They found the wreck of a steamer that sank 136 years ago

A team of American wreck searchers has found the wreck of a steamer that went down in the second half of the 19th century. The wreck most likely still contains the human remains of the unfortunates who perished during the last voyage.

Jared Daniels, Jerry Eliason and Ken Merryman are professionally involved in the search for wrecks in the land of the Great Lakes. They have just announced news of their latest discovery, made in the Georgian Bay area of Lake Huron. The men have released to the public that they have successfully located and confirmed the identity of the wreck of the steamer “Jane Miller”, which sank on November 25, 1881.

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The vessel, measuring 24 metres, was engaged in transporting goods and people in the Great Lakes region of North America. On an unlucky day in November, there were 25 passengers and crew on board. They all died.

The discoverers of the wreck carried out a preliminary examination, which revealed that the vessel is in very good condition. Most of the hull is even intact and the mast still stands proudly in place. Messrs Daniels, Eliason and Merryman also stated that they had come across objects that may be human remains.

The wreck rests perfectly on its keel, with the mast pointing towards the surface. There are still lifeboats on all but one of the cranes. The hull and main deck spaces are intact, but the superstructure has already collapsed.

Permission from the Ontario Provincial Government did not allow exploration of the interior, but objects that appeared to be human remains could be seen through the various openings. A total of 16 potential bodies were counted.

[blockquote style=”2″]”People call these wrecks time capsules, and I have to and admit I’m absolutely right. This particular vessel was carrying between 10 and 20 tonnes of cargo, also now archaeologists have a beautiful slice of what life was like in 1880.” – said Ken Merryman, who has been searching for wrecks in the region for 40 years[/blockquote].

Speaking to the media, local maritime historian Scott Cameron called the discovery of the wreck extremely valuable from a scientific point of view. As he pointed out there are not many vessels left from that time, the archaeological value of any wreck found is priceless.

[blockquote style=”2″]”This wreck certainly tells a story and it is a piece of history,” Cameron concluded. The coastal steamer ran between Collingwood and Manitoulin, stopping at various locations along the way where it picked up goods for transport and passengers.[/blockquote]

The discoverers are not revealing the exact location of the wreck. As they say, they want to give all the necessary time to scientists so that they can carry out the necessary research and properly secure the find. They have been searching for wrecks for 27 years and during that time they have already managed to find 20 vessels.

Source: torontosun.com