John B. Fraser was a steamship lost on Lake Nipissing with considerable loss of life.[1][2][3][4][5] Seven men survived. Thirteen corpses were found. Four men were never accounted for.
She was 102 feet (31 m) long, was propelled by a pair of paddlewheels, and carried passengers on two decks.[1] She was staffed by a crew of six.
She was launched in 1888, one of approximately 20 steamships working the lake. She was lost on November 7, 1893.[1]
The North Bay Scuba Club found the ship's wreck, in the summer of 1972, after a month's search.[1] The wreck was found between the Goose and Manitou Islands, in 15 metres (49 ft) of water.[5] Artifacts recovered triggered the creation of a local nautical museum.
References
edit- ^ a b c d
Doug Mackey (2001-01-26). "Lake Nipissing Steamboat's Date with Destiny". Archived from the original on 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
The Fraser's six man crew was taking the boat's last trip of the season to the company's 68 square mile limit at the west end of Lake Nipissing. Beside the crew there were about 20 lumberjacks heading for winter work on the Davidson and Hay limits. The Fraser was towing a scow loaded with supplies for the six company logging camps and the 350 lumberjacks there.
- ^ "John Fraser (Steamboat), fire, 7 Nov 1893". Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ^ "Boats - French River and Nipissing Trave". Upper French River Cottager's Association. Archived from the original on 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ^ The "John Fraser" Story: An Investigation of the Remains of the Side Paddlewheel Steamer "John Fraser". Nipissing University. 1985. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ^ a b Bessel J. VandenHazel (November 1987). "The wreck of the side paddlewheel steamer John Fraser, Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada*". International Journal of Nautical Archeology. Vol. 16, no. 4. pp. 331–341. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.1987.tb00608.x.