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James C. Corrigan
James Corrigan
Born	(1846-05-01)May 1, 1846 Morrisburg, Ontario, Canada
Died	December 24, 1908(1908-12-24) (aged 62) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Mining, shipping, and steel company executive
Years active	1867—1908
Known for	Founding Corrigan, McKinney Steel

James C. Corrigan (May 1, 1846 – December 24, 1908) was a Canadian-American businessman active in the shipping, petroleum refining, iron ore mining and selling, and steel manufacturing industries. He made and lost fortunes in the shipping and refining industries, and was known as "one of the group of men who made Cleveland".

Emigrating to the United States from Canada as a boy, he became a sailor on the Great Lakes. After sailing a boat that shipped refined petroleum, he became involved in petroleum refining in Cleveland, Ohio, and became wealthy. His early years in sailing led him into to the shipping industry as an adult, moving iron ore, grain, timber, and other goods. He sued John D. Rockefeller after Rockefeller seized his Standard Oil stock in repayment for mortgages on his vessels, co-founded the Lake Carriers Association, and won a lawsuit which successfully voided a common vessel insurance clause.

He was an early investor in iron mines on the Mesabi, Gogebic, Marquette, Menominee, and Vermillion ranges. A small investment in an iron ore dealing businesses, taken in exchange for freight charges, was turned into Corrigan, McKinney & Co., one of the largest independent dealers in iron ore in the United States. He began vertically integrating the company, investing in five different iron smelting businesses before founding the steel firm Corrigan, McKinney Steel shortly before his death.

An avid yachtsman, Corrigan lost nearly all his family when his luxury yacht, the Idler, sank in a storm off Cleveland in 1900. His country house became the Nagirroc farm, one of the historic estates of Lake County, Ohio. A multimillionaire at the time of his death, he left his wealth to family members.

Although he founded five Great Lakes shipping firms and owned the largest independent iron ore mining company in the Midwest, he is best known as the founder of the Corrigan, McKinney Steel company.

Early life

James Corrigan was born May 1, 1846, in Morrisburg, Ontario, Canada, to Johnson C. and Jane (née Anderson) Corrigan.

His father, a laborer, emigrated to Dundas County, Ontario, Canada, from County Mayo, Ireland, in the late 1830s. His mother also emigrated to Canada from Ireland about the same time. The couple married in 1838. James was the second of eight children. His siblings included John (born 1843), Johnson Jr. (born 1848), Murry (born 1850), Mary (born 1854), Robert (born 1856), Margaret (born 1858), Richard (born 1858), and William (born 1860). James's uncle, Robert Corrigan, was a somewhat prosperous farmed in Dundas County. James's father, on the other hand, was nearly destitute. In the 1850s, his father owned no land and no livestock, and worked as a hired hand. The family live in a shanty, whereas most farmers in the area lived in houses. Johnson Corrigan Sr. managed to build his family a log cabin by 1861.

The family was somewhat itinerant, living in several villages in Ontario and for eight years in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. The Corrigans later moved to Minnesota, where they had a farm in the Red River Valley (later inherited or purchased by James), before returning to Ontario.

His mother, Jane, died on January 31, 1861. His father later married Sarah Wood, and they had two children, Matilda and Henry.

Emigration to the United States

James had an unhappy home life. By 1860, James and his older brother John were no longer living at home, but with another local farmer. Historian JoAnn King concludes that they were likely hired out as farm hands, living a life of forced labor. James and John ran off in 1861. They emigrated to Ogdensburg, New York. When James turned 17, he became a sailor on a schooner on the Great Lakes. He remained a sailor for six years.

In 1867 or 1868, James began sailing the sloop Trial, which was owned by Martin Golden, transporting refined petroleum products during the summer months from Cleveland across Lake Erie to Port Stanley, Ontario. In April 1869, James purchased the Trial from Golden.

Petroleum refining

1881 map of Walworth Run in Cleveland, Ohio. The Corrigan oil refining works are at lower left.

During the winter months, when the Great Lakes were ice-bound, James Corrigan began making experiments in petroleum refining on his own. John Corrigan established a small crude oil refinery in 1870 on Walworth Run in Cleveland. James began oil refining on Walworth Run in 1871, doing business as Corrigan & Wells.

The first mention of James Corrigan as an oil refiner comes in the 1871 Cleveland City Directory. His business is listed separately from that of John Corrigan's refinery, leading to the conclusion that James did not enter the refining business until 1871. His refinery was capable of processing 200 barrels (32 m³) of crude oil a day, making it one of the largest refineries in Cleveland.

In 1872, the firm was known as Corrigan & Timmins.

The firm became Corrigan & Co. in 1873, indicating James had become the majority partner in the firm. Corrigan & Co.'s oil works were located along a stream, Walworth Run, on Cleveland's west side. The original works were on the south side of the street at about what is now 2258 Train Avenue. Corrigan called his refinery the Excelsior Oil Works.

James took his brother John into the business in 1874, and changed the company name to Corrigan Brothers. By at least 1875, Corrigan's Excelsior Oil Works had expanded into a second building east of the Pearl Street bridge over Walworth Run, more than doubling the refinery's capacity to 500 barrels (79 m³) a day.

James Corrigan invented a refining process that allowed him to crack specialty oils from crude petroleum. He was able to produce mineral seal oil, cylinder oil, and paraffin wax. Standard Oil of Ohio later leased the process from him.

Corrigan also invested in other refineries as early as 1872.

At their peak, the Corrigans were earning $300,000 a year (equivalent to $8,318,000 in 2023) from petroleum refining.

Corrigan leased his oil refinery to Standard Oil in 1879 having established in 1878 a new company, the Ohio Nut & Bolt Co. The factory was located on Division Street.

Corrigan likely sold Ohio Nut & Bolt in April 1879 and moved to the region of Galicia, then part of Austria-Hungary, where he leased oil fields from Prince Alexandru B. Știrbei and built oil refineries near the cities of Grybów and Kolomyia. Standard Oil invested $32,000 in Corrigan's refinery (equivalent to $887,000 in 2023), which cost $40,000 to build (equivalent to $1,109,000 in 2023). The oil fields proved to be not very productive, generating less than 100,000 barrels by 1880, and of an inferior quality that was difficult to refine.

