AH-WR-0859

Margaret Olwill

Steam Barge · United States · Lost 1899 · The Lake Erie Islands

A limestone-hauling steam barge that rolled over in a sudden June squall in 1899, killing the captain's family and friends aboard.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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 1887 in Cleveland, the wooden steamer Margaret Olwill hauled limestone between Kelleys Island and Cleveland. On June 28, 1899, a sudden storm caught her on this routine run; she rolled over and sank, killing eight of the twelve aboard, including the captain, his wife, and young son. The wreck, sought for nearly thirty years, was located and identified by Cleveland-area divers in 2017.

Vessel

Built: 1887
Registry: US registry no. 91953
Builder: Henry D. Root
Yard: Cleveland, Ohio
Material: Wood
Length: 175.6 ft
Beam: 34.7 ft
Tonnage: 554
Propulsion: Steam, steeple compound engine
Owners: L.P. and J.A. Smith Company, Cleveland, Ohio

Loss

Date: June 28, 1899
Cause: Storm
Location: Off Lorain, Ohio, Lake Erie
Water: Lake Erie
Voyage: Kelleys Island, Ohio → Cleveland, Ohio
Cargo: Limestone, about 900 tons
Aboard: 12
Lives lost: 8
Master: John Brown

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Largely intact; bow rises about 14 feet off the bottom, with windlass, bollards, anchor chains, and part of the deckhouse framing visible; stern listing and buried in mud.
Orientation: Listing to starboard, stern buried
Discovered: 2017-07-26
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 41.45° N 82.18° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Lorain, Ohio
Region: The Lake Erie Islands

General area only: coordinate of Lorain, Ohio from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.