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Joseph P. Farnam
Lost July 20, 1889 Somewhere between Benton Harbor and South Haven lies the hulk of the bulk freighter Joseph P. Farnam. Her burnt timbers and upright machinery give testimony to the disaster that her crew barely survived. The Vessel The Farnam was only two years old when she sank. Built at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1887, she was a wooden-hulled, bulk freighter with a single expansion steam engine and a single boiler. The steamer was built by H. D. Root, for L. P. and J. A. Smith of Cleveland. She was 152 feet in length, with a beam of 33 feet. She was rated at a modest 410 tons and cost her owners $45,000. The Loss The Farnam left St. Joseph, Michigan northbound for Escanaba at around 8:00 am Saturday morning, July 20 1889. She was owned and captained by 41 year old L. B. Vosburgh who, on this voyage, was accompanied by his wife, Belle, and 10 crewmen. The wind was blowing fresh out of the northwest, and with the sea running, progress to the north was slow. About 2 pm, 17 miles northwest of St. Joseph, a fire broke out in the engine room. The crew attempted to put the fire out, but the donkey pump was disabled by the flames, and soon it became evident that the ship was lost. The flames destroyed the lifeboat, forcing the crew to grab whatever materials they could find and start building a raft. When the raft was complete, the crew abandoned ship. On shore, a watchman from the South Haven life saving station was occasionally tracking the progress of the Farnam. The vessel was watched for nearly three hours from shore, before the blaze was spotted. As soon as trouble was detected, the steamer Glenn was sent to the rescue. Arriving at the scene as the sun was setting, the rescuers spotted the survivors on the raft just as daylight was fading. Although some of the Farnam’s crew were burned while fighting the fire, all made it safely to shore. The names of the rescued crewmembers are: L. G. Vosburgh, Captain; Mrs. Vosburgh, Jas. Bowen, first mate; Daniel Leisenring, second mate; Charles T. Martin, chief engineer; Frank Chambers, wheelsman; James Pratt, wheelsman; John Fay, fireman; James McMahon, fireman; John McNichol, steward; Andrew McNichol, deckhand.When last seen, the Farnam was engulfed from stem to stern by a roaring inferno, drifting away from her crew at an astonishing rate of speed. She undoubtedly sank soon after that. The vessel carried no insurance. Despite losing the Farnam, Captain Vosburgh continued to sail the Great Lakes for many more years. By Ross Richardson MSRA is partially funded through a grant from
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