密歇根新闻广播 苏必利尔湖发现遇难船只残骸 开启惊人历史窗口（在线收听）

It was near midnight in early May of 1884 when the J.S. Seaverns went down off the northshore of Lake Superior. The ship had run against some rocks on its way out of nearbyMichipicoten Harbor. And while all aboard made it to shore alive, the ship was swallowed up bythe lake, abandoned and forgotten.

Until now.

Dan Fountain calls the Seaverns "one of the best preserved shipwrecks" he's ever seen.

Fountain is the sleuth responsible for uncovering the site of the 132 year-old shipwreck. He wasinspecting nautical charts more than a decade ago when he noticed a symbol representing awreck in Michipicoten Bay.

Several years later, and with the help of sonar, a team of wreck divers descended through thefrigid waters of Lake Superior to the site of the almost-forgotten vessel.

"We were all amazed at the condition of the wreck," Fountain said. The deck of the vessel, which was carrying supplies for contractors working on the Canadian Pacific Railroad, hadcollapsed. But the lower cabins remained intact.

"We were able to look into some of the crew accommodations," he said, "We were able to lookinto the galley and see dishes still on the shelves."

Fountain said the cold water in Lake Superior helped preserve the shipwreck. So too did thelake’s lack of invasive mussels; in the other Great Lakes, this vessel likely would have beencovered with quagga and zebra mussels.

Listen to our conversation with Dan Fountain above.