SS ''Jarvis Lord'' was a wooden-hulled American Great Lakes freighter in service between 1872 and 1885. She sank without loss of life in the

Manitou Passage Manitou (), akin to the Iroquois ''orenda'', is the spiritual and fundamental life force among Algonquian groups in the Native American theology. It is omnipresent and manifests everywhere: organisms, the environment, events, etc. ''Aasha ...

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 the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

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 fo ...

. ''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 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 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 ( ), 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. ...

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 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered autono ...

for Chicago, Illinois, ''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 Marine City, Michigan, 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 ( lake freighter). ''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 Bore or Bores often refer to: *Boredom * Drill Relating to holes * Boring (manufacturing), a machining process that enlarges a hole ** Bore (engine), the diameter of a cylinder in a piston engine or a steam locomotive ** Bore (wind instruments), ...

of and a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

of . Steam for the engine was produced by a coal-burning tubular boiler. The engine was manufactured by Desotelle & Hutton of Detroit, Michigan. 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 City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 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; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

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

and coal trade. She received her enrollment in

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

on May 19, 1873. Her home port was Chicago, Illinois. Throughout her career, ''Jarvis Lord'' was involved in many notable incidents and accidents. On June 1, while loaded with 27,800 bushels of wheat, ''Jarvis Lord'' became the first ship to arrive in Buffalo, New York from Duluth, Minnesota 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. 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 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 may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

in September 1875, by the Union Dry Dock Company in Buffalo. On April 29, 1879, ''Jarvis Lord'' was purchased by

Marcus M. Drake Marcus Motier Drake (1835–1907) was Mayor of the City of Buffalo, New York, serving during November - December 1882, after the resignation of Grover Cleveland. He was born in DeRuyter, New York on September 7, 1835. When two years old, the fami ...

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

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

, when she struck an obstruction about east of Turtle Island on Lake Erie. 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 is ...

by the steamer ''Garland'', going into winter layup immediately. On September 27, 1881, ''Jarvis Lord'' was blown ashore at Ile Parisienne on Lake Superior while loaded with 32,000 bushels of wheat. By 1882, ''Jarvis Lord'' was engaged in the Marquette, Michigan –

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 and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other ...

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

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 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 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), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...

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