While in Galicia, Corrigan sold his Cleveland refinery in 1881 to Standard Oil in exchange for stock in Standard Oil. He sold his assets in Galicia and returned to the United States in 1882. By January 1883, he was operating a new oil refinery on Walworth Run between Pearl and Mill streets.

Shipping

The "Corrigan fleet" and Corrigan, Huntington and Co.

The Australasia, one of many vessels personally owned by James Corrigan

According to The Plain Dealer newspaper, Corrigan established five different shipping companies in his lifetime. Until the establishment of the first two firms in 1893, he personally owned these vessels, and they were generally known as the "Corrigan fleet" during this time. He obtained inexpensive boats, ran them hard, and insured them heavily.

Corrigan became interested in shipping in the spring of 1872, but it wasn't until March 1877 that he began to form a shipping fleet. His first vessel was co-owned with his brother John, and named the Hippogriff. Likely purchased at auction in March 1877, it sank on September 28, 1877, after a collision.

James Corrigan next purchased the schooners Niagara (for $31,000 [equivalent to $886,000 in 2023]), and Richards (for $8,000 [equivalent to $229,000 in 2023]) in 1883.

Corrigan began rapidly building his shipping fleet. In December 1885, he purchased the steamer Raleigh for $40,000 (equivalent to $1,199,000 in 2023) and her consort Lucerne for $20,000 (equivalent to $599,000 in 2023). The following year, he bought a two-ninths interest in the schooner James Couch for $6,222 (equivalent to $186,000 in 2023), and the barge R.J. Carney for $12,000 (equivalent to $360,000 in 2023). With oil magnate John Huntington, he purchased the steamer SS Australasia and the schooner Polynesia for $160,000 (equivalent to $4,795,000 in 2023).

1886 saw Corrigan create his first shipping business. In October of that year, he, John Huntington, and Huntington's son, William R. Huntington, formed a stock company worth $200,000 (equivalent to $5,994,000 in 2023) named "James Corrigan, Huntington & Co.". Ownership of the Australasia, Polynesia, Niagara, and Raleigh were transferred to the new firm, which Corrigan operated. In early January 1887, Corrigan sold his interest in the James Couch, Niagara, and Raleigh to the firm for $160,000 (equivalent to $4,760,000 in 2023).

Corrigan became a member of the Cleveland Vessel Owners' Association (CVOA) in April 1886. This organization, established in March 1868, was highly influential in establishing inland waterways navigation rules, the improvement of channels, the removal of waterway obstacles, the improvement of port operations, and much more. Corrigan was highly active in the CVOA, which usually met in his offices in the Perry-Payne Building in Cleveland.

Corrigan repurchased the James Couch and Raleigh from Corrigan, Huntington & Co. in early 1887. James and his brother, John, jointly purchased the schooners George W. Adams and David Dows (for a total of $125,000 [equivalent to $3,719,000 in 2023]).

Corrigan's shipping empire had made him a millionaire by 1889.

Rockefeller lawsuit

John D. Rockefeller, who seized Corrigan's stock in Standard Oil as repayment for debt, and whom Corrigan unsuccessfully sued for fraud

The Panic of 1893 created serious financial illiquidity for Corrigan. Pressed for cash to pay the loans on the ships he had purchased, Corrigan turned to John D. Rockefeller, the largest shareholder in Standard Oil. Rockefeller was one of the nation's richest men, and a fellow Clevelander. Rockefeller loaned Corrigan $400,000 ($14,000,000 in 2024 dollars) needed to pay the loans. The Rockefeller note was secured by Corrigan's Standard Oil stock.

Corrigan asked Rockefeller to release his stock, arguing that he could use his ships as collateral. Rockefeller refused. Corrigan stopped making interest payments on the loan in 1894. Rockefeller did not immediately foreclose, but allowed interest to accumulate. Rockefeller now offered to buy Corrigan's Standard Oil stock. He offered $168 a share, which would pay the outstanding interest and retire the principal.

Corrigan tentatively agreed, but only if Standard Oil gave him detailed information about the trust's assets, earnings, investments, and securities purchases for the past five years. This would allow him to determine if Rockefeller offered a fair price. At the time, almost no corporations released such sensitive information, and Rockefeller refused the request.

John asked his brother, Frank, to pressure Corrigan to sell. Corrigan finally did so in February 1895, at $168 a share. It was higher than the market price, and it was the price Rockefeller had offered other friends for their Standard Oil stock. A month later, the stock price had risen to $185. Corrigan assumed he'd been swindled, and wrote a letter to Rockefeller in April accusing him of fraud.

Corrigan sued Rockefeller in July 1897, claiming Rockefeller had fraudulently under-valued the stock.

The men agreed to arbitration. Rockefeller gave the group of arbitrators full access to Standard Oil's confidential financial information. In April 1899, the board of arbitrators ruled in Rockefeller's favor.

Corrigan refused to accept the arbitration report, and resumed his lawsuit. A trial was held in April 1900, and the court ruled against Corrigan in September.

Corrigan appealed the district court's ruling in January 1901. The appellate court affirmed the district court ruling.

Corrigan then took his case to the Supreme Court of Ohio in November 1902. The high court reaffirmed the decision of the lower courts, concluding that where a trial occurs pursuant to an arbitrator's award, the court's award is binding upon the parties absent evidence of fraud or manifest mistake as works a fraud. The case was likely the first in the United States to address whether an arbitrator's testimony could be used in court to impeach an award.

Hopkins Steamship and Corrigan Transit

Once the depression caused by the Panic of 1890 had eased, Corrigan began purchasing ships again. He became part-owner, with his brother John, in 1891 of the $7,000, small steam-powered propeller barge Samuel Neff, and in 1892 James bought the schooner J.I. Case.

Corrigan formed his third shipping fleet in 1893. With Mark Hopkins, John Green, John Mitchell, John F. Wedow, and F.W. Wheeler, he invested in and co-founded the Michigan-based Hopkins Steamship Company. Hopkins and Wheeler co-funded the $200,000 (equivalent to $6,068,000 in 2023) steel hulled steamship Centurion, which formed the nucleus of the new fleet. Corrigan sold his interest in Hopkins Steamship in 1896.

He also founded Corrigan Transit (also known as the James Corrigan Transportation Co.) in 1893. Corrigan had personally held title to all his vessels; now, title was transferred to Corrigan Transit. By 1900, the company had 12 vessels.

