ALPENA, MI – The worst maritime tragedy in the history of Michigan’s Shipwreck Alley happened 160 years ago.

The Pewabic, a twin-screw wooden passenger and freight steamer, sank below the calm surface of Lake Huron on Aug. 9, 1865, according to Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary , also known as Shipwreck Alley.

It had collided with its sister ship, the Meteor, which it often met on open water to exchange news and mail, records say.

An estimated 40 to 70 people died, according to the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library .

“The pitiful cries of the drowning, struggling for help, are still in my memory, and will remain with me while memory lasts,” John Croneweth, chief engineer of the Meteor, said after the tragedy.

The Pewabic was bound from Houghton to Cleveland, Ohio

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