Cape Vincent Eagle
Feb. 16, 1916
Favor Removal of Life Saving Depot
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Transfer From Big Sandy, Mexico Bay,
To Galloup Islands is Proposed
Vessel owners and seamen along the St. Lawrence river are in sympathy with the movement that is being made to have the United States Lifesaving Station moved from Big Sandy to the Galloup Islands, in the neck of Lake Ontario, where vessels often encounter trouble and may be i n need of assistance.
The principal reason for the change is that the Big Sandy station was established in Mexico Bay for the primary purpose of aiding sailing vessels, which are now but a memory on the lake. In those days the windjammers were frequently blown out of their course and landed onto the sands of Mexico Bay.
With the disappearance of the sailing ships the calls for Big Sandy life savers steadily diminished. Congressman Mott is to confer with the Department of Commerce with reference to the proposed transfer and vessel interests are hoping that the change may be ordered the coming season.
Several years ago the Ogdensburg Coal & Towing company lost the barge H.B. and Buckley near the Galloups, and officers of the line say that if there had been life savers within call all of the shipwrecked sailors might have been rescued. Four lives were lost in the wreck. After floating for hours on the storm tossed lake clinging to a piece of wreckage, the captain of one of the barges and his son wee picked up.
Oswego Daily Times
Sat., July 16, 1921
In those days the city of Watertown was known as "'the little village behind Sackets Harbor," and Sackets Harbor and Port Ontario were two of the leading ports on the lake. With the coming of steam vessels and railroads, conditions changed and the lighthouse, with the passing of Port Ontario as a port of call, was finally sold to Leopold Joah Syracuse merchant, and used as a summer home.
Many of the most important wrecks on hte Great Lakes have Occurred near the station. In 1888 the schooner Hartford, bound from Chicago to Ogdensburg with 48,000 bushels of wheat, foundered two miles put and sank with her entire crew of eleven men, including Capt. William Consaul of Clayton who had a part Interest in the shcooner. Owing to the distance from shore, it was impossible for the crew of the coast guard station to use a breeches buoy and an attempt was made to reach the vessel by boats, despite the high sea running.
Both boats were crushed like egg shells and the attempt was abandoned. Captain Fish, in command of the station, suffered injuries so severe that he never entirely recovered and had to retire from active duty the following year.
In 1889 occurred the wreck of the schooner John Burt, carrying 30.000 bushels of corn. The schooner went ashore and all but two of the crew saved. The cook, a woman, was caught by a taling spar and killed. The mate was killed by a hatch which fell upon in in the water.
The schooner Cortez commanded by Captain John Farrell of Oswego, and owned by Thomas S. Mott also came to an internal end there.
Cape Vincent Eagle
July 21, 1921
Big Sandy life saving station has in the believe of the Coast Guard Service outlived its usefulness. The men, with the exception of Capt. Nobles and a helper are being transferred to other stations. This is located at the mouth of Big Sandy Creek and is directly west of the village of Ellisburg.
Cape Vincent Eagle
Nov. 23, 1933
Unfavorable weather conditions have necessitated postponement of an inspection trip to determine the site of a new U.S. Coast Guard station at the lower end of Lake Ontario to replace the Big Sandy station, and plans for its construction will wait until spring.
Big Sandy life saving station was established in the autumn of 1876 at the mouth of the Big Sandy Creek. This creek was formerly much larger than at present and large boats were able to enter it. At one time there was a freight house on its bank, and considerable business was done. Tradition says that somewhere in its waters is a cannon from a British ship thrown overboard by a negro just before the approach of the Americans in the War of 1812.
Cape Vincent Eagle
January 24, 1935
Plans of upwards of 15 years by the federal government to move the life saving station at Big Sandy on Lake Ontario to Galloup Island out in the lake have just materialized the past week.
The government leased from the Ontario Stock Farm, through its president, D.M. Anderson, land on Big Galloup for $1, on which the government will establish its life saving station and erect two lookouts.
The Big Sandy station has been in operation for upwards of 65 years. Once it was an important station. It was located near Port Ontario, on Mexico Bay, in the olden days of sailing a port of call.
In those days Mexico Bay was known as the "graveyard of the Great Lakes" due to numerous wrecks. At Port Ontario was a lighthouse. Port Ontario and Sackets Harbor were the two main ports of call on this end of the lake.
With the coming of steam vessels and the railroads conditions changed. Port Ontario passed as a port of call. The old lighthouse there was sold, becoming a summer home. Now for years past the Big Sandy Lifesaving station force has been utilized to watch the lake traffic from Oswego to the mouth of the St. Lawrence, as the Great Lakes traffic avoided the course through Mexico Bay.
The Big Sandy station continued to exist, but the force was mainly used to handle small boats that came into distress. Someone said that there had been little duty there except to haul autos out that became stuck in the sand along the beach. A force of 11 men was maintained thee and the late Fay Noble was in charge for years.
In 1921 the government planned to move the station to Galloup Island. That location was regarded as more in need of a life-saving station because of wrecks that occurred in that section of the lake.
However, it was not until recently that definite steps were taken for this transfer of the station, and it was through the WPA that work of building a station and lookouts on Big Galloup will be carried out.
It is expected that about $10,000 will be spent at Big Galloup. A lookout will be erected on the north shore back of the fishermen's shacks and another east and near the old fox ranch. The present lighthouse is also to be used as a watch tower.
The station will be located on the south pond and a channel, eight feet deep, 100 feet wide and nearly a half mile long, will be dredged into the pond, which is separated from the lake by a bar and a group of tiny islands.
The Big Galloup is owned by the Ontario Stock Farm. The Fortnightly Club has had its headquarters and clubhouse there for years.
There are 2,250 acres in Big Galloup and all is owned by the Ontario Stock Farm and the Fortnightly club except 50 acres that comprise the government lighthouse grounds.
For years the Galloup territory has been a fine bass fishing territory and Mr. Anderson and his friends, and the Fortnightly club men have enjoyed many summers. Years ago the Ontario Stock Farm owners bought up the few farms on the island and added them to its holdings, giving it practically complete ownership.
There will be telephone communication between the station and its various lookouts and wireless communication is to be established to Sackets Harbor.