Formation of the Lake Carriers Association

Corrigan was instrumental in forming the Lake Carriers Assocation in 1892

There were several local associations representing vessel owners on the Great Lakes in the 1880s and 1890s. By 1892, many Cleveland area owners felt that a regional association would be more effective in advocating for federal and state funds to improve shipping conditions. Corrigan and Morris A. Bradley, owner of Bradley Transportation (a major Great Lakes fleet as well as shipbuilder), proposed that the Cleveland Vessel Owners' Association merge with the Buffalo, New York-based Lake Carriers Association The CVOA appointed a committee of its members in March 1892 to effect a merger with Lake Carriers Association, and Corrigan was named to that committee. Largely through Corrigan's influence, the consolidation occurred. Corrigan joined the Lake Carriers Assocation on April 16, 1892, and the two organizations merged on April 28. Corrigan was elected to the LCA's first board of directors.

Corrigan was elected a vice president of the LCA in January 1893, and in January 1894 was elected president.

The "ice clause" lawsuit

In April 1898, the Corrigan, Huntington & Co. consort Northwest sank after striking heavy ice in the Straits of Mackinac, a short, narrow waterway between the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

At the time, nearly all vessel insurance policies carried a standard "ice clause" which held insurers not liable for paying damage caused by ice. The clause read: "Warranted free from claims or damage incurred while navigating, when such loss or damage is sustained or cause by, or in consequence of ice, unless the ship hereby insured be specifically and sufficiently protected and fitted, so as to enable her to encounter ice."

James Corrigan sought $18,000 from the Chicago Insurance Co. for the loss of the Northwest. When the company denied the claim, Corrigan sued in the Ohio Court of Common Pleas. His attorney, Harvey D. Goulder of Cleveland, argued that company's insurance policy was a standard, printed form which contained some provisions which applied to steamers, others to consorts, and others to both. The policy must be applied to the subject of the insurance. Since it was common knowledge that consorts were never clad with metal to allow them to cut through ice, the "ice clause" could not be applied to the Northwest. Even if it was, Goulder asserted, no fitting would have protected against an ice strike so far below the water line.

A jury trial was held before Judge George Dissette. The jury held the "ice clause" invalid as applied to consorts, and awarded Corrigan $10,434 in damages.

The outcome was an important one, as it invalidated the "ice clause" in the state of Ohio.

Mining and smelting

Early mine investments

The Aurora Mine about 1910

Having engaged in the transportation of coal and iron ore for some years, Corrigan decided to begin mining operations on his own. His first venture in this area appears to have been the Duluth Lime & Coal Company. Based in Duluth, Minnesota, he co-founded the firm in April 1886 with John Corrigan and six other Cleveland investors.

Some time in 1886 or early 1887, Corrigan traded his family farm in Minnesota to George E. Tarbell of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for $30,000 (equivalent to $892,000 in 2023) in stock in mines on the Gogebic Range owned by John E. Burton. The stock collapsed due to the 1887–1888 recession. Corrigan claimed that the stock was worthless even before the recession, and that Tarbell knew it. Corrigan sued Tarbell. The lawsuit was heard by a jury in July 1887. After a two week trial and the testimony of 50 witnesses, the jury found in favor of Tarbell.

Corrigan's first major mining investments, however, were made in March 1887. With co-investor and Standard Oil co-founder Stephen V. Harkness, he incorporated the Iron Belt Mining Company. With Harkness as president and Corrigan as vice-president, the firm leased the Iron Belt Mine on section 11 of the Gogebic Range (near Iron Belt, Wisconsin) for 20 years. With Nat D. Moore, Standard Oil co-founder Daniel M. Harkness, Standard Oil executive John L. Severance, gas stove manufacturer David A. Dangler, and several others, he formed a syndicate (the Eureka Iron Mining Company) to purchase the Portage Lake Mine near Hurley, Wisconsin. The deal included the Ryan Mine. The Portage Lake Mine was renamed the Dangler Mine, and a major ore strike made there in September 1889. The Dangler was later renamed the Eureka Mine.

His third mining investment came eight months later, when he, Cleveland railroad magnate Stevenson Burke, and merchant Franklin T. Ives founded the Aurora Mining Company. With Burke as president and Corrigan as a director, it purchased the Aurora Mine, located on the Gogebic Range near Ironwood, Michigan, from Nat D. Moore, Henry S. Benjamin, and Francis A. Bates. Corrigan was elected vice-president of the firm in January 1889.

By 1892, Corrigan's mining interests on the Gogebic Range were called "immense" by the Duluth News Tribune.

Mine investments with Frank Rockefeller

Frank Rockefeller

James Corrigan first associated with Frank Rockefeller, brother of John D. Rockefeller and a Standard Oil executive, in 1892. The two men had similar personalities: Assertive, breezy, daring, and at time reckless, and became good friends. Both were also interested in iron mining, and visited the Iron Belt Mine. The two then visited the Franklin and New England mines on the Mesabi Range of Minnesota in April 1893, and the Franklin, Iron King, and New England mines in October. The two purchased an interest in the New England Mine (renaming it Commodore) in June 1893 and the Franklin Mine the first week of November 1893. At the end of November, they formed the Franklin Iron Mining Co. to operate the Franklin Mine, and Corrigan (along with Franklin T. Ives, Stevenson Burke, Price McKinney, and Ernest T. Laydon) incorporated the Commodore Mining Co. to run the Commodore Mine. The same year, the Franklin Iron Mining Co. obtained a short-term lease on the Bessemer Mine, east of the Franklin Mine.

The two investors also purchased land in 1893 which they called the Victoria Mine. It never produced ore, and was sold in 1898.

Corrigan and Rockefeller obtained options on section 25, township 59 north, range 17 west and section 35, township 58 north, range 17 west from W.C. Yawkey, the Detroit businessman who owned the Bessemer mine. They began exploring these 440 acres (180 ha) of land in June 1895, but found nothing and abandoned this work in August. After abandoning the Yawkey lands, Rockefeller and Corrigan secured a lease on the "Williams 40", a parcel which was once part of the Cincinnati Mine.

In late September 1895, Corrigan and Rockefeller leased the Zenith and Pioneer mines. These were the first investments by the two on the Vermillion Range. The two men sought to lease the Sibley and Berringer lands which adjoined the Zenith Mine, but were not successful.

Ore dealing

Dalliba, Hussey and Co.

