SS Jane Miller

SS Jane Miller was a Cargo Ship that sank with the loss of 28 lives near Wiarton, Ontario on Georgian Bay on November 25, 1881. Her wreck was discovered in 2017 resting upright in over 100 feet (30 m) of water.

The Jane Miller
History
Name:	SS Jane Miller
Owner:	Andrew Port
Builder:	Crop's shipyard in Little Current, ON[1]^:p.238
Completed:	1879[1]^:p.238
Fate:	Lost in a storm on November 25, 1881 with 28 passengers and crew
General characteristics
Type:	Cargo Ship
Tonnage:	210 gross tons[1]^:p.238
Length:	78 ft (24 m)[1]^:p.238
Beam:	18 ft (5.5 m)[1]^:p.238
Installed power:	Wood fired steam engine[1]^:p.239
Crew:	10 [1]^:p.239

History

The Jane Miller was built in 1879 for James Miller & Sons, and was used as a small freighter along the Bruce Peninsula and North Channel of Georgian Bay. In September 1879 she collided with the schooner Mountaineer at night on Owen Sound, badly damaging the schooner. It was sold to Andrew Port in June 1880 to be used in general freight service along the south shore of Georgian Bay, the east side of the Bruce Peninsula, and Manitoulin Island.[1]^:p.238[2]

Sinking

On the afternoon of November 25, 1881, the Jane Miller departed Owen Sound with a load of cargo. She arrived in Meaford, where thirty additional tons of cargo was loaded, much of which was stored on deck. The Jane Miller departed Meaford in the late afternoon headed for Spencer's Wharf near Wiarton as a blizzard began to blow with winds from the southwest. The strong winds and rough seas required a stop en route at Big Bay for additional cordwood for fuel. Departing Big Bay between 8 and 9 PM, eyewitnesses saw the Jane Miller pass White Cloud Island and enter Colpoys Bay. As she approached Spencer's Wharf, the blizzard intensified for a few minutes, and when the snow abated the Jane Miller had vanished without a trace.[1]^:p.240–243[2]

Aftermath

The Jane Miller had little to no permanent ballast on board, instead relying on the weight of her fuel and cargo in her hold to keep her properly trimmed. It was speculated that the blizzard had resulted in the Jane Miller consuming more of her fuel than expected, and that combined with the extra cargo loaded at Meaford, had become top heavy. When the snowstorm increased in intensity in Colpoys Bay, a strong gust of wind flipped her on her side, and she sank in minutes.[1]^:p.244

On December 4 three men started rowing from near Spencer's wharf towards White Cloud Island to see if they could find any indication of the missing ship. Half a mile northeast of Spencer's wharf they discovered a patch of discoloured water with air bubbles rising to the surface. Bearings from certain objects on the shore were made, and the position was later determined to be very close to the last observed location of the Jane Miller. Continuing on to White Cloud Island they found in a bay several items, including "oars, some pins of the lifeboat, a piece of a mast, and a steamers gang plank".[2] The tugboat Tommy Wright dragged the area hoping to find the wreck, but was unsuccessful as soundings revealed depths greater than 33 fathoms (198 feet or 60.35 metres) in the area.[1]^:p.244

A historical plaque was erected near Spencer's Wharf to commemorate the sinking.[3]

Crew & Passengers

Name	Position	Notes
Richard Dawson Port[1]^:p.239	Captain	Brother[1]^:p.239/Son[2] of ship owner Andrew Port
Charles Frederick Port[2]/Frank Port[1]^:p.239	Purser	Name uncertain, Son of ship owner Andrew Port
Alex Scales[1]^:p.241	Wheelman
James Christie[1]^:p.241/Christison[2]	Chief Engineer	Name uncertain
August Keppel[1]^:p.241	Fireman
Gilbert Colbert[1]^:p.241/Corbet[2]	Fireman
Three or Four unknown crewmen[2]	Deckhand
Andrew Port[2]	Passenger	ship owner
J. Jestin [2]	Passenger	Resident of Port Elgin
Stewart Thompson[2]	Passenger	Resident of Meaford
Leon Butchart[1]^:p.241/Hutshart[2]	Passenger	Resident of Tobermory
Mrs Leon Butchart[1]^:p.241/Hutshart[2]	Passenger	Resident of Tobermory
Capt. Malcolm McLeod[2]	Passenger	Resident of Goderich or Detroit
James Warner[2]	Passenger	Resident of Meaford
James B. Hallock[2]	Passenger	Resident of Meaford
Mr. Hill[2]	Passenger	Resident of Collingwood Township.

There were an additional ten passengers whose names were not recorded, bound for Lion Head or Tobermory to work as labourers over the winter.

Shipwreck

The wreck of the Jane Miller was discovered on July 27, 2017 by a shipwreck hunting team made up of Jared Daniel, Jerry Eliason and Ken Merryman operating with a permit issued by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. The discovery was announced on November 25, 2017, the 136th anniversary of the sinking. The wreck is upright, in over 100 ft of water. The pilothouse, smokestack, and upper deck cabins have collapsed, but the hull is mostly intact, and the mast and three lifeboat davits are still in place. The permit did not allow for the divers to enter, but Daniel reported seeing sixteen corpses inside the hull. Merryman admitted that he was unsure if they had seen any human remains, since the wreck is heavily encrusted with zebra mussels, making identification of any such remains very difficult.[4] A subsequent investigation of the wreck by divers from the Ontario Provincial Police and Canadian Forces did not find any human remains. Despite this, the wreck of the Jane Miller has been designated a protected archaeological site under the Ontario Heritage Act, and Merryman has not released the exact position and depth of the wreck, in order to further protect the site.[5]

References

1. Boyer, Dwight Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes, Dodd, Mead & Co, New York, 1968
2. Jane Miller (Propeller), sunk, 23 Nov 1881
3. "Loss of the "Jane Miller" Historical Plaque". www.ontarioplaques.com. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
4. Gowan, Rob. "136-year-old shipwreck found in Georgian Bay -- and bodies may be on board". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
5. Gowan, Rob. "Police investigation doesn't find human remains on Jane Miller". Owen Sound Sun Times. Retrieved 24 October 2018.

External links

• Footage of wreck