| reported the condition of the wreck
on Sept. 23, 1901:
The
fire consumed everything of wood above the water line, and
her frame remains a twisted and contorted mass of ribbons
and beams, a most gruesome sight indeed. Her great engine
stands erect, towering above the warped and shapeless iron
boiler house, some twenty-five feet and seemingly unbroken.
Some of the steam pipes, with asbestos covering, still remain
connected with the cylinders, which also retain their jackets.
Undoubtedly it is worth taking out of the wreck, as well as
the
shaft
,
rudder
, and
wheel
... [T]he vessel went ashore with great force, as her
wheel lies partially uncovered. The loss is complete, in fact
there are few wrecks recorded on the Great Lakes, where so
little of value to the wreckers remain.
The
Fedora was declared an $80,000 loss. It was sold to the Red
Cliff Lumber Company, which salvaged the machinery and structure
that was left.
The
wreck quickly became a popular attraction for locals who ventured
out from Bayfield and Washburn in tugs,
naphtha
launches
and yachts.
Check
out the Fedora today
|
