“All day yesterday, and until early last evening, eyes were strained towards the bend at Belle Isle, in constant expectation that they would behold the steamer KERSHAW, on board of which were the officers and crew of the ill-fated JAVA.
At about 6 o’clock she arrived abreast of the city, and rounded to only long enough to allow Captain Pope to come ashore, when, after a short closeting with Mr. Chesebrough, the agent of the Commercial Line here, he left by rail for Buffalo, the entire crew of the JAVA, some 25 in number, will be taken to Buffalo on the KERSHAW.
Captain Pope, as is natural, is quite cast down at his unfortunate experience. He is an old sailor, having been in the Commercial Line about five years, but his friends know him best as the popular commander of the ARAXES when she was in her palmy days. He made a statement substantially as follows: The JAVA left Bay City on Saturday, August 17, with 7,000 barrels of salt, bound for Chicago. Everything went well until Sunday morning, at about 8 o’clock. At the time the wind was blowing rather strong, and the boat was going along at a moderate speed. Suddenly, without any warning whatever, something of a serious nature manifested itself, but could not tell whether it was a log in the wheel or what was the matter. A hasty examination showed that water was rushing into the hold somewhere about the stern, but could not tell where, with such velocity that it was impossible to stop it.
Soon saw that the vessel must sink, as she was filling rapidly, and ordered the boats down, and had just pushed clear when the main deck went under. Ten minutes afterwards, and just 30 minutes after the first notice that something was wrong the JAVA went down, out of sight, in about 200 feet of water.
Were in the small boats but an hour or so, when the schooner J.P. MARCH hove near and picked them up. The same afternoon the steamship KERSHAW came along and took them on board bound for Buffalo. All the books and papers belonging to the boat were saved, but the officers and crew saved but little. Captain Pope loses a fine library, a well as much other valuable property.
It will never be known exactly what caused the boat to sink. Theories may be given, but they will not throw any light on the subject. She went down stern first, and that is all the proof than can be had as to where the cause that led to her sinking was located. She was a twin screw boat, and the shaft on one side may have broken off somewhere above the stern pipe, letting the wheel drop out, or the wheel may have moved up on the shaft in some unaccountable manner, and the blade stove a hole in her side.
The statement that she had no bulkhead is untrue. She had two, dividing the hull into three compartments, each being water tight. The boat’s exact original cost was $165,000, but probably her mate could be produced now at a saving of at least $50,000. It is possible that this disaster may result in a long winded discussion among marine men on the merits and demerits of iron boats. The gives the insurance on the boat, aggregating $40,000.
Special Dispatch to the Post & Tribune Buffalo, August 20 – The propeller JAVA was insured for $40,000, as follows: Phoenix, $25,000; Aetna, $10,000; Manhattan, $10,000; Orient, $2,500; Providence of Washington, $2,500; one third of the insurance held by the Phoenix and Manhattan Companies was re-insured in the Buffalo Insurance Company. Her owner Charles Ensign refused $100,000 for her a short time ago. Special Dispatch to the Post & Tribune Bay City, August 20. – A part of the cargo of the propeller JAVA, consisted of 7,300 barrels of salt, taken in at this port last Friday. From Chicago papers we gather the information that the JAVA’s cargo of salt was insured in the Orient Company, for $5,656. The only other insurance known is about $2,000 in the Traders on the 67 barrels of syrup on board, and which was taken on at Buffalo, from which port she left on Monday, August 12.
The entire cargo consisting of the salt above referred to, a large number of stoves 67 barrels of syrup, and quite a quantity of general merchandise. The Inter-Ocean, commenting on the disaster, says: ” The JAVA has been unlucky from the first day she came out. This is explained by the ‘Croakers,’ who say she was launched on Friday. But as it happens she was not launched on Friday. It will be remembered that the JAVA sank Capt. Eyster’s schooner CAPE HORN, and that she sunk herself by striking at the Lime Kiln Crossing. Capt. Dodge was then in command. She has been in numerous other scrapes, and only last trip broke a wheel on the way down, and had to be towed through. Many of the iron steamers on the lake have been wooded over, but the JAVA is not one of them.”
The Chicago Tribune Contains the Following
The Mr. Beckwith referred to a the agent of the Commercial Line at Chicago: Mr. Beckwith was of the opinion that one of the wheels of the JAVA must have struck the iron hull and stove in one of the plates, thus letting the water into the stern of the vessel and sinking her. Had the injury been amidships the water-tight compartments would have prevented her from going down.
The JAVA was one of the very staunchest propellers on the lakes, and Mr. Beckwith states that Mr. Ensign had such great confidence in her safety from accidents that he did not insure her heavily.”
Detroit Post & Tribune Wednesday, August 21, 1878
Submitted by Ross Richardson of Michigan Mysteries
Ross Richardson quote:
“Quietly, the JAVA has become one of the most sought-after shipwrecks in Lake Michigan. The recent interest in the JAVA has been fueled by the discovery of her sistership, the RUSSIA, and improvements in side scan sonar technologies. The JAVA remains one of the largest, still-missing vessels in Lake Michigan.”
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