The Sevona was a steel bulk and package freighter built in 1890 by Frank W. Wheeler in Bay City, Mich., and was originally named the Emily P. Weed. One of the largest carriers on the Great Lakes when launched, she departed Superior’s Allouez ore docks on the evening of September 1, 1905, bound for Erie, Penn., carrying a crew of twenty-four, including four women, and 6,000 tons of iron ore. Although the weather at departure gave no sign of danger, a full gale was blowing by midnight, and at two a.m. Captain Donald S. McDonald turned for the shelter of the Apostle Islands. Navigating blindly through the storm, the Sevona ran hard aground on Sand Island Shoal shortly before six a.m. on September 2, 1905, and almost immediately broke in two. The captain and six men were trapped in the forward section and could not reach the lifeboats; they built makeshift rafts from hatch covers, but all seven perished. In the stern, the cooks, passengers, and engine room crew, though inexperienced with boat handling, launched the lifeboats, fought through the wild surf, and finally reached shore safely. Today the Sevona lies broken up about four miles north of here and approximately one and a half miles east of the Sand Island Lighthouse, her remains resting in 25 feet of water.