L.R. Doty Shipwreck Found In Lake Michigan After 112 Years

June 25th, 2010 - 7:59 pm ICT by GD  

By Ranjan Bhaduri
Shipwreck DiscoveredMilwaukee, June 25, (THAINDIAN NEWS) A huge wooden steamship which went under the waters 112 years ago has been discovered near the shorelines of Milwaukee. What’s astonishing is that the ship which had encountered a heavy storm in Lake Michigan has been preserved well under the fresh waters. Brendon Baillod who happens to be the President of Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association told the media that the discovery of L.R. Doty is of great value as because the 300 foot long ship was the largest wooden vessel, the whereabouts of which were not known.

It was said that the ship was carrying cargo of corns way back from South Chicago and was headed towards Ontario in 1898 when it sank into the depths of water. When the ship went down it was pretty young, just five years old. Besides the 17 crew members out of which none survived the storm, the ship was also carrying two cats namely Dewey and Watson. Brendon Baillod who had spent 20 years of his life researching about the ship, had followed a trail of the ship way back in 1991 when a local fisherman reported his nets clashing against a strong object in the shorelines.

Jitka Hanakova, the 33 year old diver who formed a part of the research team told the media that the divers spotted the ship as soon as they landed on the floor of the lake. He said that the ship has been well preserved due to the cold and fresh water of the lake. The corpses of the crew are still said to present inside the boiler room which is said to be the safest place where one might have gone for shelter.

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