The Shipwreck of the Henry Rooney
Aaron Newman on a recent dive to the shipwreck
The most concrete evidence points to the sinking of the schooner Henry Rooney on October 24, 1879, near Charlotte, New York, which is now a neighborhood of Rochester. The vessel, laden with a cargo of limestone and lath, overturned and sank in a storm.
Tragically, the event resulted in at least one fatality. A woman named Mrs. Charlotte Fiske was reported to have drowned in the wreck. Her body was recovered from Long Pond, a body of water near the lake, the following spring. Some historical records refer to the vessel as the "J.H. Rooney," which may have been its more formal name.
It is important to note that the name "Henry Rooney" is also associated with shipbuilding. A shipbuilder named Henry Rooney constructed other vessels, such as the schoonerCyrenian (originally namedPrussia), which later wrecked in Lake Huron. This has sometimes caused confusion in historical accounts.
In summary, while not a recently discovered or famous wreck, the story of the Henry Rooney is a poignant reminder of the dangers of 19th-century maritime trade on the Great Lakes. The loss of the schooner and the death of Mrs. Fiske represent one of the many such tragedies that occurred on Lake Ontario's waters.
