The Daisy Day was built in 1880 by Jasper Hanson and Hans Scove of Hanson and Scove of Manitowoc. She was 103 feet long and had a 20-foot beam. She was built as a lumber hooker, so called because they would stop at small ports and camps with no dock facilities. This required the vessel to use their ”hook” or anchor to hold her in place.
She was built for Captain John Jacobs and George B. Guyles of Manitowoc and was initially used for lumber cargoes. She spent her early career running between Manistee and Ludington and Wisconsin ports carrying lumber and shingles to Wisconsin and taking hay, flour, lime or stone back to Michigan. She later ran on the west shore of Lake Michigan between Chicago, Milwaukee and Ahnapee in the lumber trade.
Daisy had a rather tumultuous career, making the newspapers at least three times a year for one mishap or another. In October 1881 she was struck by the Schooner J. H. Stevens. After being repaired, she was found ashore. In April 1882 she lost her deck load in an early spring gale, and that September she broke her shaft off in Chicago.
In 1885 she was sold to G. A. Wagar of Mears and was nearly lost Nov. 25, 1887 when she was stranded near Little Sable Point.
In April 1888 the little steamer was sold to Abe Sant, E. L. Kling, Nels Mikelson and Robert Deyan of Montague who continued to use her in the lumber trade. Ed VanPatten was her new captain. The price paid was reported to have been $7,000.
In May 1888 the Daisy Day had her hold loaded with dry lumber and a heavy deck load of wet lumber was taken on, on top of which a large number of baskets were stowed for shipment. The boat suddenly began to sway in the water and before she could be stayed, part of the deck load was spilled into the lake.
In early August 1888, the propeller Daisy Day started for Milwaukee having the schooners Nellie Hammond and Barber in tow. When nearing the Milwaukee piers, the fog was so dense that the propeller ran on the beach with both schooners. The Nellie released herself by throwing off her deck load, but the Barber had to be towed off by a tug and sunk on reaching the harbor.
On Nov. 21, 1889 it was reported the steam barge Daisy Day, formerly owned by White Lake parties and again by G. A. Wagar, was burned at Point Sable. Two million feet of lumber owned by Charles Mears and Mr. Wagar also burned.
It seems that she lived to see a few more years as it is reported that she sank Oct. 11, 1891. The remains of the Daisy Day are about 50 yards off Claybanks Township Park under the first sandbar. Portions of them have been known to occasionally become uncovered.
The Day Spring was built in 1860 in Milan, Ohio, by H. Kelly for himself. The 2-mast schooner was 73 feet in length with a 20-foot beam. In 1871 when it was owned by John Thompson of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, a third mast was added, and it was lengthened to 98 feet.
It was reported Thursday, Aug. 4, 1904 that 12 people had been picked up in a yawl boat and rescued from Lake Michigan Monday night, Aug. 1, by the White Lake Life Saving crew.
The three-mast schooner Day Spring, bound from Frankfort to Chicago and loaded with sawdust sprang a leak on Monday morning and the crew of four men and eight passengers worked diligently at the pumps all day but were unable to take out the water as fast as it was coming in.
At about 6:30 Monday evening they abandoned their efforts and hoisted a signal of distress. At this time the schooner was about 15 miles north of the White Lake piers and about three miles from shore, and she was sinking fast.
The signal was seen from the White Lake lookout almost as soon as it was hoisted. Captain Carlson immediately secured the services of the Steamer R. E. Cooper to tow his yawl boat and to take his crew to the ill-fated schooner.
The Steamer Cooper with the life savers aboard reached the wreck about 9 p.m. and found the boat had capsized. The crew and passengers, 12 in all, had abandoned the boat before it capsized and were safe in the yawl boat. Captain Carlson and his men soon found the shipwrecked people and took them aboard the Steamer Cooper.
There is no further information about the Day Spring.
