The Sloop "Black Duck"
by: Richard Palmer
A “hair’s breadth escape” aboard the sloop Black Duck, owned by Barney (Bernard) Eveleigh of Sackets Harbor, is vividly recorded in a faded issue of The Jefferson County Journal, Adams, NY on Thursday August 8, 1872. The vessel, a small sloop, was enroute from Oswego to Sackets Harbor, a distance of 40 miles, with a load of coal. There were many such single-masted vessels on Lake Ontario, built to more easily manoeuvre in small ports where navigation was difficult. They were of simple design, having a square bow and stern and a flat bottom. They were considered the “work horses” of the lake and were primarily confined to short voyages. In 1870, the vessel was co-owned by Eveleigh and John Jackson, according to enrolment papers. At the time of the wreck, the cargo of coal was consigned to M.B. Casler of Oswego.

Shipwreck – A boat called the "Black Duck", owned by B. Eveleigh and brothers, left Oswego for Sackets some time past noon on Friday last (August 3). She had on board a cargo coal and merchandise. Two Eveleighs, brothers and part owners of the boat, were on board, likewise the wife of one of them and a young man by the name of Willie Decker. It was thought, although the wind was strong, that they could make the passage before dark and reach Sackets Harbor before midnight. But when a few miles out the wind changed and blew a furious gale.
They were obliged to change their course and steer up the lake. They soon saw their danger, for the boat sprung a leak and began to fill rapidly. Notwithstanding they worked the pump continually, and lighted the boat as much as possible, they saw the boat must go down. All the boat they had was a frail little punt, but one of them cut it from the davits, and a heavy sea drove it far from the sinking boat.
Captain Eveleigh and his wife sprang into the water together, and young Decker left the stern of the boat after her bows were underwater. He gained the punt (small life boat) in a few minutes, but Capt. Eveleigh having his wife holding to him was some time reaching the punt, and became entirely exhausted. In the meantime the "Black Duck" had gone to the bottom. This was about 10 o’clock.
Three of them had to lay in the bottom of the punt all night, while one rowed, keeping the boat under wind. Thus they rode the waves until daylight, when, by good fortune, they were thrown upon a sand beach two miles above Port Ontario. From their report it was a hair-breadth escape. The vessel reportedly lies in about 300 feet of water.
The "Black Duck" was built on Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River in 1859. Eveleigh purchased it in 1870. She was 51 feet long, 13 feet beam, and with a shallow draft depth of four feet. She was registered to carry 21 tons. She reportedly lies in deep water in Mexico Bay.
The remains were discovered in 2013 during a side scan sonar search of Mexico Bay by Dan Scoville and Chris Koberstein, who said: “Resting on the bottom of the lake, the Black Duck is in excellent condition.” He said when he visited the site that “her single mast still towered above the deck. She has an interesting cabin that stretches across the ship from port to starboard, making it impossible to get to the starboard rail without standing on the cabin roof. The tiller stretches all the way from her rudder post on the transom to the forward wall of her cabin. This allowed the helmsman to stand on deck in front of the cabin when steering the ship.”

Eveleigh’s obituary in the Watertown Daily Times on January 22, 1894, reveals many interesting details of his life:
Bernard Eveleigh Dead
At his home in Sackets Harbor, this morning, occurred the death of Bernard Eveleigh, one of the oldest and best known residents of that village and of the county. Mr. Eveleigh was born in the county of Devon, England, January 17, 1813, and at the age of 21 he left England and came to America, landing at Sackets Harbor, where he served an apprenticeship for three years as a carpenter, which trade he pursued for many years.
In 1840, he married Miss Lydia Champion, and one child (Mrs. A.M. Marsh, of Hounsfield) was born to them. In 1861, he went into the hotel business in that place now known as the Earl House, and also about the same time began the business of vessel building. He built five large lake schooners and was also extensively engaged in lumber trading with Canada.
Mr. Eveleigh's first wife died in 1880. In 1882 he was married again, and the present Mrs. Eveleigh, with his daughter, Mrs. A.M. Marsh, survive.
Mr. Eveleigh had been a remarkably active man for his age until several months ago, when he had some difficulty with his arm, which is now believed to have been caused by a slight stroke of paralysis. After some time he began to recover and about two weeks ago was apparently better than he had been in years, when suddenly one night he woke to find himself unable to rise from bed, having received a paralytic shock which effected his left side, and from which he never rallied. For several days past it has been known that the end of this active and successful life was near.
Barney Eveleigh has been connected with the life and enterprise of Sackets Harbor during a large part of its history, and he numbered his friends and acquaintances throughout this county and section by hundreds.
Eveleigh also owned the sloop Benicia Boy (US No. 2575), which was lost at Cape Vincent. The Oswego Palladium reported on May 25, 1883: “The sloop Benicia Boy of Sackets Harbor, which went to pieces by pounding the dock at Cape Vincent, anchored at Carleton Island. She dragged her anchor and her crew finally got it up and made for the dock. She struck the dock with terrific force and immediately went to pieces. The crew saved themselves by making ‘pier head’ jumps.” Benicia Boy was the nickname of 19th century American bare-knuckle prize fighter John C. Heenan. Built at Galloo Island in 1872, she was registered at 21 gross tons.

It appears Eveleigh had better luck running the Eveleigh House, a hotel at Sackets Harbor, than operating lake vessels. He lost another sloop called the Ada Membry while attempting to enter Oswego Harbor during a storm on October 30, 1885, with a load of lumber from Brockville. She was built at Sackets Harbor earlier that year and was registered at 40 tons. She was 59 feet long, 15 feet wide, and with six-foot depth of hold. She was valued at $3,000 but carried no insurance.
Additional backgound sources
•Biographical sketch of John C. Heenan (“Benicia Boy”) on Wikipedia
•Data on the Ada Membry, Benicia Boy, Black Duck, on the Alpena County, George N. Fletcher Public Library website, greatlakeships.org
•Record Group 41, Records of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation, National Archives.
•Enrollment documents show Eveleigh also owned the schooners: B. Eveleigh, Farmer, Gazelle, Lydia Ann, W. B. Phelps, and the sloop Monitor.
By Richard Palmer
Richard Palmer is a retired newspaper editor and reporter, and he was well known for his weekly historical columns for the “Oswego Palladium-Times,” called "On the Waterfront." His first article for TI Life was written in January 2015, and since then, he has dozens of articles and more. He is a voracious researcher, and TI Life readers certainly benefit from his interests.
Editor's Note: Believe it or not this is Richard Palmer's 40th article for TI Life. I have written that he is a voracious researcher, and that he is. I also wrote that TI Life readers certainly benefit from his interests... and we certainly do. I encourage you to go back and see his first submissions. For sure they will provide maritime history you will appreciate. 11 Articles published before June 2029, and 28 articles printed in the new format.
Comments
I enjoyed the article on "Black Duck". A great follow up would be pictures of the boat as it rests on the bottom (if they exist). Thank you. Mike Coniff,