SS ''Jarvis Lord'' was a wooden-hulled American

Great Lakes freighter Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carriers operating on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Freighters typically have a long, narrow hull, a raised pilothouse, and the ...

in service between 1872 and 1885. She sank without loss of life in the

Manitou Passage Manitou Passage is a navigable Lake Michigan waterway separating North and South Manitou Island from mainland Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Up ...

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

on August 17 or 18, 1885, while loaded with

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

. ''Jarvis Lord'' was one of the first bulk freighters ever built for the Great Lakes. She was built in 1872 by the Morley & Hill shipyard in

Marine City, Michigan Marine City is a city in St. Clair County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the west bank of the St. Clair River, it is one of the cities in the River District north of Detroit and south of Lake Huron. In the late 19th century, it was a m ...

for William B. Morley, one of the yard's owners. One of the first purpose built lake freighters, ''Jarvis Lord'' was designed to operate in the iron-ore and

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

trade. She would end up changing hands twice during the 1870s, before being purchased by John W. Moore & H.H. Brown of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

in 1883. On August 17 or 18, 1885, while bound from

St. Ignace, Michigan St. Ignace ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,306 at the 2020 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city; the two are administered separat ...

for

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, ''Jarvis Lord'' was travelling in the Manitou Passage when she sprang a leak and began sinking rapidly. Captain Richard Neville ordered that the pumps be turned on, and that ''Jarvis Lord'' be steered towards Pyramid Point in order to beach her. The situation became so dire Captain Neville ordered that the crew abandon ship. She sank stern first. All of her crew survived, making it to

Glen Haven, Michigan Glen Haven is a restored port village on the shore of Lake Michigan on the Leelanau Peninsula within the now Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Attractions include the Lake Michigan beach, a restored General Store and Blacksmith Shop. The ...

about an hour later. The wreck of ''Jarvis Lord'' was discovered in 2020 by Ross Richardson, resting in of water and partially broken up. Richardson speculated that ''Jarvis Lord'' sank due to a possible grounding in the North Manitou Shoal.

History

Design and construction

''Jarvis Lord'' (US

official number Official numbers are ship identifier numbers assigned to merchant ships by their flag state, country of registration. Each country developed its own official numbering system, some on a national and some on a port-by-port basis, and the formats hav ...

75499) was built in 1872 in

, by the Morley & Hill shipyard. Her master carpenter was William B. Morley, one of the yard's owners. She was launched on November 23, 1872. At the time of her construction, ''Jarvis Lord'' was the largest double- decked steamship ever built in Marine City, and one of the first purpose-built bulk freighters ever built for the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

(

lake freighter Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carriers operating on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Freighters typically have a long, narrow hull, a raised pilothouse, and the ...

). ''Jarvis Lord'' wooden hull was in length, wide and deep. ''Jarvis Lord'' had a gross register tonnage of 770.97 tons and a

net register tonnage Net register tonnage (NRT, nrt, n.r.t.) is a ship's cargo volume capacity expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated by subtracting non-revenue-earning spaces i.e. spaces not available for carrying cargo, ...

of 641.06 tons. ''Jarvis Lord'' was powered by a single-cylinder low pressure steam engine; the cylinder of the engine had a bore of and a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

of . Steam for the engine was produced by a coal-burning tubular boiler. The engine was manufactured by Desotelle & Hutton of

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. She was propelled by a single fixed-pitch propeller.

Service history

''Jarvis Lord'' was named after a politician and banker from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, who was then a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

. She was originally built for her master carpenter, William B. Morley, and was designed to operate in the

and

trade. She received her enrollment in

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in and seat of government of St. Clair County, Michigan, United States. The population was 28,983 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the west by Port Huron Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Po ...

on May 19, 1873. Her home port was

. Throughout her career, ''Jarvis Lord'' was involved in many notable incidents and accidents. On June 1, while loaded with 27,800

bushel A bushel (abbreviation: bsh. or bu.) is an Imperial unit, imperial and United States customary units, US customary unit of volume, based upon an earlier measure of dry capacity. The old bushel was used mostly for agriculture, agricultural pr ...

s of wheat, ''Jarvis Lord'' became the first ship to arrive in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

from

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

in 1873. In 1874, ''Jarvis Lord'' operated as part of

Eber Brock Ward Eber Brock Ward (December 25, 1811 – January 2, 1875) was an American industrialist, iron and steel manufacturer, and shipbuilder. Ward invested in several industries in Michigan and the Midwest. He started as an owner of steamship interest ...

's Lake Superior Line, making eleven round trips to

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

. While in the Chicago harbour on April 1, 1874, ''Jarvis Lord'' received $100 worth of damage to her hull. ''Jarvis Lord'' was in

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County and is the only city within the county. With a population of ...

in June 1874, when her engine broke down. She sustained $3,000 worth of damage. ''Jarvis Lord'' was sold to John H. Bartow of Buffalo on April 29, 1875. She was fitted with a new

stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

in September 1875, by the Union Dry Dock Company in Buffalo. On April 29, 1879, ''Jarvis Lord'' was purchased by Marcus M. Drake of Buffalo, who chartered her to the Wabash Line in 1880. ''Jarvis Lord'' suffered the most serious accident of her career on November 19, 1880, while bound from

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

for Buffalo with 24,000 bushels of wheat and 10,000 bushels of

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

, when she struck an obstruction about east of

Turtle Island Turtle Island is a name for Earth or North America, used by some Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American Indigenous peoples, as well as by some Indigenous rights, Indigenous rights activists. The name is based on a creation myth common to se ...

