The Wreck of the Francis Hinton
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This is a multicache that will take you to three places between Two Rivers and Manitowoc that are associated with the wreck of the steamer Francis Hinton. There is a distance of approximately 5 miles from beginning to end along paved city streets or the Mariner’s Trail. It makes a nice bicycle ride along the lakefront between Two Rivers and Manitowoc or can be accomplished via moped or car.
The Francis Hinton was a wooden steam barge that was built in Manitowoc at the Hanson & Scove Shipyard in 1889. She was 152 feet in length and designed for the Lake Michigan lumber trade, hauling lumber products from northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to the southern lake ports of Milwaukee and Chicago. On the morning of November 16, 1909, the Francis Hinton was hauling a load of Norway pine from Manistique, Michigan, to Chicago, Illinois. While making her way through heavy seas near Two Rivers, she sprung a leak and began taking on water. The captain turned his sinking boat towards Two Rivers, dropped anchor outside the harbor, and signaled the Life-Saving Station for help. Because of the high seas, however, help was not able to reach the stricken vessel, and the rising water inside the ship extinguished the fires in the boiler, rendering the ship powerless and helpless. In danger of sinking, Captain Campbell ordered his anchor cut loose in hopes that his ship would drift to safety. The coordinates for the first waypoint are: 44 09.157 087 33.749 At the first waypoint you will find the Francis Hinton’s windlass which was recovered from the shipwreck. (Due to construction at this location, the windlass continues to be moved around the property. If you look carefully for it, it can still be enjoyed.) A windlass is a winch that is used to raise and lower a ship’s anchor, and this is the exact windlass that Captain Campbell used to anchor the Francis Hinton off Two Rivers Harbor. You are welcome to walk around the grounds of this location but there is an admission fee if you wish to enter any of the buildings. There are a number of artifacts recovered from the shipwreck Francis Hinton on display in the museum if you choose to pay admission and enter. If you look for the Kahlenberg building near this site, you will find the year that the Kahlenberg Company was founded. Use this year to decipher the coordinates for the second waypoint. 44° 0B.DDC' -087°33.64A' ABCD = The year Kahlenberg Company was founded The second waypoint is near where the Francis Hinton anchored in hopes of receiving help from the Life-Saving Station. The US Life-Saving Station became the US Coast Guard in 1915, and if you look towards Two Rivers you will see the US Coast Guard Station – the first building on the north side of the river as you enter Two Rivers Harbor. In 1905, when the Francis Hinton was anchored just offshore from this spot, that building housed the US Life-Saving Service, whom the Francis Hinton was trying to signal. Once her anchor was cut loose, however, the Francis Hinton did not drift to safety, but instead drifted 4 miles toward Manitowoc before running aground in the treacherous surf north of Manitowoc Harbor. The third waypoint will take you near where she lies today. At the second waypoint, locate a sign that warns of a fine for tampering or stealing. Use information from this sign to decipher coordinates for the final waypoint. AA 0D D9D 087 38.31S From the sign: "US Coast Guard _ _ _ _ Are For Your Protection." 4 5 6 7 The final waypoint will take you near where the Francis Hinton lies today. After the vessel ran aground at this spot the entire crew made it safely to shore in the ship’s small boat. As they made their way ashore, hundreds of spectators lined the shore where you are standing now to watch the drama unfold. The following day, the crew from the Two Rivers Life-Saving Station, unaware that everyone from the Francis Hinton was already safe ashore, made their way out to the wrecked vessel to find it empty. The Maritime Trails marker at this location shows an historic image of the Francis Hinton, a drawing of what she looks like today on the bottom of Lake Michigan, as well as a historic image of the Life-Saving crew making their way out to the stranded vessel. During the summer months, if you look approximately a quarter mile northeast of where you are standing you will see a small white buoy floating on the water. This buoy marks the wreck of the Francis Hinton in 15 feet of water. On calm days with clear water the wreck can be easily seen from a boat, kayak, or by snorkeling the site. This cache was placed as a partnership with Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Maritime Museum, and Rodgers Street Fishing Village. We hope you enjoyed learning about the wreck of the Francis Hinton. To learn more about Wisconsin’s maritime heritage please visit our other geocaches in the Manitowoc / Two Rivers area and throughout the state, or visit wisconsinshipwrecks.org and maritimetrails.org!
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