Even with the use of all the material provided, additional work could still be undertaken, but one reaches a limit, after which the task of pulling it all together must be done. Seldom has a week gone by in the final stages of editing where some additional person hasn’t reported new information or offered another clue to help unravel the many remaining mysteries about this ship and the horrific storm.
In the words of Ron Beaupre, a distinguished Ontario marine historian, “When you shake the tree, the cherries begin to fall.”1 I have tried to shake the tree. There will be lots of new “fruit” to harvest, ready for follow-up research and more writing, no sooner than the current task can be completed. The debates will surely continue about what actually did or did not happen. Some of those arguments will be heated.
The role of key members of the Goderich Marine Heritage Committee must also be noted. I cannot underscore sufficiently the enthusiasm, 24-7, that was brought to the table by Jan Hawley. Her boundless energy and her exuberance for the search, discovery, and research follow-up were contagious. So were the excitement and the commitment of Bob Carey, a long-time hunter for the shipwreck Wexford. Jan even engaged her sister Debra Anderson to assist us with some on-site research at the University of Western Ontario. The contributions of Brent Bamford, who sought out the original builder’s plan from Sunderland, and of Karen Sturdy, who provided me with a hard to find copy of the Goderich Inquest transcript, are also noted. In particular, Karen must be commended for the many hours she spent, pen in hand, in efforts to make the largely illegible transcript photocopies more readable.
Patricia Hamilton and Jeremy Allin at the Huron County Museum have provided support and assistance with access to records and images. Likewise, Melissa Shaw of the Collingwood Museum, Kim Forbes of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum, Marlo Broad of the Alpena Public Library system, and others in similar organizations have made it possible to acquire many new images that have been mostly unseen by the general public. Reg Thompson of the Goderich Public Library has been of great assistance in the struggle to find first names in several cases where only initials were used in newspaper reports.
The late Audrey and Bill Barlow, the late Captain A.R. (Uncle Roy) Munday, the late Robert Courtney, as well as Bob McGreevy, Ron Beaupre, Hank Winsor, Mike and Georgann Wachter, Mike Spears, Peter Sturdy, Glen Gardiner, Owen Delve, and Keith Homan are among those who made images available for use in this book. Glen Gardiner went out of his way to help solve some last-minute image problems, as did Elizabeth Profit at Elizabeth’s Art Gallery, Goderich, who spent some after-hours, weekend photo shop time tweaking an important image for the colour plates section so that it could be included.
David L. Trotter of Undersea Research Associates, a well-known shipwreck aficionado who has found more shipwrecks on the Great Lakes than any other person, was an inspiration. His drive, determination, and quiet counsel have been most supportive over these last 10 years, in my sporadic efforts to get this job done. His knowledge and expertise have been valuable, not only to me in my current task, but also to the marine community in the GoderichLake Huron area as the search continues for the James Carruthers and the Argus,2 both yet to surrender their location after their loss in the infamous storm. The support of the original side-scanning crews should also be acknowledged.
Well-known Great Lakes researchers and historians, including Brendon Baillod, Cris Kohl, Chris Pemberton, Patrick Folkes, William Deedler, Walter Lewis, David Swayze, Stan McLellan, John Weichel, and Dan Sullivan of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society, always answered email and telephone requests and helped steer me toward the answers I was seeking, especially in the early days of my work, almost a decade ago.
Walter Lewis, David Swayze, and Brendon Baillod warrant special mention for the selfless work they do on behalf of the marine heritage community across the continent and beyond. These three marine historians maintain Internet websites that have amassed lifetimes of research documentation and provide links for lesser students of marine history, like myself, for access to an almost unlimited knowledge base. I cannot estimate how many times I have made a quick electronic trip to one of their websites to verify a fact or to seek direction for a next step. They deserve gold medals for their lifelong commitment on our collective behalf. Their contributions are invaluable. Canadians should be especially proud of the work undertaken by Walter Lewis, and those who have contributed to www.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca, including Bill McNeil and Rick Neilson.
Captain C “Bud” Robinson and his wife Jeanette have been acquaintances of mine for many years. Now residing in the Tobermory area, Bud has provided invaluable support and guidance as I have pulled this project together, especially with technical details, and with corrections of some of the misinformation, false presumptions, and errors that inevitably surface with the hype and the enthusiasm that follows such an exciting discovery as finding a shipwreck that has been missing for 87 years. His astute powers of observation have drawn out otherwise unnoticeable details — his knowledge is based on the experience of more than 40 years at sea. Bud has unselfishly shared his magnificent artwork; most notably his piece entitled The Last Sighting, which shows the Wexford in the excruciating throes of the storm offshore from the Goderich Lighthouse. His amazing talent for cleaning up old photos with modern digital tools on his computer salvaged some beautiful images for me, important in the history of this ship, that otherwise would have been unusable. Quite frankly, it would not have been possible to complete this book without Bud’s generous assistance.
I must extend gratitude to Robert McGreevy, well-known American marine artist, named 2004 Historian of the Year by the Detroit Marine Historical Society, for access to two of his more than 300 paintings of Great Lakes ships. As well, I must also acknowledge William Nieuwland, an artist acquaintance and Friend of the Wexford, from nearby Grand Bend. These artists have created spectacular images of the Wexford in her final moments that convey that unholy wedlock of beauty and terror on the storm-swept seas with dramatic intensity. These renderings truly speak a thousand words.
From the Friends of the Wexford in Grand Bend, I must also acknowledge the interest and support of wreck-finder Don Chalmers and activist/writer David Bannister, who has allowed me to use his own summary of the events in those early days as an appendix in this book.
From the diving community, Doug Taleski, Steve Wilke, Jim and Pat Stayer, Dan Thomas, Paul Schaus, and Jim Clarey, along with those mentioned in the text of the manuscript, provided information or pointed me in the right direction on matters related to the wreck itself. Dr. Peter McLean Millar has offered encouragement and additional insights. Paul Padfield, a local diver, warrants commendation for his diligence in the creation of visual survey records for the Wexford. Paul and his son, with help from some divers from Deep 3 Scuba, London, completed the first underwater maps or plans of the wreck, and identified key areas that required further detailed study. Paul’s work has been meticulous. And, of course, Bob Carey, longtime Wexford hunter, must be acknowledged for his diligent persistence and his unbridled enthusiasm for the whole project, as holder of the official survey licence for the wreck documentation.
Mike and Georgann Wachter, of Erie Wrecks fame, the best-known divers on Lake Erie, and guests of one of our Goderich Marine Heritage Festivals held a few years ago, offered insight into the state of the Wexford as she sits today, and provided access to a series of wonderful still photographs of the wreck, as well as some underwater video that I have consulted during my research.
Lawrence Brander, Les Begarnie, and Mike Hughes, all of whom consented to be interviewed about the widely proclaimed Bill Humphries Wexford discovery of the 1970s, must also be recognized.
Brian Prince, current president of Save Ontario Shipwrecks (SOS), has been unselfish in sharing thoughts about shipwreck preservation efforts,