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The SeaView crew
made up of Ray Stewart, John Veber and Dan Lindsay fed Art
Amos what ever information they could find about the
wreck. Details of the bow structure,
capstan, rigging, steering gear and dimensions have been
gathered along with video and photographs. Early
in the investigative dives while looking for the
registration numbers, a diver found a loose board in the
forward hatch combing, that when pulled out revealed
engraved numbers which was recognized to mean the gross
tonnage of the vessel. The SeaView crew all felt these numbers
surely would lead to the identity. But after Art and his
colleagues researched vessels that went down in this
area and the tonnage information, they said none of them
exactly matched the numbers we found. One called
the "Bemis" was very close but not
exact. |
Cabin & Wheel
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The archeological
report for "The Discovery of the Schooner St. James" has
been awarded the "Henry N. Barkhausen Award for Original
Research In Great Lakes Maritime History" for 2001 by
the "Association for Great Lakes Maritime History".
Art Amos and Dan Lindsay, the authors, are very grateful
to the association for being awarded such an honorary
award. This makes all their time and efforts very
special.
Art Amos
Ontario Marine Heritage Committee Member |
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The archaeological and archival
investigation into fixing the identity of the schooner
St. James, and gathering the evidence needed in support
of the claim, extended over a four year period.
Much was learned in the process about research
procedures and the necessity of a disciplined approach
to the research, both in-water and archival. Getting out
to a site that was 165' deep and over twenty miles from
shore was at times discouraging for the divers,
especially with the unpredictable weather patterns that
prevail on Lake Erie. Likewise, trying to conduct a
historical analysis, without initially having all of the
archaeological information necessary for such a task,
proved to be a challenge. Add in the fact that the
schooner E.S.J. Bemis, like the St. James, was built in
Milan, Ohio, in the mid eighteen- fifties. Also, their
dimensions and rig were similar. Both their tonnages
were written down as 226 by most sources. And in the
fall of 1870 they foundered within a month of each
other, near Long Point, while both were laden with
14,000 bushels of wheat.
The similarities between the Bemis
and the St. James underlies the fact that when
researchers are trying to identify any of the hundreds
of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, a cursory examination
of the remains is clearly not sufficient for
identification. In the past, names have been attached to
vessels, either correctly or incorrectly, without
following any organized or thoughtful procedure. In some
cases well intentioned reports have been written that do
little more than illustrate a need for proper reflection
and guidance in methodology. Once a name has been given
to a shipwreck, even on the flimsiest of evidence, that
name usually stays with it. Over time, it seems that
very few people even consider disputing it. This kind of
treatment does not do service to the rich marine history
of the Great Lakes.
With the technological advances in
electronic finding aids, and the improvement in scuba
diving equipment, an increasing number of shipwrecks are
being located and explored, particularly in Lake Erie.
The need for a coordinated effort among marine heritage
groups to ensure that research on these vessels is
carried out in a proper manner has never been greater.
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