Idler disaster
The Idler disaster refers to the sinking on Lake Erie of the luxury racing yacht Idler on July 7, 1900, during a storm. The ocean-going luxury racing yacht had once been an America's Cup competitor. Purchased by James Corrigan in 1899, she was completely refurbished.
Corrigan, his brother, and their families took the yacht on a pleasure cruise across Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair beginning June 30, 1900. All three male passengers and one women disembarked at Port Huron, Michigan, as the vessel returned to Cleveland, Ohio. While northwest of Cleveland, the captain spotted a storm coming from the northwest. Little was done to prepare the ship for the squall. Struck by severe wind, the Idler went onto her starboard beam end twice. Open skylights in the deck allowed water to pour in, and she sank within a few minutes. Six of the seven passengers drowned, all of them women. James Corrigan lost his wife, three daughters, a grand-daughter, and a niece. The sinking captured headlines in nearly all regional newspapers in the American Midwest.
An initial search of the wreck recovered three bodies. The remains of an infant were recovered from the ship after it was towed into the harbor at Cleveland and refloated. The remaining two bodies were found over the next two months.
James Corrigan blamed Captain Charles J. Holmes for failing to take in sail prior to the storm. Local vesselmen disputed the captain and mate's claim that the storm was severe, and believed Holmes to have been negligent.
A Cuyahoga County coroner's inquest was hindered by the departure of most of the crew for their home in Norway. The coroner held "accidental death" in one of the six deaths, and did not issue a ruling in the other five. A federal grand jury indicted Holmes on charges of manslaughter, but the case was nolled after none of the witnesses could be induced to return to Cuyahoga County.
The Idler was refloated and given to a new owner. She sank again in 1904 after ice swept her into Lake Erie, and she was dismantled.
About the ''Idler''
James Corrigan was the multi-millionaire owner of a Cleveland-based shipping fleet, numerous iron mines in the Midwest, and an iron ore-dealing firm. He was also a lifelong avid yachtsman.On October 5, 1899, Corrigan purchased the luxury schooner yacht Idler for about $12,000. Built in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1864 by shipbuilder F. Colgate, Idler was an ocean-going racing vessel. She was long, had a beam, drew, and displaced.
Idler had been lengthened to in 1873, and had her keel reworked in 1877. She'd undergone a wide range of repairs and a number of overhauls between 1882 and 1899, and been almost completely rebuilt in 1890 and 1892.
When Corrigan purchased her, however, she was rotting and decrepit. Corrigan spent $8,000 rebuilding and refurbishing the yacht. He had all but her hull replaced and the ship painted white. Her new interior accommodations were extremely comfortable. The Idler was widely considered one of the safest yachts on the Great Lakes, and both Mate Samuel Biggam and A.R. Landreth of the Cleveland Yacht Club claimed the yacht "absolutely safe and seaworthy."
On June 8, 1900, James Corrigan took the Idler out on Lake Erie for handling trials prior to her "maiden" voyage. A thunderstorm with heavy rain hit the ship, and she almost went over on her beam ends. The storm came on suddenly, and Corrigan himself helped lower the mainsail. The rope slid through his fingers, injuring him.
Captain Charles J. Holmes and crew
To captain the Idler, Corrigan hired 27-year-old Charles Joseph Holmes on October 18, 1899. He was a married man, and his wife and two children lived in Port Huron, Michigan. Holmes had spent his entire life sailing both lakes and oceans in large and small craft, nine of those years on the Great Lakes. He was reckless, a self-promoter, thrill-seeker, and liar. He falsely claimed to have captained the half-clipper ship Glory of the Seas in his early 20s, and set a record sailing from New York City to Shanghai in just 72 days. Holmes also claimed to have smuggled arms to Cuba in January 1897, and in June 1897 announced he would sail around the world in a sailboat.His record as a Great Lakes ship captain was mixed. On November 13, 1896, Holmes attempted to bring the MV Walulla into the harbor at Conneaut, Ohio, during a severe storm without the aid of tugboats. He missed the pier and crashed on the shore. The ship burst into flames and two crewmembers died.
