AH-WR-0210

Silver Spray

Excursion Steamer · United States · Lost 1914 · Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

An excursion steamer stranded on Morgan Shoal in 1914; her boiler still breaks the surface off the Chicago lakefront.

Captain of Record

James A. Laris

AHR-1937

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

The Silver Spray was a small steel excursion steamer that carried passengers along the Chicago lakefront. In July 1914 she grounded on Morgan Shoal off Hyde Park while on an excursion run, and efforts to free her failed. The stranded hull burned and broke apart, and her boiler still shows above the water in calm weather.

Vessel

Built: 1894
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Steel
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: July 15, 1914
Cause: Grounding
Location: Morgan Shoal, off Hyde Park, Chicago, Lake Michigan
Water: Lake Michigan
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 5 to 15 feet
Condition: Boiler and hull fragments in very shallow water, partly visible from shore.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 41.79° N 87.57° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Chicago, Illinois
Region: Chicago & Southern Lake Michigan

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

Build details and casualty figures are not fully established in the sources reviewed.

Chicago Park District and City of Chicago lakefront studies
Wreck location and remains on Morgan Shoal.
Contemporary Chicago newspaper accounts
Date and circumstances of the stranding.