An archaeological investigation has been launched in Huron-Kinloss after parts of a 19th century shipwreck washed up on Point Clark Beach.
On May 25, a notice was sent to the township about the shipwreck. The Ontario Marine Heritage Committee and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry subsequently launched investigations to gain further information about the wreck.
Marine Archeologist Scarlett Januses is investigating wreckage and says she has found various pieces along the shoreline, but notes of one piece in particular that gave them an idea as to what the ship might have been.
With support from Marine Historian Patrick Folkes, who is assisting with the investigation, Januses notes the best candidate for the ship is the Homer H. Hines, an Ohio based 19th-century schooner, built in 1871, and wrecked in 1883, deemed “total loss” and no loss of life.
According to Januses, the ship was 102 feet long and was carrying lumber at the time of its wreckage.
“I think it has been washing ashore for a number of years and I suspect there may actually be wreckage that is buried under the beach sands,” says Januses.
As part of the investigation, the Ontario Marine Heritage Committee is planning on making several visits to the site. Januses says they are hoping to record in detail the pieces that are on the shoreline, as well as perform some additional research and survey along the shallow waters to try and find any more pieces.
They will also be using sonar in the deeper parts of the water in an attempt to find the main wreckage.
“All of marine heritage is an important find, it is a glimpse of history from when ships actually used to be the main transportation in the waterways and I think that as Ontarians’, we take for granted too often that we have roadways and how things are transported,” says Januses. “She was a workhorse, the Hines, so she reflected a piece of that culture in the 19th century that contributed to the well being of people and to the transportation of goods and people sometimes.”
Januses notes that due to the difficulty in conserving waterlogged items and how expensive it would be, it is impractical to conserve these pieces.
“I was looking at a rudder about four meters long, a long time ago, and the Canadian Conservation Institute told me that the rudder alone would $1 million to conserve, so it simply isn’t practical,” says Januses.
As an alternative, Januses notes the best thing to do for the pieces is to re-bury them somewhere so they are maintained wet. She adds that at some future point where some technology is developed to help preserve these pieces, they will still be pristine.
She says they are working with the municipality and the provincial government to find out where they can re-bury these pieces but it will be up to the municipality or province to come up with the funds to provide some heavy machinery to move the pieces.
Januses says they have about 15 volunteers ready to get to work are are hoping in mid-June to be on site, weather depending.
