A tragic 114-year-old mystery brought C-SPAN to Erie Monday night.
The disappearance of the Marquette & Bessemer No. 2 was the focus of discussion at the Jefferson Educational Society.
Carrie Sowden, the archeological director of the National Museum of the Great Lakes, presented the story of the 338-foot-long ship hauling loaded rail cars.
It went down during a ferocious Lake Erie storm in December 1909. The sinking cost between 30 and 38 lives.
With no survivors and conflicting witness accounts, the ship’s final resting place remains a secret.
“So, it’s really quite large, over 330 feet long and it’s still missing and nobody knows why. Lake Erie is a large lake, but it isn’t that large to lose a 330-foot-long steel vessel,” said Sowden.
Monday night’s presentation was recorded by C-SPAN and will be broadcast at a later date.