This is what Jill had to say

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It was a very hot day in July and my dad was on his holidays. For whatever reason I asked him to come down to the water and
watch me swim, I never did that but he took me down.
I was out in the water playing around when my dad called me,
he had been sitting looking through his binoculars across the bay
and had spotted something in the water, but I had’nt brought my ball with me.
He asked me to go and see what it was.
When I got out there, there was a little boy
floating with his head in the water and his arms where floating.
I went to grab onto him and he started floundering
and kept pulling me down.
I called for my father and he came running(and stubbed his toe)
he grabbed the both of us and carried the boy to shore.
Everyone was scrambling to see what was going on
and I said to dad theres a little girl down there,
she had on a red bathing suit.
No one would listen.
I found the parents and asked them if
they had a little girl with a red bathing suit, After a few minutes of insisting my father started to dive.
He did this for what seemed a life time and he was getting tired.
At the time there where all kinds of men in the water
and no one offered to help dad,
they where standing looking into the water, but no one would dive. I was in the water with him and he was going to give up
because of pains in his chest.
I said just one more time.
So he did and found Laurie on the bottom amongst the weeds,
he grabbed her by her foot and pulled her up.
Dad handed her to someone because he was exhausted
and they took her to shore,
the ambulance and doctor where already there for her brother.
They took both of them away.
Laurie was under water for at least 15-20 minutes before she was found.
They said it was a miracle that she survived.
Laurie and her brother had no brain damage
and where perfectly fine after a stay in the hospital. It was quite exciting for an eight year old,
I was called a hero and our pictures in all the newspapers.
I really did not do anything except
insist that there was infact a little girl with a red bathing suit. For years Laurie sent me cards
on my birthday and Christmas to express her thanks till finally we moved away,
Jill Ingram

Brother Jim also had his share of "fame"

Jim spend many years at the race track
and had more than his share of wins

I know he has a lot of great stories (come on Jim) and more pictures as well...
In the mean time...this one "speaks for itself"

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Racing cars wasn't enough excitment for Jim
He thought he might take on a train
It wasn't a good idea...the train won
We are happy to report
that in spite of his "many injuries"
Jim is well and kicking

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It was a month before the rescue could begin
The men started work at dawn
and it was dark
when they accomplished the deed, after everyone had said
"they'll never get her out of there"
Many thanks goes to
Richard & Judy Sheridan, Jay Woods, Tom Posie, Jerry Marcil,
Doug Wright,Russell Lamondin, Ivan Gauthier, Doug Marcotte,
Glen St.Amant, Les Horst, Garth Schwenker, Larry Olds & Jason

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Invitation to Tragedy--
The sinking of the yacht Wawinet
What really happened the night of September 21, 1942

By Raymond DesRochers

The invitation read:

to all employees

You are invited to attend a stag party aboard my boat on
September 21 at 4 p.m. for a buffet lunch and refreshments.
Come one come all Prizes will be awarded to the best fishermen
Plant superintendent (signed) B. Corbeau

It has been 56 years since the worst non-commercial tragedy on Georgian Bay hit the small communities of Penetanguishene and Midland. The private yacht, the Wawinet, went down September 21, 1942 at about 10 p.m., taking the lives of 25 men.

Almost all of the men were employees of the Midland Foundry and Machine Co. They had just completed a war-time contract earlier than expected. It was time to celebrate. The plant manager, Bert Corbeau, offered employees a fishing expedition on his yacht, the Wawinet.

Most of the workers of the company had accepted the invitation and were eager to take the day off to celebrate the early completion of a job well done. It was war-time. Of the 45 workers at the plant, 42 men were on the yacht as it sailed from Penetang dock for an afternoon of fishing and camaraderie.

The yacht left Penetang at 4 p.m. It sailed to Honey Harbour, stopping at the Delawana Inn for refreshments. The party left the Delawana and headed back home. It was a calm night with no sea running, little wind and no clouds. It was a moonlit night. The temperature was rather mild for that time of the year. There was no hint of tragedy in the air.

Around ten o'clock, the yacht struck a sandbar just off Beausoleil Island and sank in just two minutes. In the panic that ensued, 25 men lost their lives. Only 17 were saved.

Most of the survivors spent the night huddled in a cabin on Beausoleil Island. In the morning, the grim recovery of bodies began. Volunteers from the towns of Midland and Penetanguishene were on hand as well as others from all over Ontario.

