Helen
Steam Yacht · United States · Lost 1897 · Lake George
A private steam yacht sabotaged and set adrift overnight in 1897, sinking off a lakeside hotel before famed deep-sea diver John Haggerty raised her from 50 to 60 feet.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1892 for summer resident Charles F. Burhans, the steam yacht Helen ran charter cruises on Lake George. On the night of July 21-22, 1897, while her owner recovered from illness, the yacht was stolen from its dock and several holes were drilled into her hull. She drifted and sank off the Crosbyside Hotel, settling in 50 to 60 feet of water with furnishings floating on the surface. Deep-sea diver John Haggerty of the Merritt Wrecking Company later raised her after she was snagged by grapnel lines from small boats.
Vessel
- 1892
- Chris Bates
- Town of Lake George, New York
- Wood
- 65 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Steam, 75 horsepower
- Charles F. Burhans
Loss
- July 22, 1897
- Intentional sinking
- Off the Crosbyside Hotel, Lake George
- Lake George
- Not established
- Not established
- 0
- 0
- Charles Wood (engineer and back-up pilot)
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 43.42° N 73.70° W
- General area only
- Crosbyside Hotel (present-day Wiawaka Holiday House), Lake George, New York
General area only: coordinate of Crosbyside from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (60/100)
Construction, ownership, sabotage, sinking, and salvage details.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Crosbyside, NY (via TopoQuest)
coordinate of the named place of loss
