Sheboygan and phoenix program

Back on the Phoenix, the flames spread from the midsection of the boat toward both the bow and the stern. The passengers could only hope that someone on shore or perhaps another vessel might see their plight and send assistance.

But with each passing moment, hope turned to despair. Facing death by drowning or freezing to death in the frigid waters of Lake Michigan, or being burned alive by the flames consuming their ship, despair quickly turned to panic as passengers and crew trampled over each other seeking a few more minutes of life.

Some opted to hasten the end by jumping into the frigid lake. Others climbed high into the mast, only to find the flames climbing right behind them, forcing them to drop back onto the deck. Others began tearing apart anything that might float, and tossing these improvised lifeboats overboard. Those who clung to these bits of flotsam and jetsam soon froze to death in the icy waters. Several of the younger immigrants, who had met and fallen in love during their months of travel and who were planning to marry, decided to spend eternity together, calmly joined hands and jumped into the water.

Entire families embraced and lept into the icy waters of Lake Michigan. On shore in Sheboygan, the flames were noticed. Aboard the steamer Delaware , it took nearly 90 minutes to get up enough steam to leave the dock and head toward the stricken vessel.

By the time they arrived, the upperworks of the Phoenix had burned almost to the waterline. Not a ripple broke the glass-like surface of the lake, but the once-proud ship was now a drifting, burnt-out hulk. Soon, bodies were coming ashore at Sheboygan. The Phoenix had been launched only 18 months earlier, and now she was a burnt-out, smoking ruin.

Only a small portion of her forward cabins remained. Her tall stack was gone, having crashed over the side at the height of the fire. Captain Tuttle and the crew of the would-be rescue boat, Delaware , took the burned out hulk in tow and headed into port. It was now nearly am. Dawn broke across the lake. It was Sunday morning. The towing operation proceeded smoothly until the vessels approached Sheboygan.

It has never been recovered. Hundreds of people lined the shore and the wooden pier as the Delaware approached. The last journey of Phoenix was over. She had reached her final resting place.

The local coroner, James Berry, boarded the wreck and removed several charred bodies. These were placed in a makeshift morgue in an empty storefront. The next morning, wagons were sent north up the lake shore, looking for survivors. Approximately seven miles north of Sheboygan, they located the two lifeboats and a pitiful group of survivors who were quickly taken back to the city. Of the 45 or so survivors, 25 of them were dutch immigrants. They arrived in Sheboygan destitute.

Over the next days, the residents of Sheboygan opened their homes and their hearts to the refugees. Clothing and money were collected and given to the sufferers. Some of the immigrants had relatives in the area who had preceded them to the new world. Others were left alone in a strange land. One by one, the few survivors fanned out across the countryside, some settling in the Sheboygan area in the vicinity of Cedar Grove, Holland, and Oostburg.

A few crossed the lake and settled in Michigan. Many lived to an old age, but all of them told and retold the story of the night their lives were forever changed. While the exact death toll of the Phoenix disaster will never be known, it still ranks as one of the greatest losses of life in a single incident on the Great Lakes.

The burned out hull of the Phoenix settled in eight feet of water near the end of the dock in Lake Michigan. That winter, severe storms ripped off the bow section and carried it ashore where the timber was salvaged by a local farmer. In the spring of , the boilers and other any machinery that could be re-used was salvaged. The wreck was then abandoned. Time passed. The dock at which the Phoenix was abandoned fell into disuse, and one by one, the survivors of the Phoenix disaster passed away.

The last died in But what of Derk and Hendrika? The two, joined by disaster, were married and bought 30 acres in nearby Cedar Grove, WI, where they built a 16 by 20 foot cabin, like this early Wisconsin pioneer home. Currently we are only able to consider emergency grant applications related to expenses for the term currently in session. UW-Green Bay will continue to stand by our students, providing needed financial, academic and emotional support.

Please submit an application today. Contact us by email at emergencygrant uwgb. Use the UW-Green Bay accessibility website. If you received funds and have questions please email emergencygrant uwgb. Funds awarded do not need to be repaid , however, they may be subject to federal tax reporting.

Students attending the Manitowoc, Marinette, or Sheboygan campuses are able to apply for the following grants:. However, if that does not cover your needs, you are still able to apply for the Phoenix Emergency Grant. This grant is only available to students who have the home campus of Manitowoc, Marinette or Sheboygan and experience an unexpected financial crisis that would cause them to be unable to complete the term.

Please note that no more than two grants can be awarded per academic year per student. About Your Phoenix Story Starts Now Let us help you write a story that includes outstanding programs, award-winning professors, friends for life and the career you want. Discover UW-Green Bay pdf. Explore Programs. Questions about college? Martin Luther King Jr. AI Bias Panel event, Jan. Media Coverage. News Releases.

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