Red Ridge, MI steamer fire, May 1901

Posted February 13th, 2010 by Tim Taugher

DISASTER ON LAKE SUPERIOR

Houghton, Mich., May 10. - The passenger steamer Bon Voyage caught fire in Lake Superior tonight and was beached near the Portage ship canal. A telephone message from Red Ridge, the village nearest the spot where the steamer was put on the shore, says that five passengers, all women, were drowned in getting from the boat to the shore. The rest of the passengers, all of them men, and the crew, escaped in safety to the beach.

The persons drowned were five members of the Altman family of Laurium. They included the grandmother, mother and the latter's three daughters. One daughter was rescued.

The burning steamer was first sighted about 9 o'clock. She was then several miles out from the shore and was headed for the beach. The steamer was burning fiercely, but was apparently in control of the crew. The steamer struck the bottom nearly a mile from land, owing to the shoal water. Observers from a distance failed to see the lifeboats lowered, but they must have been used to aid the passengers and crew who escaped. The steamer is now seen to be wrapped in fire from bow to stern and will probably be a total loss.

The Bon Voyage is owned by Singers White Line Transportation company of Duluth andis 153 feet long by 30 feet beam.

The Butte Weekly Miner, Butte, MT 15 May 1901
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DULUTH PEOPLE PERISH

Steamer Bon Voyage Destroyed by Fire on Lake Superior.

Houghton, Mich., May 13. - The passenger steamer Bon Voyage caught fire in Lake Superior and was beached near the Portage ship canal. Five passengers, all women, were drowned in getting from the boat to the shore. The rest of the passengers and the crew escaped in safety to the beach.

Four of the five women drowned were members of the Altman family of Duluth - Mrs. B. Altman and three daughters. A fourth daughter was saved by hanging to a fender. The other victim was Mrs. H. B. Cowen, a maid of the boat.

The Aberdeen Daily Times, Aberdeen, SD 13 May 1901
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INVESTIGATION RESUMED.

Bon Voyage was Evidently Not in Condition Passenger Steamer Should Be.

RED RIDGE, Mich., May 13. - The investigation into the burning of the passenger steamer Bon Voyage, will be resumed by steamboat inspectors Goodrich and York to-day. Captain Foley, of the burned steamer, will be put on the stand. The witnesses, who have been examined so far have given testimony tht shows the steamer was far from being in the condition a steamer should be for a passenger boat. When the engineers abandoned their machinery after the steamer struck the beach, the engines were left working ahead at full speed. One of the Altman sisters, who was clinging to a board with her sister Bessie was washed out into the lake by the current from the wheel was drowned.

The wreck of the steamer lies in shallow water less than half a mile from the hull of the steamer V. B. Arnold, which was also beached in flames late in the fall of 1896. Had the tug Muriel not been lying at the breakwater, the loss of life from the Von [sic] Voyage would have been much grater [sic] and possibly 200 persons would have perished instead of the five that did. The life saving station is a quarter of a mile inland from the mouth of the canal leading to the lake and life savers were first notified by whistles from the Muriel which started for the burning boat at ful [sic] speed. Her crew saved many persons from the water. The life savers followed later on the tugs Midrum and Lee. Marine men declare that many lives are unnecessarily lost each year on acount [sic] of the absurd location of the life saving station at this place.

The Wilkes - Barre Times, Wilkes - Barre, PA 13 May 1901
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LAKE DISASTER

The Steamer Bon Voyage Burned to the Water's Edge on Lake Superior.

THREE WOMEN WERE BURNED

OR DROWNED AS A RESULT, THE CREW AND MALE PASSENGERS ESCAPING IN BOATS - THE STEAMER WAS AFIRE ON HER LAST TRIP BUT WAS SAVED.

Houghton, Mich., May 10. - The passenger steamer Bon Voyage caught fire in Lake Superior tonight and was beached near Portage. A telephone message from Red Ridge, the nearest spot where the steamer was run ashore, says that

Five passengers, all women, were drowned in getting from the boat to shore.

The rest of the passengers, all of them men, and the crew escaped in safety to the beach.

The burning stemer was first sighted about 9 o'clock. She was then several miles out from the shore and was headed for the beach. The steamer was burning fiercely, but was apparently in control of the crew, who did not have time to make the ship canal, but headed for shore near Red Ridge, south of the canal. The stemer struck bottom nearly a mile from land owing to shoal water. Observers from a distance failed to see the life boats, but they must have been used to aid the passengers and crew, who escaped.

The tug Mary L. left the canal followed by the tugs Meldrum and Fred A. Lee, the latter carrying a life saving crew, as soon as the burning boat was sighted. The steamer is now seen to be wrapped in fire from bow to stern and must be burned to the water's edge. She will probably be a total loss. She caught fire on the last trip down from Duluth, but was saved by the crew.

The Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks, ND 11 May 1901
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Transcribed by Tim Taugher. Thanks, Tim!

http://www3.gendisasters.com/michigan/15229/red-ridge-mi-steamer-fire-may-1901

Found on the above link.