ROV survey could locate remains; debris indicates potential site ~30 mi offshore.
• Memorials: Investigate cemetery records in Port Burwell, Detroit, Buffalo for burials or memorial inscriptions.

Conclusion

The sinking of the Silvanus J. Macy in a November 1902 gale represents a tragic example of late-season maritime risk on Lake Erie. Sole casualties of the storm-tossed voyage, the complete loss of life with all hands underscores the era’s harsh conditions and limited safety measures for steam freighters. The wreck likely remains undisturbed in deep water—an opportunity for deeper research by maritime archaeologists, particularly via archival and technical location efforts.

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