The side-wheel steamer Ocean Wave (1852)

General

1. Port of Montreal, Register Number 12, 1852

See also Life and Death on the side-wheel steamer Ocean Wave, a detailed analysis of the event and subsequent enquiries.

See also the entry for the steamer Ocean Wave in our ships Database.

Notes:

2. Building of the OCEAN WAVE was commissioned by John H.R. Molson of Montreal. Naming her OCEAN WAVE did not suggest a ship desitined for the Great Lakes, but her dimensions and design conformed to St Lawrence and lake canals.
3. Within five weeks of her launch, OCEAN WAVE was sold and re-registered to Edwin Corydon French, a Canadian-based employee or agent for the Northern New York Rail Road Co. of Boston (often known as the "Ogdensburg Line" around the Great Lakes) which required a Canadian flagged vessel to operate within their expansion plans; the Northern New Yor RR Co suplied Mr French with promissory notes far exceeding the value of the mortgage in Molson's favour.
4. The Ocean Wave's passenger accommodation was described as moving both the ladies' and the gentlemen's saloons from below decks (reserved for crew and cargo only) to a well ventiladed "splendid saloon 150 feet in length, and sixteen wide" on the upper deck Additionally, for sleeping accommodation, twenty-six staterooms with fifty-two beds plus a "suite of two rooms to be fitted up for a family, so that the children and nurses may be within reach of their parents."
5. People involved in the loss of the Ocean Wave: passengers, crew; those lost and saved; rescuers.
   Ocean Wave crew: Captain Allison Wright; First mate Robert L. Forsyth; Second mate George Potter; First engineer Mr. Turnbull; Second engineer, Mr. Stephen Blackman; wheelsman James Stead; Purser Thomas Oliver (couldn't swim); Julius Sanford, bar-keeper;
   Ocean Wave passsengers: Mrs Stevenson (wife of Bank of Montreal, Hamilton branch manager) with baby daughter, two sons and nurse; Mrs French (wife of registered owner); Captain and Mrs Kuyer [alt: Mr. Francis Kiah and wife] (Ogdensburg); Mr Lyman Fiske (Ogensburg); Mrs McDonald (Ogdensburg); Richardson, "a colored man, on his way to [Kingston] with apples"; O'Dyle, an Irishman from the rear of Brockville; an "old Scotch gentleman" whose name no one remembered; others, numbers unknown, ...
   Emblem (schooner, assisted) : Captain John Belyea
   Georgiana (schooner, assisted) : Captain Henderson; Mr Terroll, Second mate, plus two crew

