the Appomattox was again towing the Santiago, both loaded with coal. The pair was proceeding southward along the west shore of Lake Michigan when they encountered a dark bank of dense, industrial smoke. The combination of fog and smoke obscured the range lights on the north end of Milwaukee. The vessels ventured in too close to shore, and they went aground on a rocky bottom near North Point. A third vessel, the Iowa, made the same mistake and also ran aground.
The Santiago and Iowa were quickly freed by the fast work of tugs, a Revenue Service cutter, and crews from the U.S. Lifesaving Service Station. The Appomattox, however, had gone aground hardest. She suffered considerable bottom damage, and the rescue crews were unable to float her.
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The Appomattox’s crew assembled on deck at an ore dock
(Photo: Port Huron Museum)
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During the morning, the weather worsened substantially. According to the lifesaving station log, the sea state went from moderate to high. The pounding waves further damaged the Appomattox. For the next 13 days, wrecking crews and the U.S. Lifesaving Service fought to salvage the vessel. The damage, however, proved too severe. The Appomattox’s bottom had broken in several places and, even with several pumps working, the vessel would not float. The wreckers abandoned her on November 15, 1905. Two years later, the Reid Wrecking company removed her machinery, leaving the broken but well-preserved hull where it lies today.
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