Sunken History – A Diver’s Journal
A Fatal River Collision
By Captain Deb Biniecki

The schooner M.E. Tremble made her way up the lake from Cleveland where she had taken on a load of coal. At the Detroit River she was picked up by the steam barge Blanchard. Continuing the trip north, the steam barge and consort passed Port Huron just after midnight. Most of the Tremble’s crew of a captain, five men and a woman cook had already retired for the evening. The trip was uneventful until the early morning hours of September 8, 1890, when near the mouth of the St. Clair River, the Tremble met her end.

The large steam barge W.L. Whitmore, under the command of Captain Charles Wallace, was heading into the river in tow of the barge Brunette as the Blanchard and her tow, the Tremble, headed out. The Blanchard’s wheelsman spotted the down bound vessel and whistled for the Whitmore to take the American side. The signal was acknowledged and answered by the Whitmore. The wheelsman of the Blanchard turned to starboard and the two steam barges passed within 200 feet of each other. However, the wheelsman aboard the Tremble was late to turn. Suddenly, the lookout on the Whitmore discovered the Tremble’s side looming in front of him. There was no time to sound the alarm before the Whitmore’s bow drove deep into the Tremble’s side.

In the chaotic moments after the crash, the captain and crew rushed onto deck still dressed in their night clothes. They clambered aboard the yawl as the Tremble was sinking beneath them. All but one man, William McLall succeeded in getting aboard. Alone aboard the sinking ship in the engulfing darkness the man cried out for help. He was up in the rigging. The captain gave orders to pull back toward the sinking ship. Just before they could reach him the Tremble’s stern suddenly disappeared and in an instant, the bow followed. The Tremble plunged to the bottom taking Mr. McLall with her. Within three minutes of the collision the Tremble was at the bottom of the river. The Whitmore’s bow was also slightly damaged. She was repaired within a few days and continued on to Lake Erie.

The crew was taken aboard the Grand Trunk railroad car ferry Huron. However, the excitement continued. The Rainy had been following the Tremble up bound when the disaster occurred. In order to avoid the collision, the Rainy had to run close to the American side. Although she avoided the sinking Tremble, she rammed the Huron as she was entering her slip. The distressed crew survived two collisions before making it to shore. The fast train between New York and Chicago with eight carloads of sleeping passengers was being transferred on the ferry at the time of the accident. The Rainy struck the Huron’s stern. The steamer’s bow was badly stove in. However, the Huron, being made of iron, was not damaged.

The sunken Tremble lay in the channel on the American side, with the bow to the east with her spars jutting out of the water about three feet. Her position posed a serious hazard to navigation. The owners J.T. Fitzpatrick of Cleveland abandoned her to the underwriters. She was insured for $23,750.

The papers at the time reported that she could not be raised and would have to be blown up. However a local businessman, Henry McMorran, disagreed. He believed the Tremble could be salvaged, and he could turn a handsome profit in the process. He purchased the schooner Ben Hur and outfitted her for the wrecking job. By November the salvage efforts were progressing quite nicely for McMorran.

Things changed quickly one evening when the crew lit the lamps and departed the Ben Hur for shore. The steamer Passic and consort Superior entered the river during a strong northeaster. The Passic managed to avoid the Ben Hur, but the Superior collided ripping a large hole in the port side, quickly sending the Ben Hur to the bottom. By spring the salvage efforts were abandoned and the wreck site was dynamited. The two vessels lay side by side, wreck and wrecker forever linked in a tangle of chain and debris.

The wrecks lie south of the Blue Water Bridge. The bow of the Tremble is oriented to the northeast. The Ben Hur lies south of the Tremble. The wreck site should be visited only by divers who have experience in current diving. The current is extremely swift at this point in the river and is considered a very challenging dive.

If you would like to contact Capt. Deb with any ideas, feedback, or information regarding shipwreck stories, please contact her through Huron Explorations at 810-648-4638 or e-mail at captdeb@avci.net. SCUBA diving charters can also be arranged through the above contact information.