The 1916 Black Friday storm was a large storm that passed over

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

on Friday, October 20, 1916. Dubbed "Black Friday", the "perfect storm" sank four large ships, killing forty-nine people. The ships that were sunk by the violent weather were , ''Marshall F. Butters'', ''D. L. Filer'' and ''Mérida''. In the western part of the lake, "the convergence of two high pressure systems and a minor hurricane" created the large storm that day.

Individual ships

The

whaleback A whaleback was a type of cargo steamship of unusual design, with a hull that continuously curved above the waterline from vertical to horizontal. When fully loaded, only the rounded portion of the hull (the "whaleback" proper) could be seen a ...

freighter ''James B. Colgate'' was on its way to

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

when it sank at approximately 10 p.m. near

Blenheim, Ontario Blenheim is a community in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. History The Chatham-Kent region was settled as a British colony following Alexander McKee's acquisition of land under Treaty #2 ( McKee's Purchase) in 1790. Treaty #2 negotiations t ...

. Only the vessel's

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

survived the disaster. The wreck was later discovered on the lakebed."Storm sank 4 ships on Lake Erie in 1916 - The Blade". toledoblade.com. Retrieved 2016-12-28."Today marks 100th anniversary of 'Black Friday,' Lake Erie's perfect storm , MLive.com". mlive.com. Retrieved 2016-12-28. The wooden-hulled lumber carrier ''Marshall F. Butters'', departing from

Midland, Ontario Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Huronia/Wendat region of Central Ontario. Located at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region ...

, went down near the

Detroit River The Detroit River is an List of international river borders, international river in North America. The river, which forms part of the border between the U.S. state of Michigan and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ont ...

. All thirteen crew members were rescued by two nearby ships. The wreck has been located."Lake Erie Winds: The Real Black Friday". lakeeriewinds.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2016-12-28. One of the survivors provided a detailed firsthand account of the sinking and the rescue. ''D.L. Filer'', a 45-year-old

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

, also sank near the mouth of the Detroit River. Only the captain survived, and he was not rescued until the following day. The wreck remains undiscovered. ''Merida'', a Canadian steamer, was lost with all twenty-three crew members. Their bodies were later found, still wearing

life vest A personal flotation device (PFD; also referred to as a life jacket, life preserver, life belt, Mae West, life vest, life saver, cork jacket, buoyancy aid or flotation suit) is a flotation device in the form of a vest or suit that is worn by a u ...

s. The wreck has been located.

References

{{reflist 1916 meteorology 1916 in Ontario Lake Erie 1916 natural disasters 1916 disasters in Canada