James Dalliba in 1895

Iron ore from Minnestoa

Dalliba, Hussey & Co. was founded in January 1887 by James H. Dalliba (a veteran mine operator), Horace P. Hussey (of the stock brokerage firm Hussey, Hoyt & Co.), and the firm of Moore, Benjamin & Co. (a developer of iron mines on the Gogebic Range). Dalliba, Hussey & Co. sold the output of five mines on the Gogebic Range, and a single mine on the Marquette Range and the Menominee Range. All the mines were controlled by Moore, Benjamin & Co.

Dalliba, Hussey often advanced sums of money, sometimes quite large, to buyers of ore. This put a financial strain on the company, and in summer 1887 Nat D. Moore of Moore, Benjamin & Co. suggested that Dalliba, Hussey seek an investor who could add capital to the firm. James Dalliba agreed, and Hussey, Hoyt & Co. recruited James Corrigan. Nat D. Moore sold his interest in Dalliba, Hussey & Co. to Corrigan for $30,000 (equivalent to $892,000 in 2023). Corrigan joined the firm as partner on August 12, 1887. The new partnership was to use the same name as the old, last for three years, and assume all assets and liabilities of the old firm.

Moore, Benjamin & Co. failed on November 15, 1887. Dalliba, Hussey & Co. went into liquidation in February 1888.

Corrigan formed a new company in March 1888 to take up the business of the old, operating under the name Dalliba, Corrigan & Co. Stevenson Burke was an investor in the new partnership, which by agreement also lasted three years. In August 1888, the current and former investors in Dalliba, Hussey & Co. sued the Atlantic Mining Co. for failure to deliver iron ore. They won the case, and were awarded a part-interest in the lease the company held on the Atlantic Mine near Hurley, Wisconsin.

Dalliba, Corrigan & Co. dissolved in 1891, and James Corrigan founded a new iron dealership with Franklin T. Ives under the name Corrigan, Ives & Co. James Dalliba worked as a salesman for Corrigan, Ives until January 1, 1892. Dalliba, Corrigan & Co. never paid James H. Dalliba his share of the now-defunct partnership.

Two weeks after James Dalliba left, James Corrigan sued him and Horace T. Hussey for fraud. He claimed that the two men had lied about the financial status of Dalliba, Hussey & Co., and that Dalliba had withdrawn large sums of cash from the firm for personal use. Corrigan asked for $41,000 in damages (equivalent to $1,244,000 in 2023). Dalliba counter-sued, arguing that Corrigan, Ives & Co. owed him $5,724 (equivalent to $174,000 in 2023) in unpaid commissions. He also sued James Corrigan, Franklin T. Ives, and Stevenson Burke for $8,184 (equivalent to $248,000 in 2023) to obtain his share of the dissolved partnership.

A three-day trial was heard in the Ohio Court of Common Pleas in June 1892. On June 10, the court ruled against Corrigan. The judge found that James Corrigan had discovered the irregularity in the books in November 1887. There was a four-year statute of limitations for the firm to recover the funds, and Corrigan had filed his lawsuit too late. The court also held that representations about Dalliba, Hussey & Co.'s financial viability were all made by the firm of Moore, Benjamin & Co. — not by Dalliba or Hussey, or their corporations. The court did not need to address whether fraud had occurred, as Corrigan had not sued Moore, Benjamin & Co.

James Corrigan filed an appeal to the district court's ruling in July 1892, but the appellate court affirmed the lower court ruling in December 1892.

James H. Dalliba and Horace P. Hussey each sued James Corrigan for $50,000 in damages (equivalent to $1,517,000 in 2023). Corrigan had obtained an preliminary attachment on the property and cash of both men, and a garnishment on Dalliba's wages. Each man argued that the attachment had libeled them and harmed their business reputations, and done them permanent harm. Dalliba also sued Corrigan, Ives & Co. to recover the $2,250 in garnished wages.

Dalliba's libel suit was dismissed by the court of common pleas in March 1893, and Hussey and Corrigan settled out of court in June 1894.

Standard Ore

Standard Ore was a mine operating company established in Duluth in August 1892 by Henry W. Oliver, Chester A. Congdon, Francis A. Bates, and others. It operated the Cincinnati Mine near Biwabik, Minnesota, and the Missabe Mountain Mine near Virginia, Minnesota, among others. In October 1892, Stevenson Burke was elected president of the company.

Given Burke's partnership in Corrigan, Ives & Co., it is unsurprising that Standard Ore immediately signed a contract that gave Corrigan, Ives the exclusive right to market their iron ore for five years. It made Corrigan, Ives & Co. one of the largest iron ore dealers in the nation.

By April 1893, James Corrigan was a stockholder in Standard Ore.

Corrigan, Ives and Co.

James Corrigan founded the firm of Corrigan, Ives & Co. in January 1891. Franklin T. Ives and Stevenson Burke were partners in the company. Iron ore dealer H.P. Lillibridge was also a partner, but he withdrew from the firm shortly after it was created.

Corrigan, Ives & Co. marketed ore from the Aurora, Atlantic, Crystal Falls, Armenia, Buffalo, Cambria, Claire, Commodore, Dunn, Eureka, Franklin, Iron Belt, Lallie, Lucy, Mansfield, Pewabic, Sunday Lake, Prince of Wales, Queen, and South Buffalo mines. It quickly became one of the nation's leading iron ore and pig iron dealers, and James Corrigan made a million dollars.

The Panic of 1893 began in February 1893, and bankrupted Corrigan, Ives & Co. The company had sold large amounts of iron ore to iron foundries and blast furnaces, but when the panic hit these companies failed to pay for the ore. The company tried to stay afloat by issuing more than $1 million (equivalent to $30,340,000 in 2023) in notes, which were purchased by Ferdinand Schlesinger, a Milwaukee businessman who owned numerous mines. (Corrigan, Ives was the sales agent for almost all of Schlesinger's mines.)

Receivership

Price McKinney

In early July 1893, Stevenson Burke asked an Ohio state court to appoint a receiver. Burke claimed that $100,000 (equivalent to $3,034,000 in 2023) had been withdrawn from the business by Corrigan for personal reasons. The court agreed, and appointed Price McKinney (Burke's son-in-law) receiver.

Corrigan seems to have attempted to avoid receivership. In mid-July, just days before McKinney's appointment, Corrigan traveled to Milwaukee, where several banks had issued loans to Corrigan, Ives & Co. He asked the banks to settle the debts for 75 cents on the dollar, but none of the banks were willing to do so.