Newspaper transcriptions

6. Oswego Daily Journal : Monday, May 2, 1853 – DESTRUCTION OF THE OCEAN WAVE BY FIRE. Twenty-eight Lives Lost.
   Ogdensburgh, Sunday, May 1st. The OCEAN WAVE, a Canadian steamer, in the employ of the Ogdensburgh Northern Railroad, was destroyed by fire about 2 o'clock on Saturday morning. From the crew Stephen Blackman we have the following particulars: – The OCEAN WAVE took fire from her furnace on her downward trip, while off the Ducks, about forty miles above Kingston, about two o'clock, on Saturday morning. When first discovered she was about a mile and a half from shore, and was immediately headed for shore; but so intense was the heat that the machinery gave out and she drifted to sea. The upper cabin was consumed in about fifteen minutes, and in about two hours the hull went down. Those saved were taken off by schooner Georgiana.
   The WAVE had on board 14 cabin and 9 deck passengers, besides 4 children and the crew, who swelled the number to about 50 - twenty-two of whom were saved - among the crew saved were Capt. Wright and both mates, Thomas Oliver, the purser, and both wheelsmen, second engineer, Mr. Blackman, and a number of deck hands. Among the passengers saved were Mr. Francis Kiah and wife, both of whom were burnt, but not dangerously, Mrs. French of Cornwall, and a lady, wife of the Cashier of Gore Bank, Hamilton. These three ladies were all the females saved. A small vessel on her way down, sent a boat to the assistance of the ill fated steamer, but the men being frightened pulled away again. The Georgiana then hove in sight, lowered a boat which was manned with her mate and two sailors, and succeeded in picking up 18 passengers. Two minutes after this rescue, the wreck went down. She had drifted 8 miles from shore before she sunk. The captain, first mate and one passenger reached shore near the disaster, and the vessel brought the rest to Kingston. Among these lost are Mr. Turnbull, 1st engineer; Julius Sanford, bar-keeper; the cook, a Mrs. McDonald; a nurse and 3 children of the Cashier of the Gore bank; three ladies, names unknown; Mr. Lyman B. Fisk, of the firm of H.S. Humphrey Co., of O.B. Whole number lost is 28. The progress of the flames was so rapid that it was impossible to launch any of the boats on board.
7. Buffalo Daily Courier : May 3, 1853 – LOSS OF THE OCEAN WAVE - THE LATEST PARTICULARS.
   From: Odgensburgh, May 1, 1853.
   We have further particulars of the loss of the OCEAN WAVE, from one of the crew, Stephen Blackman. The OCEAN WAVE took fire from her furuace, on her downward trip, off the Ducks, about forty I miles above Kingston, on Saturday morning, about two o'clock. When the fire was first discovered, she was about a mile and a half from the shore, which she was immediately headed for; but so intense was the heat, that the machinery gave out and she was drifted to sea. The upper cabin was consumed in about fifteen minutes, and in about two hours the hull went down. Those saved were taken off by the schooner GEORGIANA.
   The OCEAN WAVE had on board 14 cabin and 9 deck passengers, besides four children and the crew, who swelled the number to about fifty, of whom 22 were saved.
   Among the crew saved were Capt. Wright and both mates; Thomas Oliver, the purser; both wheelsmen; the second engineer; Mr. Blackman; and a number of deck hands. The following were among the passengers saved:- Mr. Francis Kiah and wife, both of whom were burned, but not dangerously. Mrs. French, of Cornwall. The wife of Mr. Moore, of the Gore Bank, Hamilton. Those three above named, were all the females saved.
   A small vessel on the way down sent a boat to the assistance of the ill-fated steamer, but the men being frightened pulled away again.
   The schooner GEORGIANA then hove in sight, lowered a boat, which was manned with her mate and two sailors, and succeeded in picking up eighteen persons. In two minutes after the rescue, the wreck went down. She had drifted eight miles from the shore before she sunk. The captain, first mate and one passenger reached the shore near the disaster, and the vessel brought the rest to Kingston.
   The following is a list of some of the lost: Mr. Trumbull, first engineer. Julius Santers, bar-keeper. The cook of the steamer, Mrs. Donald. The nurse and three children of the Cashier of the Gore Bank, Hamilton. Three ladies, names unknown. Mr. Lynlan B. Fiske, of the firm of H.S. Humphrey, of Ogdensburgh.
   The whole number of lost is at least twenty eight.
   The progress of the flames was so rapid that it was impossible to launch any of the boats which were on board.
8. Oswego Daily Times : Monday, May 2, 1853 – The Loss of the OCEAN WAVE
   The burning of the British steamer OCEAN WAVE on the North shore of Lake Ontario on Saturday morning last, of which we give in another column all the details received, is the most melancholy disaster of the kind we have ever had to record on this Lake. Our information in relation to it is not sufficient to justify an opinion of the causes of the frightful disaster. Previous to this, steam navigation has been attended with few fatal disasters to human life on Lake Ontario, and indeed no serious ones to American built and managed steamers. Our steamers have run with an exemption from accident and a security for passengers under all emergencies unparalleled upon our inland waters. We regret our neighbors on the other side are not equally successful, and that their steam navigation is not regulated by laws, stringent as our own.
9. Oswego Daily Journal : May 3, 1853 – Burning of the Ocean Wave - More full Particulars
   By an extra from the Ogdensburgh Sentinel office we have particulars, somewhat more in detail than we published in our telegraph yesterday morning. The Ocean Wave took fire from her furnaces, on her downward trip from Hamilton, when off "The Ducks," about 40 miles above Kingston, between one and two o'clock on Saturday morning. When the fire was first discovered, the boat was almost 1 1/2 miles from shore, and was immediately headed for land, but the heat becoming so intense that the machinery gave out, and the vessel drifted to Sea. The upper Cabin, he thinks, was consumed in about fifteen minutes and in about two hours the hull went down. Mr. Blackman saved himself by adhering to a couple of planks which had been thrown overboard.
   He was at one time nearly 1/4 of a mile from the burning Steamer, but the wind drifted the wreck upon him, and he secured his planks to the rudder, where two or three others were already clinging, where they remained until taken off by the schooner Georgiana.
   Mr. Blackman says that while on the wreck, a high pressure steamer passed without rendering assistance, merely inquiring the name of the burning boat. The Ocean Wave had on board 14 cabin and 9 deck passengers besides 4 children and the crew, who swelled the total number to about 50, 22 of whom were saved. Among the crew saved were Captain Wright, and both mates, Mr. Thomas Oliver, Purser, both Wheelsmen, 2d Engineer, Mr. Blackman, and a number of deck hands. Among the passengers saved were Mr. Francis Kiah and Wife, both of whom were considerably but not dangerously burned; Mrs. French of Cornwall, and a Lady, wife of the Cashier of the Gore Bank, Hamilton. These three ladies were all the females saved.
   Mr. Blackman speaks in the highest terms of the heroic conduct exhibited by Mr. Oliver and the 2d mate. The lady from Hamilton was saved from the personal exertions of the 2d Mate, who tore her night clothes to strings, and with them lashed her to a part of the wreck, floating in the water, and when she had nearly perished with cold, held her up to the fire which revived her. Mr. Oliver was the last man to leave the wreck.
   A small vessel on her way down, sent her boat to the assistance of the sufferers; but the men in the boat being frightened pulled away again. The Georgiana then hove in sight, lowered her boat, which manned with her mate and two sailors, succeeded in picking up the eighteen saved with Mr. Oliver.

References and source notes

10. Life and Death on the side-wheel steamer Ocean Wave, a detailed analysis of the event and subsequent enquiries.
11. References to the schooner Ocean Wave appear in C.H.J Snider's work:
    Schooner Days CCVIII (208) Flame-Light In Olivia’s Life-Log, 5 Oct 1935
    Schooner Days CMXIX (919) "Ocean Waves" Faired Ill on Lake, 1 October 1949. (article covers the schooner and the steamer Ocean Wave).