The rumours and the stories also began. People were trying to make sense of the horrible reality that had occurred. Over time, the stories and rumours would be embellished, adding to the confusion, covering up the truth. A Coroner's inquest was called.

The Wawinet (also called the Wawanet) was a propeller tug made of steel. Built in 1904 in Toronto at the Polson Iron Works, she was 87 feet long with a 13 foot beam. She had several previous owners and was purchased by Corbeau a few years earlier. Her official number was C116762. The Wawinet had been equipped with twin Rolls Royce engines and was registered out of Toronto.

The record shows that she went down in two minutes. Bert Corbeau was at the helm. The wreck now lies in about 25 feet of water. The yacht is pretty much intact and lies between Beausoleil and Present Islands.

I was ten weeks old when the Wawinet went down. My grandfather, Aimé Lalumière, was among the drowned. I began researching the tragedy having heard the stories from my family. It was not often mentioned, but when it was, the stories told of my grandfather's bravery, of saving a number of the others, of his swimming back and forth bringing a co-worker to shore and heading back out for more. In the end, it was said that one or two of the drowning men panicked and brought him down. He had been a strong swimmer.

According to the story, my grandfather had been in the engine room, had heard the ominous sounds of rocking as the yacht came too close to shore. He then alerted the captain of the imminent danger, but it was too late.

This story, and many others that described my grandfather's heroic character, while comforting, were not very satisfying. They were full of contradictions. My grandfather could not have been in the engine room, and at the same time have tried to save his comrades. The boat went down too quickly. Logic indicates he could not have escaped the engine room. Other rumours had him on the bridge, where a fight or disagreement with Corbeau had developed. This version states that, in the struggle, Corbeau lost control of the helm, which explained the sudden rocking and the eventual taking on of water. Testimony by two of the saved men, who were with Corbeau on the bridge, made no mention of my grandfather. He could not have been on the bridge.

Over the years, the story has only become more confusing. I was intrigued by the inconsistencies, by the lack of precise knowledge about the incident, about the consequences of the magnitude of such a tragedy on two small communities. The more I tried to learn about what actually happened that terrible night in September, the more the mystery deepened. I asked questions of my relatives. I consulted the many books written about shipwrecks on the Great lakes. I wrote letters to local newspapers asking for any information that people might have and were willing to share. I researched the official records (Archives of Ontario, National Archives, the Coast Guard records, local museums.)

Many local people came forward with news clippings, with their versions of what had happened, with stories of how their relative drowned or was saved.

The official record is seriously lacking in details. No record of the Coroner's inquest exists, according to the Archives of Ontario. The Coast Guard admits that it has no record of the accident. I have recently heard from the National Archives which has found 200 pages of direct testimony. They agreed to send me a copy, and I look forward to reading the file, but there is still no trace of a Coroner's inquest.

Of the many books on Great Lakes shipwrecks, only one even bothers to mention the sinking of the Wawinet. This one account insists no bodies were ever found. This, of course, was not the case. It was, as one might expect, an attempt to add mystery, perhaps in the hope of increasing readership.

The newspapers and the testimony of relatives tell of the boat rocking violently to one side, righting itself momentarily, lurching once again to the other side, taking on water through the open portholes and sinking rapidly. Observers talk of the fact that the yacht was top heavy. The beam was only 13 feet. It was well known that the ballast had been removed some time earlier, which would add to the instability of the boat.

There is mixed testimony regarding alcohol on board. Some insist that there was no drinking on board. Others say that, having made a stop at the Delawana and given the nature of the trip, drinking was very likely to have occurred. There is scant evidence of fishing during this "fishing" trip.

It was said that Captain Corbeau enjoyed rocking the boat to thrill his passengers. Perhaps he had done it once too often. With open portholes and no ballast, the boat would be vulnerable to taking on water. The water would then increase the instability and exaggerate the rocking motion. Captain Corbeau knew the waters well. It is not clear why he was so close to shore.

To this day, there is a reluctance in the community to talk of this tragedy. At the time, there must have been accusations and much acrimony. Did Corbeau deliberately rock the boat? For what reason had the ballast been removed? (Possibly for speed.) To scuttle her some time soon? The portholes had been modified from the original round shape to rectangular ones. Why were they all open? It was a time when the loss of the breadwinner held terrible consequences for the remaining family. There were few social supports and few people had life insurance.

