STEEL ON THE BOTTOM-THE WRECK OF THE GEORGE J. WHELAN
The George Whelan had a short life in comparison to other vessels of her time. However, in the 20 years between her launching in 1910 and her ultimate foundering in 1930, she left quite a legacy on the Great Lakes. Having endured five name changes, three sinkings, registries in four different countries on both sides of the Atlantic, service in World War One, and a plethora of other incidents, the Whelan had an impactful and tragic story. Unfortunately, most of that story would be lost to history after she foundered…until now.
The Whelan began her illustrious and ill-fated career as the Erwin L. Fisher in June 1910. The Fisher was built for the Argo Steamship Company of Cleveland by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company. Small in stature compared to other steel-hulled vessels constructed during that time, the Fisher measured only 220 feet in length, with a beam of 40 feet, and a cargo-hold depth of just over 15 feet. She was known as what was commonly referred to as a “canaler.” This type of vessel, although small, was preferred for the coal and lumber trades as this size ship was able to pass the tight canals and wind through the twisted tributaries to get to the smaller Great Lakes ports more easily than a ship of larger dimensions.
Whatever she lacked in size, she more than made up for in power. Her massive triple-expansion engine was powered by two scotch boilers made by Lake Erie Boiler Works in Buffalo. When fully powered, she could put out an astounding 800 horsepower with her single screw getting a remarkable 125 revolutions per minute. Very impressive for a relatively small ship.
On 14 July 1910, the Fisher completed her maiden voyage without incident after delivering a load of 2,000 tons of coal. This would be the first and one of the last times the Erwin L. Fisher was in the newspaper for anything other than disaster or death. The next time the Fisher made the news, the following headline was emblazoned in all caps: “STEAMER FISHER SINKS IN RIVER, THREE MISSING.”
A Passing in the Night
What exactly transpired is still a mystery as each side told its own story. As my dad always told me, there are three sides to every story - the first party has its version, the second party has its own version, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
As with the majority of maritime accidents, lawsuits were filed. It can be difficult to locate any paperwork from a lawsuit filed nearly 110 years ago. However, if one knows where to look, you can be successful. I was able to locate the court rulings. After pouring through legal filings, testimony, newspaper articles, investigation reports, and records, this is what I believe to be accurate regarding the tragic events of 04 May 1911 on the Detroit River. For a quick geography lesson, the western end of Lake Erie is connected to Lake Huron via the Saint Clair River, Lake Saint Clair, and the Detroit River. There are several isles, islands, and
