Harvey Bissell
Photograph-guided late two-masted barge form
An interpretive 3D reconstruction of the vessel afloat, in the form named above and from before its loss in Thunder Bay. It is informed by the historical record set out under History below, where the documented evidence and the interpretation are kept apart; rigging, colours and fittings are partly inferred. It is not a survey of the wreck.
Nobody knows the exact spot where this ship went down, so the marker shows the general area.
Starboard bow · complete vessel · drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom, right-drag to pan. Hiding a part shows what sat beneath it; it does not recreate the wreck.
What the model represents
From the model specification. Two lists, kept apart on purpose.
Documented
- NOAA records a 162×33 ft wooden vessel built at Toledo in 1866. NOAA vessel record
- Its career included barkentine, three-mast schooner and later two-mast towing-barge forms. NOAA vessel record
Inferred
- Underwater hull lines and draft
- Exact colors, fittings, hatch layout and rigging routes
Configuration caveat. Depicts the photographed two-masted towing barge, after earlier barkentine and three-masted schooner phases. The two masts and lumber load follow historical images. The exact conversion date, cargo quantity, deck fittings, paint and underwater hull are uncertain.
Two numbers that are not the same thing. The waterline toggle sits at 3.15 m above the keel, a display assumption, not a measured draft. The wreck lies in about 14 ft of water; that describes the site, not the ship.
Renders from the model
History, evidence and limits
The research notes behind the reconstruction, reproduced with their citations.
Version 1.1. Metadata and presentation revised September 8, 2026; original evidence review retained.
Selected appearance
Photograph-guided late two-masted barge form. Depicts the photographed two-masted towing barge, after earlier barkentine and three-masted schooner phases. The two masts and lumber load follow historical images. The exact conversion date, cargo quantity, deck fittings, paint and underwater hull are uncertain.
Documented evidence
NOAA records a 162×33 ft wooden vessel built at Toledo in 1866. NOAA vessel record
Its career included barkentine, three-mast schooner and later two-mast towing-barge forms. NOAA vessel record
Reasonable interpretation
Underwater hull lines and draft
Exact colors, fittings, hatch layout and rigging routes
Visual evidence and comparisons. Two NOAA-hosted historical images were inspected: a broadside with two masts, low aft cabin, forward work platform and reduced rig, and a towing scene. NOAA’s condition report also explicitly documents a large lumber deck load in a historical photograph. These support a cargo-bearing two-masted consort silhouette.
Reasonable interpretations and limits. The low stern cabin, widely separated masts, modest bow projection and reduced furled canvas are photo-guided but not measured. The displayed lumber stacks and lashings are illustrative loads with no claimed board-foot quantity or stowage plan. Hull lines, paint, cabin widths, hatch locations beneath the cargo, boat and small fittings are inferred. No third mast, square-sail barkentine rig, steam funnel or self-propulsion is added to this later form.
Further sources and how they were used.
Unresolved uncertainties
No complete original lines plan is claimed. Exact loaded draft, concealed surfaces and fine fittings remain interpreted. The earlier research context below retains the source distinctions used for this reconstruction.
Evidence assessment: build a qualified interpretation. The selected vessel class, dimensions and the evidence described below support a credible overall likeness. It is not an exact or authenticated as-built replica.
Documented baseline and source differences. NOAA gives a 162 × 33 ft wooden vessel, built in 1866 at Toledo and lost in 1905. Its career included barkentine, three-masted schooner and later two-masted towing-barge forms. The reconstruction selects the last of those broad configurations, not the original rig. NOAA vessel record.
Selected geometry references. Hull length 162 ft; beam 33 ft. Hold depth unknown (null). Model deck Y=4.2 m and waterline Y=3.15 m are illustrative construction coordinates, not surveyed draft. Wreck water depth is not vessel draft. Existing approximate map coordinates, site attribution and catalogue text were preserved.
Sources
Illustration conditions
Lake, shoreline, lighting and weather are artistic staging, not evidence of a specific historical voyage. AI artwork is supplemental; the GLB and direct renders establish the delivered geometry.
Sources used for the model
Rights and respect
Removing or disturbing wreckage on Great Lakes bottomlands is a felony under Michigan Part 761, 1994 PA 451, at a fair market value of $100 or more. Positions are historical reference only — not navigation and not dive-planning data. Wreck records are published by the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council.
Treat these as graves. Lives were lost on many Great Lakes wrecks and human remains may still be present. Look, photograph, and leave everything exactly as you found it.
Model and renders were newly made for this project (2026). Three.js r160.1 is used under the MIT licence; its notice ships with the vendored files. Wreck position, depth and dates: Michigan Underwater Preserve Council. The model specification (version 1.1, revised 2026-09-08) is published beside the assets (model-spec.json).