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The Wreck of the Niagara by Andrew Jalbert  The night of September 24, 1856 was riddled with tragedy for the passengers aboard the steamer Niagara. Shortly after leaving Sheboygan, Wisconsin, fire was discovered near the centre of the vessel. The crew immediately took action to put the fire out and steam towards shore, but their efforts failed. As the fire spread through the ship, the engines stopped and the
Niagara lay stranded- and burning, nearly four miles off shore. Passengers franticly tried to abandon ship, grabbing on to anything that would float or attempting to board one of the lifeboats. Both methods proved disastrous. By the time the remaining passengers were rescued, an estimated sixty people had died. The cause of the fire was never determined.
Vessels such as the Niagara were referred to as "palace steamers" for their luxurious furnishings. She was constructed primarily for passenger and cargo transportation and boasted parlours, saloons and other amenities, which made the passage more comfortable. The vessel was built at a cost of $95,000 and her machinery was an additional $32,000. The Niagara measured 245 feet in length and was capable of carrying several hundred passengers at a time. Nearly half of all European immigrants who came to Wisconsin travelled on steamships such as the Niagara.
Diving the Niagara The wreck of the Niagara is spread out over nearly 1/4 square mile of rocky bottom in about 52 feet of water. The main section of the hull measures approximately 90 feet in length. Perhaps the most striking features of the site are her engine and paddle wheel remains. A walking beam engine, so named for the large triangular beam, which rocked up and down with each piston stroke, powered the Niagara. The single cast iron cylinder, which housed the piston, measures 14 feet long and six feet in diameter and can be seen lying next to the walking beam. Steam for the engine was produced by an enormous boiler measuring 26 feet long, 27 feet wide and 17 1/2 feet high. The remains of the two large paddle wheels can also be seen on both sides of the ship. Although the wheel arms were broken off in the 1980s by artifact hunters, the large hubs and shafts remain on both sides of the wreck. If you look closely among the hull wreckage, you're bound to see pieces of china scattered about. A large locomotive wheel was labelled "Niagara-Built 1846-Lost 1856" and placed next to the main section of the Niagara by the state of Wisconsin as a permanent mooring. A buoy was attached to the wheel to facilitate easier location of the wreck for divers and to give boats a means of attaching without dropping anchors on the wreck. Divers can follow the chain down to the mooring and find themselves next to the engine wreckage and near one of the large paddlewheel hubs. The engine wreckage is not only a spectacular dive for historical reasons- large schools of fish gather here, swimming in and out of this large artificial reef. To visit yet another part of the Niagara, visitors can stop by Harrington Beach State Park near Belgium, Wisconsin. The park has a large beach and nearby landing for boats. An exhibit is located here with the 3000-pound anchor salvaged from the wreck of the Niagara. A visit to the park is a great way to end the day or spend a surface interval. The Niagara is owned and managed by the State of Wisconsin. As is the case with all historic shipwrecks in Wisconsin waters, the Niagara is protected under Wisconsin law and removing any artifacts is illegal. By leaving the site as we found it, others can enjoy it. Shipwrecks are a non-renewable resource and once they are damaged or destroyed, they cannot be replaced.
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