Like other "canallers," the schooner E.B. Allen squeezed through the canals and locks of the Great Lakes. Crews tried to maximize the payload, and thus profits, using every inch of cargo space.
The heavy traffic of thousands of sail and steam vessels traversing the Great Lakes compounded by darkness or fog made a deadly combination. On the night of November 20, 1871, the E.B. Allen sailed for Buffalo, New York with a load of wheat from Wisconsin. Passing Thunder Bay, the sailing bark Newsboy struck the E.B. Allen, tearing a large hole in the schooner's port side. While Newsboy suffered little damage, the E.B. Allen quickly sank to the bottom. Her crew survived the collision.
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