Bert Corbeau had been a player in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens. He was known to be an excellent sportsman and a good swimmer. Mr. Corbeau's clothing was found on the beach on Beausoleil, indicating that he had, in fact, made it to shore. How then did he drown? Did he go back to save some of the men? Had they panicked and taken him down?

Many other stories have been told. Stories of the men who really did not want to go but were persuaded to join in and who did not return. Stories of those who wanted to go but for different reasons were unable to do so. Stories of people who could not swim and were afraid of the water but were saved. Stories of those good swimmers who drowned.

Mr. Gilbert Robillard, a former mayor of Penetang, tells of his father wanting to join the group but, having made commitments to finish some work, was unable to join the party.

Mr. Bert Mason, grandson of Bert Mason who drowned, tells of his grandfather's desire to paint the house rather than to go on the fishing trip. His wife encouraged him to go. He never returned. Bert tells of the anguish his grandmother felt in the years that followed.

Mrs. Gordon Clark of Midland tells the story of her brother-in-law, William Clark. She says that Bill's wife had not wanted him to go. She feared there would be too much drinking on board. She recalls him running to catch the bus that would take him to his destiny. She saw him running down the road, trying to get his coat on, arms flailing about, as he tried to catch the bus in time to take him to the dock.

The Clark brothers, who had come from Kirkland Lake to help with the recovery, found their brother Bill's body. They told of the horror of having to leave the body in the water pending examination by the Coroner.

Mr. Carruthers of Wyebridge was late. He called a cab to take him to the boat. He arrived to see the Wawinet leaving port. He never made the trip.

One of my uncles told me the story of the purchase of the Wawinet by Corbeau. At the time, the boat was in Gloucester Pool. The boat was much too big for that body of water. Both my grandfather and grandmother accompanied Bert to see the boat. My uncle tells of a premonition that my grandmother had during that visit. Bert bought the boat, took it to Penetang, to the 'Tin Boat House', where he proceeded to refurbish it.

Newspaper accounts tell of some of the men who could not swim and were saved. The papers explained how, after flailing about in the water, the men had given up and let themselves go--only to find, to their surprise, that they were in only a few feet of water. They had simply walked out to safety.

When the recovery operation began the next morning, a clear trace was seen in the sandbar where the yacht had passed. The mast was still visible above the waterline.

Similar stories are told of finding bodies and dragging bodies left in the water back to Pentang harbour. It remains unclear why this was done. Orders from the Coroner? Inability to get the bodies into small craft?

The papers and relatives also talk of people falling off the sinking boat 'on the wrong side', that is away from Beausoleil and towards Present Island, much further away. Many, it is said, tried to swim to Present Island. Some made it; most did not.

There are conflicting stories about where the bodies were found. Several people stated that most bodies were found in the water. Others insist that some were found inside the boat.

Most of the survivors are now deceased. The passage of time only adds layers of confusion and mystique as the yacht accumulates silt. Memories are fading. The Coroner's inquest is apparently unavailable. Perhaps we shall never know the truth of what happened that night.

I would appreciate any information that people might have of the tragedy. I can be reached at:
Raymond DesRochers tel: (705) 549-3658 fax: (705) 549-1977 e-mail: rdesroch@transdata.ca

The victims: from Penetanguishene:

Aimé Lalumière; my grandfather (also known as Aimé or Ernie Light) who left behind his wife, Albertine Robitaille; and his eleven children including Marie, my mother. Bert Corbeau, owner of the vessel and plant manager, Jack Magnus, Arthur Legault, George Todd, Mitch Maracle, Norman Roberts, Jack McLaughlin, Bert Mason, Arthur Bingham.

from Midland: F. 'Buddy' Bell, Bert McQuay, Richard Cornelius, William Clark, Lloyd Strong, Rudy Ellery, Elgin Scott, Harry Gillespie, Ted Contois, Alvin Bourdon

from Port McNicholl: Moïse St-Denis, Joe Staruck

from Wyebridge: Gordon Eakley

from Toronto: Inspector Albert A. Dix, J.N. Bicknell, Toronto; secretary-treasurer

The survivors: from Midland: Charles Rankin, Joseph Parker, Al Miller, Mort Garrett, Orville McClung, Harry Lavigne, Stanley Leclair, Albert Perrault, Basil Somers, Henry Deschamps, Kenneth Lower, Robert Shaubel.

from Wyevale: Ernie Robbins, Thomas Davidson

from Penetanguishene: Laurie Gouette

from Toronto: Elmer Shaw (owner of the plant)

from Brantford: Stewart Cheetam

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