AH-WR-0499

Car Ferry No. 2

Railroad Car Ferry Barge · United States · Lost 1906 · Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

A wooden railroad car ferry barge that capsized in a Lake Michigan gale near Chicago in 1906 while loaded with rail cars, ore, and lumber.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in 1895 at West Bay City, Michigan, by master shipbuilder James Davidson, Car Ferry No. 2 carried railroad cars across Lake Michigan for the Lake Michigan Car Ferry Transportation Company. On September 29, 1906, heavy seas caused water to collect in her hold while under tow near Chicago; she capsized despite efforts by two tugs to right her, with loss of life among her crew. Raised the following spring, she was towed out and scuttled as a hazard to navigation.

Vessel

Built: 1895
Registry: US official number 67314
Builder: James Davidson
Yard: West Bay City, Michigan
Material: Wood
Length: 309.9 ft
Beam: 44.2 ft
Tonnage: 1548
Propulsion: None (towed barge)
Owners: Lake Michigan Car Ferry Transportation Company, Peshtigo, Wisconsin

Loss

Date: September 29, 1906
Cause: Storm
Location: Near Calumet Harbor Lighthouse, South Chicago
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Railroad cars, iron ore, and lumber
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 3
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 42 ft
Condition: Capsized upside down; later dynamited as a hazard to navigation. Sides, deck, and an inner stanchion wall remain; the bottom is gone.
Orientation: Inverted
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established