Shipwreck Surveys of the 2018 Field Season
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Storms and Strandings, Collisions and Cold: Shipwreck Surveys of the 2018 Field Season Included: Thomas Friant, Selah Chamberlain, Montgomery, Grace Patterson, Advance, I.A. Johnson State Archaeology and Maritime Preservation Technical Report Series #19-001 Tamara L. Thomsen, Caitlin N. Zant and Victoria L. Kiefer Assisted by grant funding from the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute and Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, and a charitable donation from Elizabeth Uihlein of the Uline Corporation, this report was prepared by the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Maritime Preservation and Archaeology Program. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, the National Sea Grant College Program, the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, or the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association. Note: At the time of publication, Thomas Friant and Montgomery sites are pending listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Nomination packets for these shipwreck sites have been prepared and submitted to the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office. I.A. Johnson and Advance sites are listed on the State Register of Historic Places pending listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and Selah Chamberlain site is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places. Grace Patterson site has been determined not eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Cover photo: A diver surveying the scow schooner I.A. Johnson, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. Copyright © 2019 by Wisconsin Historical Society All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS AND IMAGES ............................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 Research Design and Methodology ....................................................................................... 3 FISH TUG THOMAS FRIANT ...................................................................................................... 7 Site Description .................................................................................................................... 15 BULK CARRIER SELAH CHAMBERLAIN .............................................................................. 29 Site Description .................................................................................................................... 41 DOUBLE CENTERBOARD SCHOONER MONTGOMERY ................................................... 51 Site Description .................................................................................................................... 70 STEAMBARGE GRACE PATTERSON ..................................................................................... 77 Site Description .................................................................................................................... 82 BARGE ADVANCE .................................................................................................................... 87 Site Description .................................................................................................................. 104 SCOW SCHOONER I.A. JOHNSON ....................................................................................... 111 Site Description .................................................................................................................. 122 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................... 135 Thomas Friant .................................................................................................................... 135 Selah Chamberlain ............................................................................................................. 136 Montgomery ....................................................................................................................... 138 Grace Patterson ................................................................................................................. 139 Advance .............................................................................................................................. 140 I.A. Johnson ........................................................................................................................ 141 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 145 ii ILLUSTRATIONS AND IMAGES Figure Page Figure 1. Thomas Friant as a passenger steamer for inland waterway use ................................... 8 Figure 2. Thomas Friant with an enclosed bow .......................................................................... 11 Figure 3. Thomas Friant following its conversion to a fish tug .................................................. 13 Figure 4. Location of Thomas Friant site. ................................................................................... 16 Figure 5.Thomas Friant’s annual fishing license tags ................................................................ 19 Figure 6. The binnacle on the forward deck of Thomas Friant, forward of the pilothouse ........ 20 Figure 7. Thomas Friant’s nameboard ........................................................................................ 21 Figure 8. Thomas Friant’s bell .................................................................................................... 21 Figure 9. Thomas Friant’s aft workbench with table vice .......................................................... 24 Figure 10. The aft wall of Thomas Friant’s engine room, featuring an intact gauge ................. 26 Figure 11. Net floats and the large scale located in the bow workspace of Thomas Friant ....... 27 Figure 12. Selah Chamberlain in 1875 docked in Cleveland, Ohio ............................................ 32 Figure 13. Selah Chamberlain’s bow .......................................................................................... 36 Figure 14. Location of Selah Chamberlain site. ......................................................................... 42 Figure 15. Archaeologists investigate Selah Chamberlain’s bilge near the engine .............. 43 Figure 16. Selah Chamberlain’s two firebox boilers .................................................................. 46 Figure 17. A diver swims between Selah Chamberlain’s boilers and engine ............................. 47 Figure 18. Selah Chamberlain’s upright rudder and propeller. .................................................. 49 Figure 19. Site plan of the shipwreck Selah Chamberlain. ......................................................... 50 Figure 20. E.G. Merrick, owner of the “Reindeer Line” ............................................................. 52 Figure 21. Shipbuilder Simon G. Johnston ................................................................................. 57 Figure 22. Montgomery’s sister ship Montmorency at Clayton, NY ........................................... 60 Figure 23. Newspaper clipping noting the discovery of Montgomery’s remains ....................... 70 Figure 24. Map of Montgomery’s location. ................................................................................. 71 Figure 25. Archaeologists investigate Montgomery’s bilge section ............................................ 72 Figure 26. Montgomery’s mizzenmast step ................................................................................. 73 Figure 27. Montgomery’s keelson assembly and remains of the forward centerboard trunk. .... 74 Figure 28. Site plan of the shipwreck Montgomery .................................................................... 76 Figure 29. Location of Grace Patterson site. .............................................................................. 82 Figure 30. Grace Patterson’s bow and metal sheathing ............................................................. 83 iii Figure 31. Remaining artifacts within Grace Patterson’s bow ................................................... 84 Figure 32. A small section of Grace Patterson’s starboard hull extends above the sand ........... 85 Figure 33. Site plan of the shipwreck Grace Patterson. ............................................................. 86 Figure 34. Portrait of Isaac Stephenson ....................................................................................... 87 Figure 35. Alert (possibly Active), one of Advance’s sister ships ............................................... 88 Figure 36. Image of Advance’s sister ship Alert, with a cargo of lumber ................................... 93 Figure 37. Newspaper clipping showing Advance on the beach in Baileys Harbor ................. 100 Figure 38. Newspaper clipping showing Advance from the deck of Carolina ......................... 101 Figure 39. Location of the Advance site .................................................................................... 104 Figure 40. Advance’s keelson structure ..................................................................................... 106 Figure 41. A profile drawing of the remains of Advance’s bustle ...........................................