AH-WR-0256

SS Jane Miller

Cargo And Passenger Steamer · Canada · Lost 1881 · Georgian Bay & the North Channel

A small Georgian Bay freighter that capsized in a blizzard within sight of Wiarton, taking all 28 aboard to the bottom.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Jane Miller was a small wooden propeller steamer serving communities along Georgian Bay's Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island shores. On November 25, 1881, she left Owen Sound and Meaford heavily laden, and while approaching Spencer's Wharf near Wiarton in a blizzard she vanished. Thirty aboard were lost. The wreck was found upright in 2017.

Vessel

Built: 1879
Builder: Crop's shipyard
Yard: Little Current, Ontario
Material: Wood
Length: 78 ft
Beam: 18 ft
Tonnage: 210
Propulsion: Wood-fired steam, propeller
Owners: Andrew Port

Loss

Date: November 25, 1881
Cause: Storm
Location: Colpoy's Bay, near Wiarton, Georgian Bay
Water: Georgian Bay, Lake Huron
Voyage: Owen Sound and Meaford, Ontario → Spencer's Wharf, Wiarton, Ontario
Cargo: General freight, heavily loaded on deck
Aboard: 28
Lives lost: 28
Master: Captain Andrew Port

The Wreck Today

Depth: 100 ft
Condition: Upright, resting in over 100 feet of water
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 2017
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 44.79° N 81.09° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Wiarton, Ontario
Region: Georgian Bay & the North Channel

General area only: coordinate of Colpoy's Bay from the Canadian Geographical Names Database (Natural Resources Canada), marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.