William Peter Thew
Photographed lumber-carrying career 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
- Wooden steam barge built at Lorain in 1884. NOAA vessel record
- NOAA catalogue dimensions 132×24 ft. NOAA vessel record
Inferred
- Underwater hull lines and draft
- Exact colors, fittings, hatch layout and rigging routes
Configuration caveat. The photograph guides the two masts, raised forward wheelhouse, aft house and single funnel. The visible lumber load is a career display; NOAA says the ship was empty when lost. Photo date, hull lines, exact stowage and small fittings remain uncertain.
Two numbers that are not the same thing. The waterline toggle sits at 2.50 m above the keel, a display assumption, not a measured draft. The wreck lies in about 84 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
Photographed lumber-carrying career form. The photograph guides the two masts, raised forward wheelhouse, aft house and single funnel. The visible lumber load is a career display; NOAA says the ship was empty when lost. Photo date, hull lines, exact stowage and small fittings remain uncertain.
Documented evidence
Wooden steam barge built at Lorain in 1884. NOAA vessel record
NOAA catalogue dimensions 132×24 ft. NOAA vessel record
Reasonable interpretation
Underwater hull lines and draft
Exact colors, fittings, hatch layout and rigging routes
Sources and use.
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. Documentary scale and vessel class, inspected visual sources or close period comparisons support a reasonable overall likeness. This is not an exact or authenticated as-built replica.
Documented baseline and conflicts. NOAA gives 132 × 24 ft, wooden steam-barge construction, built in Lorain in 1884, lost by collision in 1909 while carrying no cargo. The inspected historical W.P. Thew image shows two masts, a forward wheelhouse above low accommodation, an aft house, one funnel and lumber stowed between the houses. Swayze gives 133 × 24 × 8 ft; the model selects NOAA’s rounded length and explicitly labels the 8 ft hold depth as compilation-derived. The photograph’s date and relationship to the vessel’s refits were not established.
Comparison-based features and unresolved details. The photo guides the principal silhouette and a low lumber load. Exact hatch layout, deck planks, boats, vents, glazing and stowage geometry are interpreted, as are colors and underwater lines. The cargo toggle reveals a simplified deck and does not expose a complete structural hold. No sail inventory is asserted; the photographed upright spars are modeled without display canvas. The illustration’s rain is an artistic working-day setting, not a recreation of the fatal collision or proof of historic weather.
Keep visible alongside the model. The photograph guides the two masts, raised forward wheelhouse, aft house and single funnel. The visible lumber load is a career display; NOAA says the ship was empty when lost. Photo date, hull lines, exact stowage and small fittings remain uncertain.
Sources
Illustration conditions
Illustration setting. Supplemental AI artwork uses a lake background. Weather, waves, light and distant shoreline are artistic scene choices, not evidence of the final voyage or an exact geolocated coastline. Storm and rain scenes never establish historical weather. Direct model renders retain consistent neutral presentation.
Sources used for the model
- NOAA vessel record — source
Identity, scale, career and surviving remains - Historical W.P. Thew photograph — source
Inspected two masts, forward elevated wheelhouse, aft house, one funnel and deck lumber. Image date not established. - David Swayze, Great Lakes Shipwreck Files, T — source
Compilation gives 133 × 24 × 8 ft versus NOAA’s 132 ft length. The 8 ft hold depth is a secondary-source value; it is not a modeled draft.
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).