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 ...

. She began leaking so badly that Captain A.W. Drake was forced to run her aground on Turtle Island. On November 25, she was towed to

Amherstburg, Ontario Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site. The town ...

by the steamer ''Garland'', going into winter

layup A layup in basketball is a two-point shot attempt made by leaping from below, "laying" the ball up near the basket, and using one hand to bounce it off the backboard and into the basket. The motion and one-handed reach distinguish it from a Jump ...

immediately. On September 27, 1881, ''Jarvis Lord'' was blown ashore at Ile Parisienne on

while loaded with 32,000 bushels of wheat. By 1882, ''Jarvis Lord'' was engaged in the

Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is the county seat of Marquette County, Michigan, Marquette County and the largest city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. Located on the shores of Lake Superior, Marquette is a major port known primarily for shippin ...

–

iron ore trade. She was sold to John W. Moore and H.H. Brown of Cleveland in March 1883, for $28,000. In 1883, she towed the barge ''T.P. Sheldon''. ''Jarvis Lord'' received a major overhaul in March 1885; she had new decks, beams, hatches and stringers installed. In May of that same year, ''Jarvis Lord'' towed the schooners ''Champion'', ''G.P. King'' and ''Reindeer'' in the Milwaukee and Chicago

grain trade The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals such as wheat, barley, maize, rice, and other food grains. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other agri ...

. ''Jarvis Lord'' was damaged in a collision with the schooner ''E.P. Royce'' on July 23, 1885, off the Skilligalee Light.

Final voyage

On August 17 or 18, 1885, while under the command of Captain Richard Neville, ''Jarvis Lord'' left

with a load of

destined for

. She was transiting the

, when she sprang a leak, probably from grounding out on a shoal. Captain Neville ordered that the pumps be turned on. However, the pumps could not keep up with the water pouring in, prompting Captain Neville to give the order to steer her towards Pyramid Point in order to beach her. Eventually, the rising water inside her hull extinguished the fire in her boiler. The situation got so dire that Captain Neville gave the order to launch the lifeboats. As her crew of 20 began to row away, ''Jarvis Lord'' sank stern first, with her deck breaking away from her hull. Her crew rowed to

, arriving there about an hour later. They travelled back to Chicago on the steamer ''Lawrence''. About a week and a half after ''Jarvis Lord'' sank, a large piece of her deck was reported floating off

Frankfort, Michigan Frankfort is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located within Benzie County, Michigan, Benzie County, the city sits upon the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Betsie River. The city had a population of 1,252 at the 2020 United States ...

. At the time of her loss, ''Jarvis Lord'' was valued at $32,000, and her hull had an Inland Lloyd's

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

rating of A2 ½.

''Jarvis Lord'' wreck

Discovery

In the years following her sinking, multiple shipwreck hunters tried and failed to find ''Jarvis Lord''s wreck. In the twenty-first century, shipwreck hunter Ross Richardson of

Lake Ann, Michigan Lake Ann is a village in northeastern Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of Almira Township, Lake Ann is situated west of Traverse City, and largely dependent upon that city. The population of Lake Ann was 273 at the 2020 cens ...

had aspirations of locating ''Jarvis Lord'' for a number of years. On May 31, 2019, Richardson located what appeared to be a shipwreck while scanning the bottom of the

. Scheduling conflicts prevented him from returning to the site immediately, but in November 2019, he began working with local television station

WZZM WZZM (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, serving West Michigan as an affiliate of ABC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station has studios on 3 Mile Road NW in Walker (with a Grand Rapids mailing ad ...

to plan an exploration of the shipwreck the following year. On June 24, 2020, Richardson and fellow shipwreck hunters Cal Kothrade and Steve Wimer II from

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

joined a team from WZZM in

. Once they reached the wreck site, Wimer dove and captured footage of the wreck for review by the team. Based on the size and location, Richardson was able to identify the wreck as ''Jarvis Lord''. Richardson shared the

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geol ...

coordinates of the wreck immediately after making the discovery public. He speculated that ''Jarvis Lord'' sank due to a possible grounding on the North Manitou Shoal.

''Jarvis Lord'' today

The wreck of ''Jarvis Lord'' rests in of water, west of Pyramid Point. Her wreck is split open at the bow and the stern. Her midsection remains partially intact, with the starboard side remaining upright and the port side having fallen away. Her boiler lies next to her wreck, indicating that she sank so quickly that the air-filled boiler remained buoyant and floated away from the hull. Her helm lies off to the starboard side. There is a debris field off to her port side, and a pile of iron ore to her starboard side.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jarvis Lord, SS 1872 ships Maritime incidents in August 1885 2020 archaeological discoveries Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan Shipwrecks of the Michigan coast Great Lakes freighters Ships built in Marine City, Michigan Maritime incidents in April 1874 Maritime incidents in November 1880 Maritime incidents in September 1881 Wreck diving sites in the United States