James Corrigan later told the press that he hired Holmes because he had experience on oceans as well as lakes, had good recommendations, and was considered an expert seaman. Author John Stark Bellamy suggests that Corrigan also chose Holmes because the young man was a flashy risk-taker.
The crew was hired by Holmes in May, and included first mate Samuel Biggam and sailors Jacob Antonson, Charles Johnson, Olaf Neilson, and Severn Neilson. Biggam had 36 years of experience on everything from small coastal fishing boats to the huge oceanic steamer. Nineteen of those years had been spent on the Great Lakes, where he was mostly employed on schooners. Three of the four sailors were Norwegian, and all were very experienced.
Cleveland area yachtsman said later that they felt Holmes had not properly captained the Idler during her brief outings on Lake Erie after her refit. Part of the problem, captains of other sailing ships said, was that a vessel the size of the Idler should have had eight or nine sailors.
Maiden voyage under Corrigan
About June 30, the Idler left Cleveland for Lake St. Clair. Aboard were James Corrigan; his 46-year-old wife, Ida Belle; his 22-year-old daughter Jane; and his 15-year-old daughter Ida May. Traveling with them was James's eldest married daughter, 24-year-old Nettie Corrigan Rieley and her one-year-old daughter, Mary. The other family traveling on the Idler was that of John Corrigan, and included his 51-year-old wife, Mary; 18-year-old daughter Etta Irene; and 22-year old married daughter Viola Gilbert.In addition to the captain, mate, and sailors, the crew consisted of first cook/steward George Welch, second cook/steward Charles Hackett, and carpenter William Summers.
The Idler passed Detroit, Michigan, on her way into Lake St. Clair on July 1, and returned to Lake Erie under sail on July 2. She went back to Lake St. Clair at some point, and by July 6 was at Port Huron, Michigan.
While at Port Huron on July 6, James Corrigan, suffering from a severe ear infection, left the Idler and took a train home to Cleveland to see his doctor. Viola Gilbert accompanied him so that she might attend a friend's bridal shower in Cleveland. John Corrigan also left the Idler to take a train to Buffalo, New York, where he had a business meeting. Before he departed, James Corrigan told Capt. Holmes to let the steamer J. Emery Owen tow the Idler back to Cleveland.
The Idler left Port Huron at about 5 PM on July 6, towed by the schooner Australia, which was in turn towed by the steamship J. Emery Owen. On July 7 at 12:30 AM, she passed the city of Detroit on her way to Lake Erie, still towed by the J. Emery Owen. As the tow line occasionally went slack and tightened again, the Idler jerked violently and the women became seasick. Ida Belle Corrigan asked Capt. Holmes to cast off the tow line, and after some discussion he did so at 6:30 AM when the Idler was off Bar Point, Ontario.
Sinking of the ''Idler''
The approach of the squall
Off Bar Point, the wind was coming from the southwest. After breakfast, Holmes had the spinnaker and balloon staysail set. The wind changed about 11 AM to come from the west-southwest, and was light.At roughly 10:30 AM, the yacht Ada W. passed the Idler off Colchester Beach, Ontario. A passenger aboard the Ada W. said he could already see the squall coming, and the wind was stiff.
The spinnaker was taken down at 11:30 AM, and the jib topsail set.
The captain and crew of the Idler saw a squall approaching from the northwest at about 12 noon. The balloon staysail was taken down in the expectation that the wind would shift. Neither Holmes nor Biggam thought the squall looked particularly severe. The Idler had passed through storms every day during the trip, and this one looked to be no different to them. It might, Biggam told Holmes, have winds of. Holmes felt that there would be heavy rain, at most: "No sailor would take down all his canvas every time he saw a black cloud. I saw the cloud, but thought there was nothing but rain in it."