The receiver's first report to the court was a positive one. McKinney did not find any money missing, but did discover that Corrigan, Ives had failed to pay freight charges for ore it sold in June 1893. This seemed to have been because Corrigan, Ives had advanced $270,000 (equivalent to $8,465,000 in 2023) to Schlesinger to allow him to pay railroad freight charges. Schlesinger had not paid the company back, causing Corrigan, Ives significant liquidity problems.

Operations during receivership

The Ohio court permitted Corrigan, Ives & Co. to reorganize under McKinney, rather than force a liquidation. The partnership suffered some financial difficulties during this time. A riot occurred at the Franklin Mine when Corrigan, Ives failed to pay wages on time there, and it closed the Commodore and Franklin mines in August 1893.

Corrigan, Ives & Co. was, on the whole, making money during the receivership. It purchased the leases on the Buffalo Mine and Queen Mine on Michigan's Marquette Range for $400,000 in January 1894, and purchased the Sunday Lake Mine in February 1894. Corrigan, McKinney & Co. assumed ownership of the Buffalo Mining Co., reorganized it, and assigned it as operator the Buffalo Mine.

By August 1893, most of the Milwaukee creditors had come to an agreement on settling the company's debts. On August 16, the Wisconsin Marine & Fire Insurance Bank agreed to accept a shipment of iron ore to redeem $164,925 (equivalent to $5,004,000 in 2023) in loans the firm had obtained from it.

The Commercial Bank of Milwaukee claimed it had loaned Corrigan, Ives & Co. $134,894 (equivalent to $4,093,000 in 2023). McKinney denied owing the bank any money. The Commercial Bank sued, and in April 1896 won in a local Minnesota court. The Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the ruling and ordered the case dismissed in February 1897.

Gold and silver mines

In April 1895, bankrupt Wisconsin mine owner Ferdinand Schlesinger was forced to sell most of his properties. He sold his El Concheno gold and silver mine in the Mexican state of Chihuahua to James Corrigan, Stevenson Burke, and Price McKinney. Corrigan funded the construction of a railroad spur to the mine, and added crushers and a mill. He sold the mine in December 1906 for $1,000,000 ($35,000,000 in 2024 dollars).

Corrigan was also an investor in the Ohio Mining Co. In January 1900, that company opened a gold mine in Elizabethtown, New Mexico.

Corrigan, McKinney and Co.

The Great Western Mine

Corrigan, McKinney & Co. was organized on March 17, 1894. Four days after the organization, James Corrigan, Stevenson Burke, Price McKinney, and two other investors incorporated the Queen Iron Mining Co. and the Sunday Lake Mining Co. operate these two mines on behalf of Corrigan, McKinney.

QUeen Iron Mining Co. March 20, 1894 $500k Corporation Record National Corporation Reporter March 24, 1894 52 https://books.google.com/books?id=OpRDAQAAMAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=%22Queen%20Iron%20Mining%22&pg=PA53#v=onepage&q&f=false

oerate buffalo, south buffalo, Prince of Wales, and Queen mines General Mining News The Engineering and Mining Journal April 21, 1894 374 https://books.google.com/books?id=vvERAQAAMAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=%22Queen%20Iron%20Mining%22&pg=PA375#v=onepage&q&f=false

In September 1905, the company leased the Bessemer, Commodore, and Victoria mines from James Corrigan and Franklin Rockefeller.

In January 1898, Ferdinand Schlesinger agreed to stop operating the Crystal Falls Mine in favor of a new corporation. This was the Crystal Falls Iron Mining Co., whose primary investors were James Corrigan, Stevenson Burke, Price McKinney, and S.C. Bennett. Two months later, Corrigan initiated a campaign to have railroads in Minnesota lower their freight charges for ore. The fees, he claimed, were so high that most of his mines were losing money, and he would shut them down if rates did not fall. Subsequently, in April Corrigan sold his interest in the Franklin Mine.

Corrigan, McKinney purchased the Lincoln Mine (Menominee Range) near Crystal Falls, Michigan, in July, and the Great Western Mine (adjacent to the Lincoln) in October. Both the Great Western and the Lincoln were initially operated by the Crystal Falls Mining Co. In May 1899, Corrigan, Burke, McKinney, Samuel C. Bennett, and A.L. Flewelling established the Great Western Mining Co. and the Lincoln Mining Co. to operate them.

By the end of 1900, U.S. Steel was far and away the largest producer of iron ore in the Great Lakes region. The only large independent producers were Corrigan, McKinney & Co., Cleveland Cliffs Iron, and John D. Rockefeller.

Corrigan's personal involvement in mining came to an end in 1903. In February 1902, Minnesota land and mine owner Edmund J. Longyear leased the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 16, township 47, range 46 west to Corrigan, McKinney & Co. for five years. Longyear leased the northwest half of the southwest quarter of section 23, township 57, range 22 west ) about 120 acres (49 ha)) to the company in January 1903. The company struck a large iron ore deposit the Longyear properties, and named it the St. Paul Mine. In April 1903, James Corrigan, Price McKinney and J.E. Ferris together assembled $100,000 ($3,500,000 in 2024 dollars) and created the St. Paul Iron Mining Co. Corrigan, McKinney duly leased its new mine to St. Paul Iron Mining, which operated the new concern.

Smelting

The River Furnace

Corrigan, McKinney & Co. moved into the manufacture of pig iron in 1894. In June of that year, it leased the River Furnace of the Cleveland Iron Company, located on the Scranton Peninsula in an area bounded by Girard St. in the south, Carter Rd. in the east, the tracks of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway to the north, and the Cuyahoga River on the west. Corrigan, McKinney immediately began work on repairing and improving the furnace's coal receiving docks. The furnace was blown in about August 10. The River Furnace had an annual capacity of about 220 short tons (200 t) a day.

James Corrigan, Stevenson Burke, Earnest T. Laundon, C.W. Marsh, and Price McKinney incorporated the River Furnace and Dock Co. to operate the River Furnace on March 6, 1895.

The River Furnace and Dock Co. and Corrigan, McKinney & Co. relinquished the River Furnace to the Upson Nut Co. in August 1907.

The Charlotte Furnace

Corrigan, McKinney & Co. obtained its second blast furnace in 1895.

