The ''Amboy'' was a wooden

schooner barge A schooner barge is a type of ship; a schooner converted as a barge. Schooner barges originated on the Great Lakes in the 1860s and were in use until World War II, although a few survived into the 1950s. Even though steamboats were used for time- ...

that sank along with her towing steamer, the ''George Spencer'' on

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

off the coast of Schroeder,

Cook County, Minnesota Cook County is the easternmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 5,600, making it Minnesota's seventh-least populous county. Its county seat is Gr ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. In 1994 the remains of the ''Amboy'' were added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

History

The ''Amboy'' (Official number 95276) was a wooden

that was constructed specifically for the Minnesota's iron ore trade. She was built in 1874 by Quayle & Murphy of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. She was in length, her beam was and her cargo hold was . She had a

gross tonnage Gross tonnage (GT, G.T. or gt) is a nonlinear measure of a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage. Neither gross tonnage nor gross register tonnage should be confused with measures of mass or weigh ...

of 893 tons, and a net tonnage of 849 tons. She could carry approximately 1,500 tons of cargo. She was originally named ''Helena''. In July 1891 the ''Helena'' sank in a collision in the Little Mud Lake, St. Marys River with the loss of one life. On August 26, 1892, the ''Amboy'' arrived in Cleveland, Ohio, full of water. She was traveling from Escanaba, Michigan, when she was caught in a storm. Eventually the amount of water pouring into her hull became too much for the pumps to empty. She was eventually saved by the

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

s ''Gregory'' and ''Blazier''; they towed the ''Amboy'' to Cleveland. On October 14, 1893 the ''Amboy'' ran aground at the foot of Georgia Street in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. She was in tow of the steamer ''Helena'' but broke away in the strong gale. The ''Helena'' left the ''Amboy'' to be freed by tugboats. Eventually the tug ''Cascade'' came to her assistance and after about half an hours work she was freed. On September 5, 1898, at around 10:00A.M. the ''Amboy'' ran aground in the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

near the Germania Park. She was under tow of the tug ''James Byers''; she was bound from Tonawanda, New York with a cargo of iron ore in her cargo hold. Low water levels caused her keel to hit bottom and run aground. The ''Byers'' failed to free her. Eventually the tugs ''Cascade'', ''Hibbard'' and ''Conneaut'' arrived to try and free her but also failed. A lighter was also sent to try and rescue her by removing part of her cargo.

Final voyage

On the day of November 28, 1905 the ''Amboy'' and the wooden bulk freighter ''George Spencer'' were bound from

for

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

with a cargo of coal when they were struck by the full force of the

Mataafa Storm The Mataafa Storm of 1905, was a storm that occurred on the Great Lakes on November 27–28, 1905. The system moved across the Great Basin with moderate depth on November 26 and November 27, then east-northeastward across the Great Lakes on Novemb ...

. After the storm blew itself out it was discovered that 18 ships were wrecked or stranded; and one, the steamer ''Ira H. Owen'' was lost with all hands. The crew of the ''Spencer'' cut the line between her and the ''Amboy'' in an attempt to save both of the ships. Both vessels were driven ashore. The crew of the ships escaped the vessels with a breeches' buoy which was rigged up by some nearby fishermen. A December 1, 1905 issue of the Duluth Evening Herald described the wreck of the ''Spencer'' and the ''Amboy'':

Both boats lost their bearings in the snowstorm and landed on a sandy beach. As soon as they struck, buoys with lines were thrown over the side. When they floated ashore they were caught by fishermen and made fast. With an improvised life buoy rigged in the hawsers the entire crew were taken safely to shore preceded by Mrs. Harry Lawe, wife of the mate, who was acting as steward. The vessels ran on the rocks Tuesday morning, and for thirteen hours the situation of the crew on the battered hulks was desperate. Fishermen rushed into the surf almost to their necks and aided the sailors to escape. The ''Spencer'' cargo can be lightered but there is little hope for saving the boat. The vessels were coming up without cargo to load ore. Capt. Frank Conland sailed the Spencer and Fred Watson was master of the ''Amboy''. The ''Spencer'' was valued at $35,000 and the ''Amboy'' at $10,000.

A December 6, 1905 issue of the Duluth News Tribune wrote about the assessment of the wrecks:

Captain C.O. Flynn returned last evening from an inspection of the stranded steamer ''George Spencer'' and schooner ''Amboy''. He said "the schooner ''Amboy'' is a total wreck ... the steamer ''Spencer'' is still in good shape. Her hatches are intact, and she does not appear to be seriously damaged. As to the condition of her bottom that cannot be told at present.

The ''Amboy'' today

The remains of the ''Amboy'' lie not too far from the wreck of the ''Spencer''. The remains of the ''Amboys

keelson The keelson or kelson is a reinforcing structural member on top of the keel in the hull of a wooden vessel. In part V of “Song of Myself”, American poet Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an Ame ...

is encased in sand and cobbles. The section of her keelson which is parallel to the beach has been eroded by the waves, it consists of side-by-side white oak timbers. It is two timbers high and secured with hundreds of iron bolts that are 1.25 and .875 inches in diameter. Near the southern end of the timbers there is an upright timber which is believed to be part of her centreboard.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amboy, SV 1874 ships Maritime incidents in 1905 Great Lakes freighters Steamships of the United States Merchant ships of the United States Shipwrecks of Lake Superior Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Cook County, Minnesota Ships built in Cleveland Schooner barges Barges of the United States Schooners of the United States Shipwrecks of the Minnesota coast Wreck diving sites in the United States Ships sunk in storms