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Vessel

Manhattan

Also Manhattan

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypeVessel
RigSteamship
ErasModern era
On this page
Vessel
Rig
Steamship
Operator
Gilchrist Steamship Company
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
maritimeshippingcommunity

Summary

The Manhattan was the coal-carrying steamer of the Gilchrist Steamship Company that rescued Owen McCauley and William Shields from the overturned light-crew sailboat on the morning of December 15, 1900. The ship carried the survivors and the bodies of the two women to Manitowoc.1

The held reports do not provide the steamer’s official number, dimensions, master, builder, or later history.

Open questions

  • Which Great Lakes vessel records identify this Manhattan and its registry?
  • Who commanded the ship and lowered the rescue boat?

See also

Footnotes

  1. Held Courier and Beaver Beacon accounts of the December 14–15, 1900 Squaw Island light-crew tragedy. ↩

Sources

  1. Charlevoix Courier, “48 Years Ago Tragedy Struck Squaw Island Light Crew; Lone Survivor Tells Story,” held Courier OCR compilation.
    Identifies the Manhattan as the coal-carrying steamer that sighted and rescued Owen McCauley and William Shields on the morning after the capsizing. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · charlevoixcourie1231unse
  2. Reprints the Manhattan rescue and identifies the Gilchrist Steamship Company.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1965-01_Beaver-Beacon
  3. The held six-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1965-01_Beaver-Beacon

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 3 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Manhattan”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/vessels/manhattan-1900-rescue/, accessed [date], citing Charlevoix Courier, “48 Years Ago Tragedy Struck Squaw Island Light Crew; Lone Survivor Tells Story,” held Courier OCR compilation. (and 2 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-03. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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