The Charlotte Furnace was built in Scottdale, Pennsylvania, in 1872 and 1873 by the National Pipe and Foundry Co. (later known as United States Cast Iron Pipe Co.). It had an annual capacity of 26,000 short tons (24,000 t)

The Charlotte Furnace was idled in 1890. In May 1895, Corrigan, McKinney & Co. leased it for five years, and the furnace was blown in on July 16. The Charlotte Furnace was blown out on November 10, 1895, after Corrigan, McKinney discovered it needed a general overhaul and new bosh. It was blown in again in July 1896 with a new annual capacity of 70,000 short tons (64,000 t).

Corrigan, McKinney continued to operate the Charlotte Furnace until 1905. In June of that year, James Corrigan, Price McKinney, and Amos E. Gillespie incorporated the Scottdale Furnace Company. It had a capitalization of $50,000 ($1,700,000 in 2024 dollars). While Corrigan, McKinney & Co. retained the least to the furnace, it was now independently operated by the Scottdale Furnace Co.

The Charlotte Furnace was shut down in December 1907. Corrigan, McKinney razed the existing structure, and built a new furnace capable of producing 100,000 short tons (91,000 t) annually. The new furnace began production in 1911.

The Douglas Furnace

Corrigan, McKinney & Co. obtained its third blast furnace in 1896.

The Douglas Furnace of Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, was built in 1870 and blown in about March 1871. It was built by investors James Pierce, Jonas J. Pierce, Wallace Pierce, and George D. Kelly and had an annual capacity of 60,000 short tons (54,000 t). The furnace was leased to Forsythe, Hyde & Co. of Chicago, Illinois, in August 1892.

In 1893, Forsythe, Hyde & Co. failed. That July, Corrigan, Ives & Co. secured a judgement against the Douglas Furnace in the amount of $105,000 ($3,700,000 in 2024 dollars). The Commercial Bank of Milwaukee also secured an attachment against the Douglas Furnace, and a court awarded it $130,000 ($4,500,000 in 2024 dollars) worth of pig iron produced by Forsythe, Hyde & Co. The sheriff of Mercer County, Pennsylvania, ignored the attachment, seized the pig iron, and it was sold. This caused the Commercial Bank of Milwaukee to fail. Corrigan, Ives & Co. went into receivership, and was sued by the Commercial Bank.

The Douglass Furnace was seized by the Mercer County sheriff in September 1895. In lieu of payment, Corrigan, Ives & Co. (reorganized as Corrigan, McKinney & Co.) took over the lease on the Douglas Furnace. Corrigan, McKinney began operating the Douglas Furnace on May 1, 1896.

The owners of the Douglas Furnace immediately sued Corrigan, McKinney & Co. They argued that the Cleveland firm had to pay rent on the furnace, as required by the lease, but it had not. They demanded $16,000 ($600,000 in 2024 dollars) in rent. The owners won their suit in May 1897. Corrigan, McKinney appealed, and a U.S. appellate court upheld the district court's ruling in October.

Meanwhile, the Carnegie Steel Company purchased the Douglas Furnace in 1895. When Corrigan, McKinney's lease expired on May 7, 1898, Carnegie Steel declined to renew it and took over the Douglas Furnace itself.

The Genesee Furnace

The Genesee Furnace was built in Charlotte, New York, in 1868 by the Charlotte Iron Works. It was rebuilt in 1884, and had an annual capacity of 20,000 short tons (18,000 t).

On June 4, 1902, Corrigan, McKinney & Co. purchased the Genesee Furnace. About $100,000 ($3,800,000 in 2024 dollars) was spent relining the furnace and erecting new stoves to increase the Charlotte's production to 200 short tons (180 t) per day.

In September 1903, James Corrigan, Stevenson Burke, Price McKinney, and Joseph Hartley incorporated the Genesee Furnace Company to operate the furnace. It had a capitalization of $50,000 ($1,700,000 in 2024 dollars).

The Josephine Furnace

Difficulties in obtaining a reliable supply of coke for its furnace led Corrigan, McKinney to set up its own coking facility. In mid December 1902, it purchased the Jeffries farm on Tom's Run. The company planned to erect 400 beehive coking ovens there, and build a "coal town" of 200 homes for the workers it would require. The H.L. Taylor farm adjacent to the Jeffries farm was purchased in February 1903. This provided space for an additional 200 homes, and the company intended to call the new town "Corrigan". Although no work was done at the site by June 1903, by the end of the year there were a small number of coking ovens in operation and a coal washer under construction.

In February 1903, Corrigan, McKinney began purchasing large tracts of coal lands in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, to feed its new coke ovens. Some sources say the company purchased 6,000 acres (2,400 ha), but press reports put the number at 10,141 acres (4,104 ha).

Work on the Jefrey's farm location apparently stopped, as word spread that Corrigan, McKinney was making a major move into coking. The city of Sandusky, Ohio, offered the company $90,000 ($3,100,000 in 2024 dollars) to move the facility there, and the city of East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, offered $50,000 ($1,700,000 in 2024 dollars).

Arthur Gould Yates was president of the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway (BR&P), and an early coal trading pioneer in Pennsylvania. With a coal mining boom under way in southwestern Pennsylvania, he sought to make his railroad one of the main transporters of coal and coke. Yates had already considered assisting a company in establishing a major new coking plant in Falls Creek, Pennsylvania. However, the railroad already owned a large tract of land near the village of Bell's Mills in Burrell Township, adjacent to its Indiana. Next to the rail line was Blacklick Creek, which provided ample water for coking ovens.

Yates contacted Corrigan, McKinney, and an agreement was soon reached: The railroad sold its undeveloped land to Corrigan, McKinney for a token amount of money, agreed to build a system of tracks and trestles to serve the new facility and the surrounding coal fields, and agreed to facilitate the sale of the village of Bell's Mills and surrounding land. On October 3, 1905, Corrigan, McKinney & Co. purchased the large piece of property owned by Anna M. Guthrie, the so-called adjacent "Dalzell tract", and the village of Bell's Mills for $40,000. The village was razed.

The day the properties were purchased, Corrigan, McKinney announced it would construct a blast furnace at the place. The company had purchased the land for a coking operation, but realized efficiencies could be achieved by smelting ore in Pennsylvania where the coal and coke was, rather than in Cleveland. It also began construction on 165 new houses for its workers and managers.

