Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 6-2001 The Wreck of the Rockaway: The Archaeology of a Great Lakes Scow Schooner Kenneth R. Pott Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Pott, Kenneth R., "The Wreck of the Rockaway: The Archaeology of a Great Lakes Scow Schooner" (2001). Master's Theses. 4057. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4057 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE WRECK OF THE ROCKAWAY: THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF A GREAT LAKES SCOW SCHOONER by Kenneth R. Pott, M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements forthe Degree of Master of Arts Department of Anthropology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan June 2001 Copyrightby Kenneth R. Pott 2001 THE WRECK OF THE ROCKAWAY: THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF A GREAT LAKES SCOW SCHOONER Kenneth R. Pott, M.A. Western Michigan University, 2001 During the 19th century, Great Lakes shipping played a vital role in the development of the economies of the United States and Canada. Regional shipyards built thousands of vessels to distribute coal, lumber, grain, iron ore and other goods throughout the Great Lakes network. In time, certain designs were selected for the advantage they offered over others employed in the same trade. The scow schooner was one class of carrier which attained a high level of use in the Lakes region. This study examines the scow schooner Rockaway and the economic factors which influenced the building and use of this design in the Lakes region. Maritime archaeology is used to document and interpret the structural remains of the ship. The cultural context and commerce of the Rockaway is also evaluated along with other scow schooner data found in the historical record. The study challenges common theories regarding scow schooner construction and the economic factors which influenced the use of this design in the Lakes region. The study demonstrates the scow was a vessel of more varied and complex form than characterizations suggest and that quality of design and function was as important to builders and owners as ease and cost of construction. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .....................................................................................................v CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 II. HISTORICAL REVIEW: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE ROCKAWAY.... 7 Chandler, Alvord and Company ( 1866-1868) .......................................... 7 Stone and McCarthy (1868-1869) ..........................................................26 Nelson S. Stone (l 869-l 872) ................................................................. 28 Captain Charles H. Ripsom (1872-1873) ................................................35 Rope, Bond and Waugh (1873-1878) ....................................................37 Captain Thomas Martin (1878-1879) .....................................................49 John W. Serles ( I 879-1880) ..................................................................62 Winfield Scott Gerrish (1880) ................................................................64 Brinen, Munroe and Thompson (1880-1891) .........................................69 Summary ............................................................................................92 Ill. ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH SUMMARYTOOLS, PEOPLE AND TECHNIQUES .....................................................................................96 Site Discovery and Preliminary Survey ....................................................96 Research Objectives .............................................................................100 The Ship ..................................................................................... I 00 II Table of Contents-Continued CHAPTER The Artifacts....................................................................................... l 03 Site Description ................................................................................... l 05 Fieldwork Organization ....................................................................... I 08 Fieldwork Operations ............................................. , ............................ 11 l Fieldwork: 1984 .................................................................................. 113 Fieldwork: 1985 .................................................................................. 116 Fieldwork: 1986 .................................................................................. 121 Fieldwork: 1987 .................................................................................. 123 Fieldwork: 1989 .................................................................................. 125 Fieldwork: 1991 .................................................................................. 125 Summary .............................................................................................126 Site Identification........................................................................ 126 Data on Shipboard Economy: A Preliminary Review ................... 128 Data on Ship Design ................................................................... 129 IV. SCOW SCHOONERS ON THE GREAT LAKES .......................................131 N V. DISCUSSION AD INTERPRETATION OF THE HISTORY, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE SCOW SCHOONER ROCKAWAY.............................................................. 145 Summary and Conclusions ................................................................... 148 Ill TABLE OF CONTENTS-Continued APPENDICES A Chronological Listing of Newspaper References Used to Document the Voyages and Commerce of the Rockaway ( 1866-1891) ......................... 152 B. Glossary ofNautical Terms ......................................................................... 176 C. Great Lakes Scow Schooner Database Listing for American Vessels ........... 184 D. Plates and Drawings .................................................................................... 196 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................217 IV LIST OF TABLES 1. Rockaway Cargoes and Dates ofDelivery at Oswego, July-August 1875......... .45 2. Rockaway Cargoes and Dates ofDelivery at Oswego, August-September 1876 ..................................................................................51 3. Rockaway Cargoes and Dates ofDelivery at Oswego, June-October 1879 ....... 63 4. RockawayLumber Cargoes and Dates of Delivery to Chicago, July-November 1883 ........................................................................................ 74 V CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The commercial career of the scow schooner Rockaway began with its launch­ ing at Oswego, New York, on November 13, 1866. The local press chronicled the event with the followingshort notice: ANOTHER VESSEL LAUNCHED - The Rockaway, a staunch and trim new vessel, was launched ..yesterday afternoon. The launch went off successfully at 2 P.M., the Rockaway sliding gracefully down the ways, and out into her native element. We understand she sailed this afternoon (Oswego Commercial Advertiser and Times {OCAT}, 14 Nov.1866: 3). The christening of this "finely built vessel" (Chicago Tribune {CT}, 11 July 1867) coincided with the end of the War Between the States and the beginning of a new era of increased settlement, industry and commercial growth in the Great Lakes region. During the next quarter century, her captains and crews would set sail many times in answer to the demands of a dynamic and expanding American economy. She would be used by her owners to transport agricultural, mineral, and forest resources within a vast network of rivers, lakes, canals, and harbors characterized by one 19th century author as, " .. the most magnificent system of internal communication to be foundon the surface of the earth" (City of Chicago, 1863). The Rockaway was a type of merchantman once common to the Great Lakes region. Her story serves as a valuable example of the maritime traditions which played 2 such an integral role in the social and economic history of middle America during the last half of the 19th Century. Profitability in the maritime trades was influenced by the qualities of a ship's design for carrying cargoes and its related function in an often harsh environment wrought with such hazards as shallow passages, unmarked obstructions, and sudden violent storms. The economics of maritime ventures were also significantly influenced by repairs, rebuilding, and other costs associated with the regular maintenance of a vessel. In the most extreme of circumstances, an owner might suffer a total loss of his investment by shipwreck. Related statistics indicate more than 1,000 ships of com­ merce were lost on the Great Lakes in the 19th century alone (Wright, 1975). Great Lakes shipwreck sites represent fertile ground for controlled archaeolog­ ical study, due, in part, to the preservation qualities of the freshwater environment in which they are found. Categories of material culture found on the site of a commercial sailing ship