In my perennial quest to find intriguing local artifacts, I came across a palm sized book by Seneca Ray Stoddard that offers all sorts of delightedly 1896 perspectives on our region. Verbal vignettes. Illustrations. Time capsules all! I’m still finding my way through the diminutive tome, but I couldn’t wait to share an interesting new-to-me name associated with the 1875 shipwreck of the steamer Champlain II. Cross referencing the name has demonstrated that I *could* have (and should have) known the name of the geographic location where the Champlain II ran aground. But, alas, it wasn’t until today that I learned the name, Calamity Point.
Probably a name known only in reference to the historic shipwreck, I simply knew the Champlain II wreck site as the shoreline between Rock Harbor and Barn Rock Harbor. Tupelo Point has been bandied about, but I actually think that’s a near-but-not-quite-right reference. Corrections welcome. But now that I’m in possession of this super cinematic name, I’ll be sure to drop it into my frequent references to the spot, most often woven into a cocktails-to-dinner boat ride en route to the Westport Yacht Club.
So, what do we know about Calamity Point?
Calamity Point is about two miles north of Westport. Here the steamer Champlain was wrecked in 1875 while running north on her regular night trip. The immediate cause of the disaster has never been explained, as the night was no more than ordinarily dark, but since that time, day or night, when running, the pilot-houses of the sister boats invariably contain two competent men. Captain Rushlow, now general manager, was then in command of the Champlain, and it was due to his cool self-possession that no panic ensued to lead to loss of life. (Source: Saratoga, Lake George and Lake Champlain: A Book of Today, by S. R. Stoddard, 1905, p. 115)
Here’s an incredible perspective on the aftermath of that fortuitous night from the knowledgable narrators at the Greater Adirondack Ghost and Tour Company.
And here’s the one I shared somewhat recently in my post “Steamboat Champlain II Aground that was focused largely on our region’s long tradition of repurposing and adaptive reuse.
Here’s the story.
The steamboat Oakes Ames was built in 1868 by the Napoleon B Proctor Shipyard in Burlington, Vermont for the Rutland Railroad. The 244-foot paddle wheeler was designed to ferry railroad cars from Burlington across Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh, New York. She was named after one of the railroad’s directors’ Oakes Ames.
In 1874, the ship was renamed and repurposed for passenger service as the Champlain II. The following year, on July 16, 1875, the ship was wrecked when it ran aground after drifting off course while being guided by a pilot under the influence of morphine. A salvage operation shortly afterwards removed much of the superstructure, leaving about a third of the wreck in place.
The site is now an archaeological site located… near Westport… It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. (Source: Wikipedia)
The steamer built to carry train cars, repurposed for ferrying passengers, wrecked on the Rock Harbor rocks, was salvaged with miscellaneous components becoming architectural and design elements in Essex, Westport, and beyond. As I understand it, the pilot house became an outbuilding at the Higginson property in present day Rock Harbor. the grand staircase was repurposed in a one time commercial, present day residential property on Main Street in Essex. And the immense Rudder adorned the eponymous Rudder Club at a marina in Essex for many years. The restaurant, now gone, ask the question whether or not the Rudder has been reimagined and repurposed once again? (Source: Steamboat Champlain II Aground)
The peculiar perspective below offers a slightly comic look at well costumed gentlemen (employees of the Lake Champlain Transportation Company, rescuers, salvagers, tourists?!) posing on the grounded and clearly compromised vessel. No panic here…
If you’re unfamiliar with the Champlain II backstory, this just might intrigue you.
Champlain II‘s career ended on the night of July 16, 1875. While at dock in Westport, NY, the pilots changed shifts with John Eldredge taking over the wheel from Ell Rockwell. Rockwell would later recount that John Eldredge had “appeared glum.” The Champlain II headed north out of Westport, and a short time later the enormous steamer ran aground near Barn Rock.
… All persons on board were safely disembarked on shore. An investigation found that Eldredge had been taking morphine to relieve the symptoms of a disorder called gout.
… The Champlain Transportation Co. tried to recoup some of its losses by salvaging the engines and superstructure, but the submerged stern section was allowed to remain.
(Source: Lake Champlain Maritime Museum)
We chartered an outing with the Lake Champlain, Maritime Museum a dozen or so years ago during which we anchored at the rec site and enjoyed a virtual tour via high definition video sent up from a submersible ROV.
The experience was impressive, and I can only imagine how much more fascinating it will be to experience firsthand by scuba diving the wreck. (Source: To Visit: Top 5)
Here’s another interesting artifact documenting the unfortunate event, though no mention of Calamity Point.
Reading that old newsprint is almost as challenging as piloting a 244′ steamer on Lake Champlain in the dark of night while high on opium! Here’s a more eye-friendly transcription.
Examination of the wreck of the Champlain shows that she had been run out of her course at least thirty yards she lay at an angle with the shore of forty-five degrees with over half her length on land, while her stern was in deep water. The vessel glided up a flat rock, causing the hole to break in two just forward of the engines, amidship. Within five minutes from the time that she struck, the stern and promenade decks were completely submerged in water, while the boat’s bow dropped over the rock and on the shore. (Source: The Burlington Free Press, Burlington, Vermont, Tue, Jul 20, 1875, Page 3)
In wrapping up this trivia tidbit on Calamity Point I’ll pass the baton to the wise folks at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum so that you can see what the Champlain II looks like now.
And perhaps I’ll persuade my nephews — who now have a personal interest in Calamity Point — to dive the wreck this summer. Stay tuned.
What do you think?