On October 14, ten days after announcing Corrigan, McKinney announced its land purchases, the Josephine Furnace Co. was incorporated by James Corrigan, Price McKinney, F.S. Burke Jr., J.E. Ferris, John A. Scott Jr., J. Wood Clark, and R.M. Mullen. It was capitalized at $800,000 ($28,000,000 in 2024 dollars).

The Josephine Furnace Co. began construction of a blast furnace on Blacklick Creek in March 1906 after some additional land acquisitions were made. This included the lease of more than 1,000 acres (400 ha) between Tom's Run and Blacklick Creek to connect the coke ovens to the furnace. It was located on a U-shaped bend in the stream, just under 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of where Blacklick Creek and Two Lick Creek met. On the west side of Two Lick and Black Lick creeks were the Indiana Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Indiana Branch of the BR&P. Between the blast furnace and Blacklick Creek on the south and east was the Cambria & Clearfield Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Excavations for the 300 coke ovens were partially finished by November 1906.

Construction on the new town also began in March 1906. It was named Josephine, after the wife of Corrigan, McKinney stockholder Edward Burke. Initially, the town had 140 houses, but 300 were eventually built. Nineteen of the homes were larger and more expensive, each costing $3,000 ($100,000 in 2024 dollars) to build. These were for plant managers and superintendents. The company also built a bank, a clothing and furnishings store, private offices for the company, a post office, and warehouse. Every home and commercial building had electricity, sewer, and running water.

The Josephine Furnace was blown in on January 14, 1907. The furnace had four stacks and a capacity of 100 short tons (91 t) a day. Steam was generated by nine Stirling boilers, with energy transferred to machinery in the mill via three compound vertical beam engines. Electricity was generated by small boilers made by the Ball Engine Company. It was idled in November 1911, and new blowing engines, boilers, and steam pipes installed. Extra electrical generators and pumps were also added.

A second blast furnace, with a daily capacity of 400 short tons (360 t) and an estimated construction cost of $1 million ($33,700,000 in 2024 dollars), began construction in April 1907. The Panic of 1907 paused construction for about nine months, but it resumed in July 1908 for two months. The Panic of 1910–11 caused construction to cease again, and was restarted only in April 1910. The furnace was finished in June 1910, but it was not placed in operation. It was rushed to completion in March 1911, and blown in that summer.

Corrigan, McKinney Steel

The lease held by Corrigan, McKinney & Co. on Cleveland's River Furnace expired in August 1907. The company made public its decision not to renew it in December 1906.

The company initially intended to build one or two new furnaces. In January 1907, it began negotiating with the state of Ohio for a lease on 3 acres (1.2 ha) on the Cuyahoga River at the Weigh Lock on the Ohio and Erie Canal. The company wanted at least 1,600 feet (490 m) of shoreline, to accommodate its docks. The state leased only 2 acres (0.81 ha), at an annual cost of $1,221.60 ($41,225 in 2024 dollars). It purchased another 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) south of the state land in February 1907. These were narrow pieces of property located between the canal and the river, owned by the Cleveland Provision Co., Frank Majaka, and Harriet Rose.

Assembling the West Bank site

Some time later in 1907, Corrigan, McKinney & Co. executives decided that a simple pig iron blast furnace was not enough.

In 1907, Corrigan, McKinney began negotiating with landowners on the west side of the Cuyahoga River between Houston Street on the north and Clark Avenue on the south. It secured land from the Cuyahoga River in the east to the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad and the Newburgh and South Shore Railroad in the west. Price McKinney personally purchased the properties of Lillian Stone, Lithe Stone, Cornelia T. Young, and J.W. Smith in late July 1908. It totaled 40 acres (16 ha), and included 3,000 feet (910 m) of river shoreline (half the frontage available). Some of the land went for the exorbitant price of $10,000 an acre ($300,000 in 2024 dollars). McKinney transferred title to these lands to Corrigan, McKinney & Co. in October 1908.

On July 31, 1908, the company announced that it would build a much larger facility consisting of at least two pig iron blast furnaces and a steel plate mill capable of producing 200,000 short tons (180,000 t) a year. The cost of the plant would be at least $2.5 million ($87,500,000 in 2024 dollars). The two blast furnaces would be erected on newly-purchased land on the west bank of the Cuyahoga River. With each furnace needing 1,000 short tons (910 t) of ore, 500 short tons (450 t) of coke, and 150 to 200 short tons (140 to 180 t) of limestone per blast, extensive improvements to rail lines to the plant were needed. The Newburgh & South Shore Railroad agreed to purchase an additional 275 rail cars (later lowered to 175 cars) and several additional locomotives to handle the work, and the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad agreed to move its tracks from the center of the site about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) west. The Plain Dealer estimated that the furnaces would be the largest outside the Pittsburgh district.

Ground clearance and grading began on August 1, 1908, and Corrigan, McKinney believed the furnace and ore docks would be ready within a year. To accommodate the large ore freighters that would deliver to the plant, the city of Cleveland agreed to dredge the upper Cuyahoga River. Dredging was completed in September 1908.

Corrigan, McKinney engaged in a land swap with the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad, which would allow the WL&E to relocate its track 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the west. The cost of the relocation, $112,000 ($3,920,000 in 2024 dollars), was born by the railroad and took three days.

The northern part of the mill land came even with the Cleveland Terminal and Valley Railroad (CT&V, reorganized only a month earlier by its owner, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad) in late July 1909 after Corrigan, McKinney purchased the undeveloped housing lots of B.A. Worthington on either side of Houston Street.

Corrigan, McKinney purchased another 6 acres (2.4 ha) on the south side of its property from the Cuyahoga Valley Realty Co. in August 1909, and another 5 acres (2.0 ha) again to the south from the Cleveland Iron Co. in March 1911. This brought the company's land about 150 feet (46 m) south of Clark Avenue.

In December 1909, Corrigan, McKinney & Co. incorporated a subsidiary, the River Terminal Railway, as a shortline railroad to link the ore docks at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River to its steel mills. It built the River Terminal Railway lift bridge over the river in 1913 to connect the west and east sides of the mill.

The CT&V tracks ran almost through the center of the planned plant. In May 1915, Corrigan, McKinney sold 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) to the railroad, and the railroad sold 4 acres (1.6 ha) to Corrigan, McKinney, allowing the CT&V to move its line to the border of the plant.

It remains unclear if Corrigan, McKinney intended to expand westward from its 1908 purchases.

