Article

Tragic Wreck of the Flying Cloud Schooner

View of Lake Michigan from the shore on a gray day with waves rolling in

NPS / Joseph Gruzalski

Gales of November

Thousands of ships have been wrecked in the Great Lakes. Many met their fate as shipping and transportation peaked on the lakes during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With them drowned countless sailors, captains, passengers and crew— victims of a time before modern forecasting and navigation.

Notoriously powerful storms came to be known as the Gales of November and were often tied to tragedy. These destructive systems form when cold air from the Arctic meets relatively warmer air above the lakes, producing strong winds and heavy precipitation.

Flying Cloud

The Flying Cloud, a two-masted schooner, spent its years transporting grain—and later, coal—across the Great Lakes. Registered in 1852, the ship had survived multiple wrecks and repairs. However, on November 18, 1857, her most harrowing voyage began when she left Chicago bound for Cleveland, carrying nine men and over 10,000 bushels of wheat. Only two men would survive the brutal journey that followed.

The Storm Strikes

Shortly after departing Chicago, the weather took a dangerous turn. By midnight, a "perfect hurricane" of snow and freezing wind had engulfed the ship. The rigging was covered in ice, and the foresail had "split to ribbons." Waves battered the schooner, sweeping across the deck, leaving the crew powerless in the face of the storm. Paralyzed by the cold, the men could do little more than let the ship run before the wind.

A Shipwreck on a Bleak Coast

By the next morning, November 19, the Flying Cloud was driven onto a sandbar just offshore from what is now West Beach in Indiana Dunes National Park. Described as a "wild, bleak coast, covered with snow, and no friendly hands to render assistance," the ship quickly broke apart, flooding with water. The crew scrambled into the rigging, where they clung desperately for hours. As night fell, they huddled on the quarterdeck, lashed to the spars, enduring another freezing night.

Desperation and Tragedy

The next morning, two crew members were already dead, frozen stiff. Desperate to save the rest of the crew, first mate George Gordon made a final attempt to swim ashore. He reached land but collapsed and died just short of safety. Another sailor, Watt Wayne, followed and also reached the shore, only to freeze to death within sight of the wreck.

Captain Alex Sherwood, too weak to attempt escape, urged his men to save themselves. His final words were: "Boys, I’m dying. Try and save your lives—tell my wife that I’ve done my duty."

The Last Survivors

Frank Fox, one of the two eventual survivors, jumped into the icy waters later that day. After a "severe struggle," he reached the shore and encountered two men with a small boat. They managed to rescue another sailor, Henry Coleman, but further rescue attempts failed. The remaining crew members were lost as the boat was swamped.

Fox made his way to a nearby shanty, where he found Gordon lying near death. Although Gordon was taken inside and warmed, he "almost immediately expired" from the cold. Fox and Coleman, severely frostbitten, were cared for by the kind residents, and both eventually recovered.

Looting and Suspicion

In the aftermath of the wreck, a disturbing discovery was made. Captain Sherwood’s body had been removed from the ice and looted. Local resident Allen Dutcher was arrested after being found with the captain’s belongings, including his boots, papers, and money. Authorities believed the body had been chopped from the ice and stripped of valuables, although the full extent of the looting remained unclear.

The Final Wreck

Though the Flying Cloud was declared a total loss after this tragic event, it was repaired and returned to service. Her final wreck came in 1892, when she was abandoned on the shores of Lake Michigan near what is now Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, marking the end of her long and eventful career.

The content for this article was gathered and written by Joseph Gruzalski, a researcher with Indiana Dunes National Park.

Indiana Dunes National Park

Last updated: October 31, 2024