At 1:05 PM, after a noon lunch, the mainsail, foresail, forestaysail, main topmast staysail, standard jib, flying jibs, jib topsails, fore-gaff topsails, and main-gaff topsails went up. Winds were now about, coming from the northwest. The Idler was roughly northwest of Cleveland. Cook/steward Charles Hackett said that although it was obvious by this time that the squall was going to hit the Idler, cousins Etta and Jane Corrigan came on deck to sit in chairs at the stern.
Capt. Holmes ordered the lead cook/steward, George Welch, to ensure that all the deadlights were closed. Welch told second cook/steward Charles Hackett to carry out the order.
The deadlights were skylight openings in the deck located along the sides of the yacht, two on the port side and two on the starboard side. They dropped downward when opened, and were fastened to the interior ceiling. Opening a deadlight dislodged a brass grating over the opening, which was supposed to be put in a box on deck. Closing a deadlight required going below, unfastening the deadlight, and locking it closed.
Hackett found the two deadlights on the port side and one on the starboard side open. He was able to secure all of them except the deadlight over the bathroom, which was locked and occupied at the time.
It began to rain shortly after 1 PM, and Holmes said he asked Biggam what he thought about the storm's strength. Biggam replied, "It's all over now." Holmes said he knew the storm was not over, because he looked to the northwest and could see wind on the water. The captain and crew still had plenty of time to prepare the Idler for the approaching storm. Experienced Cleveland yachtsmen believed that Holmes would have had ample time to prepare for the storm even if he'd had only 30 minutes, and Biggam believed the crew could have furled almost all sails in just 15 minutes.
By 1:30 PM, winds were light and seemed to come from many directions. Biggam began keeping an eye on the storm constantly, as it appeared to be gaining strength.
About 1:45 PM, the weather was almost calm, with light wind coming from the southwest. The sky was very threatening, however, and it was growing darker. Biggam asked Captain Holmes if they should take the "light" sails down. With Mary Corrigan standing nearby, Holmes replied, "Keep it on and have a little excitement."
The fishing tug Helene passed the Idler about this time, heading east. The steamer Ogemaw was abreast of the Idler and somewhat to north, also heading east. The captain of the Helene thought the storm looked "wicked", and shouted at the Idler to take her sails in. Capt. Martin O'Toole of the Ogemaw was surprised to see that the Idler was not taking its sails down.
Holmes then curtly ordered the crew to take down the main topmast staysail and both gaff sails. As the crew took in the topmast staysail, Holmes told Biggam to ensure that all the deadlights were closed. Biggam ordered the stewards to do so. Either one of the stewards or carpenter William Summers found two deadlights open on the starboard side. Mary Corrigan told him that the women had opened them to allow cool air into the stifling hot staterooms. The crewmember told Holmes, who ordered them closed. Either Biggam, a steward, or Summers went below and closed them. As the crew finished taking in the gaff sails, they were sent below to put on their oilskins and sea boots.
About 1:50 or 1:55 PM, heavy thunder and lightning began. It became quite dark, and the lake was choppy with large waves. The captain went below to change into his foul-weather gear. When he came back on deck two minutes later, Biggam asked Holmes if the crew could take down all but the fore staysail.
The fishing tugs Effie B. and F.E. Smith were about behind the Idler. The captains of both boats were all surprised that Idler was not taking down her sails. Fishermen and sailors standing on Eagle Cliff in Bay Village, Ohio, saw the Idler "staggering" under full sail just before the storm struck. "Those fellows will have their hands full if they don't shorten sail right away," one sailor said at the time.
The sky was now black with clouds in the northeast as well. The wind started coming from the southeast, so the Idler began tacking to starboard.
Just a minute or two before 2 PM, Capt. Holmes ordered the crew to furl the main topsail, fore topsail, and fore jib topsail. The wind had suddenly become quite strong, however. The yacht was lying over strongly to starboard, and the crew could not take in the forestaysail. The crew had lowered and clewed the main gaff topsail and was taking down the fore jib topsail when the storm struck.
The Idler was at that moment northwest of Cleveland.