General Butler Sinking
Painting
Panel
Acrylic
This painting depicts the fateful final voyage of the sailing canal boat General Butler. On December 9, 1876, General Butler was under the command of Captain William Montgomery of Isle La Motte. A powerful winter gale struck and upon approaching Burlington, Butler’s steering mechanism broke. The captain jury-rigged a tiller bar to the steering post and attempted to maneuver his craft around the breakwater. The attempt was unsuccessful and the schooner crashed headlong into the breakwater. The force of the water was so great that the vessel was repeatedly lifted on top of the ice-covered stones. One by one each of the ship’s company made the perilous jump onto the breakwater. The captain was the last to leave the ship which immediately sank into the 40′ of water where it now rests. Having narrowly escaped death by drowning, Butler’s survivors now risked freezing to death on the breakwater. All surely would have perished had it not been for the heroic intervention of Burlington ship chandler James Wakefield and his son, who rowed out in a 14′ lighthouse boat and took all five to safety.
Ernest Haas Collection
2000
20 in
30 in
Unframed
If reproduced, the credit line should read: General Butler Sinking. Ernest Haas, 2000. Acrylic on panel. 20in x 30in. Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Collection.
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