Waubuno
Encyclopedia
The Waubuno was a side-wheel paddle steamer that conveyed passengers and freight between Collingwood
and Parry Sound
in the 1860s and 1870s. It sank with all hands during a gale on the night of November 22, 1879, though the exact cause of its sinking is unknown.
The Waubuno was built by Melancthon Simpson at Port Robinson in 1865 for J. & W. Beatty and Company, and was later owned by the Georgian Bay Transportation Company. Her main purpose was to run passengers and freight from the Northern Railway
's railhead
at Collingwood to places further north, including Parry Sound and Thunder Bay. Its name was derived from Algonquin
and means "Black Magician" or "Sorcerer".
The ship set in during a break in the weather on November 21 with 24 crew and passengers. The ship was last spotted afloat by the lighthouse keeper at Christian Island who noted that the ship was faring well. The Steamer Magnettawan left later on the same morning as the Waubuno and after sheltering overnight at the Christian Island, arrived at Parry Sound November 24, never having spotted the other ship.
No bodies were ever recovered.
In the Spring of 1880 an upturned hull identified as that of the lost ship was found on Moberly Island, and later that summer a tug was employed to turn it over to allow investigators to determine why the ship sank. Following the ship's disappearance there had been rumours that its wooden superstructure was rotten, or that its boilers had blown up. Those at the scene found what timbers that remained to be sound, and there was no sign that the hull had been damaged by an internal explosion.
Other parts of the ship have been recovered over the years. A hull which is thought to be that of the Waubuno can be found in waters 15 ft (4.5 metres) deep at 45°07′15"N 80°09′58"W, near Wreck Island. though the identification is disputed. Its rudder can be found on display at Midland
Ontario's Huronia Museum
. Its anchor was recovered in 1959.
Collingwood, Ontario
Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay.-History:...
and Parry Sound
Parry Sound, Ontario
Parry Sound is a town in Central Ontario, Canada, located on Parry Sound on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay. Parry Sound is located south of Sudbury and north of Toronto. It is the seat of Parry Sound District, a popular cottage country region for Southern Ontario residents. It is also the...
in the 1860s and 1870s. It sank with all hands during a gale on the night of November 22, 1879, though the exact cause of its sinking is unknown.
The Waubuno was built by Melancthon Simpson at Port Robinson in 1865 for J. & W. Beatty and Company, and was later owned by the Georgian Bay Transportation Company. Her main purpose was to run passengers and freight from the Northern Railway
Northern Railway
Northern Railway is the name of:* North railway * Northern Railway , predecessor of the Southern Pacific Company* Northern Railway of Canada* Northern Railway Zone * Northern Railway * Nevada Northern Railway...
's railhead
Railhead
The word railhead is a railway term with two distinct meanings, depending upon its context.Sometimes, particularly in the context of modern freight terminals, the word is used to denote a terminus of a railway line, especially if the line is not yet finished, or if the terminus interfaces with...
at Collingwood to places further north, including Parry Sound and Thunder Bay. Its name was derived from Algonquin
Algonquin language
Algonquin is either a distinct Algonquian language closely related to the Ojibwe language or a particularly divergent Ojibwe dialect. It is spoken, alongside French and to some extent English, by the Algonquin First Nations of Quebec and Ontario...
and means "Black Magician" or "Sorcerer".
Last voyage
The ship was loaded down with supplies destined for Parry Sound, and was likely the last voyage the ship could make before ice made future trips impossible until the following Spring. The ship, Captained by George Plumpton Burkitt, had been trying to leave the southern Georgian Bay town of Collingingwood since November 18, 1879, but snow and fierce winds had kept the ship in port.The ship set in during a break in the weather on November 21 with 24 crew and passengers. The ship was last spotted afloat by the lighthouse keeper at Christian Island who noted that the ship was faring well. The Steamer Magnettawan left later on the same morning as the Waubuno and after sheltering overnight at the Christian Island, arrived at Parry Sound November 24, never having spotted the other ship.
Wreck
When the Waubuno failed to turn up at its destination, the tug Millie Grew was sent out to look for the paddle steamer. It returned to report that they had found a portion of the wreck. A contemporary article on the disaster from the Parry Sound North Star says that the crew of the Millie GrewNo bodies were ever recovered.
In the Spring of 1880 an upturned hull identified as that of the lost ship was found on Moberly Island, and later that summer a tug was employed to turn it over to allow investigators to determine why the ship sank. Following the ship's disappearance there had been rumours that its wooden superstructure was rotten, or that its boilers had blown up. Those at the scene found what timbers that remained to be sound, and there was no sign that the hull had been damaged by an internal explosion.
Other parts of the ship have been recovered over the years. A hull which is thought to be that of the Waubuno can be found in waters 15 ft (4.5 metres) deep at 45°07′15"N 80°09′58"W, near Wreck Island. though the identification is disputed. Its rudder can be found on display at Midland
Midland
-Places:In Australia:* Midland, Western AustraliaIn Canada:* Midland, OntarioIn Germany:* Mittellandkanal, the Midland CanalIn Ireland:* Midland Region, a region of the Republic of IrelandIn the United States:...
Ontario's Huronia Museum
Huronia Museum
The Huronia Museum is located in Midland, Ontario, Canada. The museum consists of the museum building and the Huron/Ouendat village . The museum is open year round and has nearly one million objects and receives some 20,000 visitors each year...
. Its anchor was recovered in 1959.
Further reading
- Hunter, Douglas. The Sorcerer's Ship: The sinking of the oddly named Waubuno is one of the strangest in Georgian Bay's history, (June–July, 2009). The Beaver.
- Ratigan, Bill. Great Lakes Shipwrecks and Survivals. Grand Rapids: WB Eerdmans, 1977. ISBN 0802870104.