Archeology crew studying 40-Mile Pt. shipwreck
It was October 19, 1905, and every ship on Lake Huron was fighting one of the worst storms in shipping history, surpassed only by the Great Storm of 1913. It was reported approximately 44 people lost their lives, and nearly 32 vessels were sunk or wrecked, including a steamer called the Joseph S. Fay, which was swept into shore near the 40-Mile Point Lighthouse in sinking condition. Nearly 101 years have passed, and part of the wreckage of what is believed to be the Fay still lies in the sands near 40-Mile Point. It is the determined purpose of maritime archeologist Wayne Lusardi to document the wreckage and prove it to be that of the Joseph S. Fay.
LUSARDI, WHO is employed by the state of Michigan and stationed at the Thunder Bay Sanctuary in Alpena, said his original project was to create a land-site field school to study the wreckage of the Fay. Although his idea of a field school fell through, his plan of studying the Fay wreckage is presently unfolding on the beach of Lake Huron, nearly six miles north of Rogers City. ?We had a crew of students volunteer to work on this project,? said Lusardi. ?It is the first time for each of them to work on a shipwreck, although?they just finished working on a prehistoric site.? Helping with the archeological study is Beth Dykstra from Florida State, Chris Kuclo from Michigan State University, Nick Taylor from the University of Michigan, and Steve Gates, also from U of M. Lusardi said his decision to work on the Fay is based largely on the fact that the wreckage has never been officially authenticated.
?A LOT OF people know about the wreck, but it has never been documented,? said Lusardi. ?The wreckage is breaking down naturally, and we want to record it before it is gone to see if there is supporting archeological evidence to identify it as the Fay.?
In order to document a shipwreck, Lusardi and his crew are painstakingly recording every aspect of the land wreckage. ?I?m drawing every piece in detail, so that when it degrades further, we will know exactly what we had here on the beach in 2006,? said Lusardi. Using the drawings will give Lusardi an engineering or architectural rendering of the shipwreck, much like a blue print plan of its construction. ?Drawing the shipwreck is the traditional method of recording, and it also gives us the most detail and is the most accurate,? said Lusardi. ?We have set up a grid over the top of the land wreckage to help control measurements.? Just off shore from the land wreckage, in about 15 feet of water, there is an additional
?WE SNORKELED out to the water site, and found the wreckage intact from stern to bow,? said Lusardi. ?Portside is almost in tact, and it tells us that the piece on the beach is the starboard side.? Lusardi said there is about 100 feet missing off of the land wreckage that has not been accounted for to his knowledge; however, there is enough wreckage at this time to get a precise measurement, which will help in identification. ?It looks pretty good ? it is definitely a steamer,? said Lusardi. ?It was also carrying iron ore, just as the Fay was.?
According to Lusardi, the entire study will not only be interesting to archeologists, but to maritime enthusiasts and visitors of 40-Mile Point. ?Part of this whole process is to provide the 40-Mile Point Lighthouse group with more information as to what visitors are looking at,? said Lusardi, ?and from what we have found so far, it is likely the Joseph S. Fay.?