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Henry B. Smith
Early 20th century



Credits:
"Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes" (Book), Paul Hancock, PRC Publishing Ltd, London
Huron County Museum, Goderich, Ontario, Canada

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The L.C. Waldo was built in 1896 by F. Wheeler in Bay City, Michigan and was owned by Roby Transport Company of Detriot, Michigan. She was 451 feet long with a beam of 48 feet, her net tonnage 3, 519 and her gross tonnage 4,466. During the storm, she was driven ashore and her crew rescued. At first she was declared a total loss but later recovered and rebuilt.

The Henry B. Smith was built in 1906 by the American Shipbuilding Company in Lorain, Ohio and was owned by the Acme Transit Company of Cleveland, Ohio. There were reports from witness who saw the Henry B. Smith struggling through the storm on the afternoon of November 9th. Some say she was turning to come back to port when snow squalls block sight of her. The Henry B. Smith sank off Marquette, Michigan, in Lake Superior, taking all 25 of her crew with her. The Henry B. Smith has not yet been found.

The Matoa was built in 1890 by Globe Iron Works in Cleveland Ohio and owned by Pittsburgh Steamship Company of Cleveland, Ohio. She was 290 feet long with a beam of 40 feet, net tonnage of 1,836 and gross tonnage of 2,311. During the storm, she was driven aground at the mouth of Saginaw Bay, Michigan in Lake Huron. All of her crew was rescued. At first, she was declared a total loss but was later recovered and, at a huge cost, was rebuilt . She was eventually scrapped in 1937.

The Halsted was built in 1873 by T. Spears in Little Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and owned by Soper Lumber Company of Chicago, Illinois. She was 171 feet long with a beam of 33 feet, net tonnage of 472 and gross tonnage of 497. The Halsted, although a three-mast schooner, was used as a barge.During the storm, she ran aground and her crew was rescued. The Halsted was eventually recovered.

The Major was built in 1889 by F. Wheeler in Bay City, Michigan and owned by the Cleveland Steamship Company of Cleveland, Ohio. She was 283 feet with a beam of 41 feet, net tonnage of 1,492 and gross tonnage of 1,865. Her original name was John Mitchell but she renamed the Major in 1902. During the storm, the Major leaked and was abandoned by her crew in White Fish Bay on Lake Superior. The crew were all rescued. After the storm she was found afloat and ended up being salvaged. In 1931, the Major was partially destroyed by a fire.

The Turret Chief was built in 1896 by Doxford & Sons in Sunderland, England and owned by Canadian Lake & Navigation Company of Toronto, Ontario. She was 253 feet long with a beam of 45 feet, net tonnage of 1,197 and gross tonnage of 1,881. During the storm, she went aground just west of Copper Harbour in Lake Superior but all hands were rescued. The Turret Chief was deemed, at first, to be a total loss but a year later, she was re-floated. In 1927, she ran aground again in Lake Huron. After that, she was converted to a barge.

The Louisiana was built in 1887 by Morley & Hill in Marine City, Michigan and owned by Thompson Steamship Company of Cleveland, Ohio. She was 267 feet long with a beam of 40 feet, net tonnage of 1,259 and gross tonnage of 1,753.During the storm, she was driven onto a shore in Lake Michigan and heavily battered. All hands were rescued. The day after the storm, the Louisiana caught fire and burned to the waterline. The Louisiana was a total loss.