Assembling the Steel Mill site

Corrigan, McKinney decided to expand its presence on the east side of the Cuyahoga River probably in early 1910. Its first move came in October 1911, when it purchased 19 acres (7.7 ha) of property from Lucy Hunter and Gertrude Uhl (the former Julia Morgan property), along with 615 feet (187 m) of river access, on the north side of Clark-Pershing Avenue. The purchase of 40 acres (16 ha) from Belden Seymour, on the river's east bank just opposite the company's announced blast furnace site, coupled with the title to the Hunter and Uhl land, publicly indicated the project's expansion. In November 1911, it purchased a 12-acre (4.9 ha) site in Lot 281 from Citizens Savings & Trust (formerly owned by Harriet Rose), which extended from the Cuyahoga River eastward to a line equal to E. 44th Street. It also obtained 9.5 acres (3.8 ha) of land east of the Citizens Savings & Trust and the Hunter properties from the heirs of Alvah Jewett.

The firm pushed south of Clark-Pershing Avenue when it acquired the 8-acre (3.2 ha) Henry H. Holly parcel in March 1912. In August, the company purchased 16 acres (6.5 ha) from the estate of John Giesendorfer, effectively establishing the mill's northern boundary.

From Julia Fuhrmeyer, the company purchased 5.5 acres (2.2 ha) in August and October 1912, and 9.5 acres (3.8 ha) from R.P. Gerlach in October. At the end of 1912, it purchased 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) from Robert Davies.

It made an extensive purchase in February 1913 when it obtained title to all 56 acres (23 ha) of the Stanley property northeast of the Wheeling & Lake Erie tracks. Corrigan, McKinney also obtained all 9.5 acres (3.8 ha) of the William Harrison Subdivision (just to the south of the Stanley land) from the Superior Savings & Trust Co. Another 9 acres (3.6 ha) of land consisting of several parcels of the O.M. Stafford Allotment were added to the eastern boundary of the plant site in late February 1913. It obtained title to the Wilson property in November 1913.

In June 1918, the company purchased 21 acres (8.5 ha) at the foot of E. 49th in the Eggers Allotment. It purchased an adjacent 11.5 acres (4.7 ha) on west side of the Eggers land from the administrator of the Stanley estate in October 1918.

Further expansion along the Cuyahoga River was blocked by the American Steel & Wire Co., which had a major coke plant south of Campbell Rd. SE.

Building the steel mill

Corrigan, McKinney & Co. said in January 1909 that is two new blast furnaces would be built on the west side of the Cuyahoga River between Clark and Houston avenues. Contracts for ore docks (to be built by Hunkin Bros.) and ore unloading machines (to be built by the Wellman Seaver Morgan Engineering Co.) were awarded in mid February. With docks on both the west and east sides of the river, Corrigan, McKinney also issued a contract for an "ore bridge" (to be built by the Brown Hoisting Machinery Co.). The cost of this work was $600,000 ($20,997,778 in 2024 dollars).

Ground clearance and grading began on August 1, 1908.

furnac efoundations being dug Prosperity Calls Out 3500 Men For Work The Cleveland Press Fri, Sep 04, 1908 ·Page 1

Construction of the two blast furnaces on the west bank of the Cuyahoga River, which cost only $25,000 ($843,661 in 2024 dollars) and $8,000 ($269,971 in 2024 dollars), began in September 1910.

CM&C announces eight open hearth 60-ton per day furnaces cost $1.5 m New Bridges Planned The Plain Dealer Mon, Jan 01, 1912 ·Page 2

contract for open hearth building let blueprints by American Bridge Co. 700 ft long and 152 ft wide foundation already under way by Hunkin-Conkey Construction taller than a six story building Steel Plant Work Adds to Busy Week The Cleveland Leader Sun, Jul 20, 1913 ·Page 33 Deals and Contracts The Plain Dealer Sun, Jul 20, 1913 ·Page 12

one-story brick building, 200x699 $225k Permit for Steel Plant The Cleveland Leader Thu, Oct 23, 1913 ·Page 5 $225k 4002 Dille Ave Building Permits of the Past Week The Plain Dealer Sun, Oct 26, 1913 ·Page 15

4,200 tons of steel for buildings, bins, and trestles for River Furnace Rosenthal, H.S. Steel Corporation Orders Make Good December Gain The Plain Dealer Sun, Jan 10, 1915 ·Page 28

$125k brick and steel power house two stories high 122x400 16 boilers, 16 generatros, and blowing eninges Death Calls Halt on Euclid-Av Deal The Plain Dealer Fri, Feb 05, 1915 ·Page 15

$100k blast furance and store runway Buidling Permits fo the Past Week The Plain Dealer Sun, Apr 04, 1915 ·Page 12

casting houyse $1,200 crane runway $1k ladle house $3,200 power house $125k pit furance building $25k stock house $15k open stock yard $7,500 roll shop $4,500 boiler and blacksmith shop $6,500 storage yard, boiler and blacksmith shop $3,000 brick shed $1,200 pattern shop $10k calcining house $9,500 mixer building $19,500 storehouse $8,400 billet and sheet bar yard $7,500 blooming mill %65,000 slab and bloom yard $9000 Building Permits for the Past Week The Plain Dealer Sun, Apr 11, 1915 ·Page 36

machine shop $20k boiler house $9k Building Permits of the Past Week The Plain Dealer Sun, Apr 18, 1915 ·Page 36

coke ovens cost $150k 396x204 Coffers Co. of Pittsburgh is contractor Will Erect 13-Story Addition The Plain Dealer Wed, Oct 13, 1915 ·Page 14

$150k coke oven Just the Gist The Cleveland Press Wed, Oct 13, 1915 ·Page 9

slag yard, office, lab $16,800 Buildings Would Cover Public Square 4 1-2 Times The Plain Dealer Tue, Sep 05, 1916 ·Page 18

open hearth furnace $100k pit furnace building $15k tar pump house $1,200 Week's Building permits The Plain Dealer Sun, Mar 11, 1917 ·Page 42

$68,500 in total 78x145 for byproducts to cost $23k Plan Several Apartments for Heights The Plain Dealer Wed, May 09, 1917 ·Page 12

several buildings, $82,300 Plan Big Developments for Heights Territory The Plain Dealer Wed, May 23, 1917 ·Page 20

service building $11,600 32x98, one story Cleveland Railway Buys Acreage for Car House The Plain Dealer Sat, Sep 29, 1917 ·Page 14 $11,600 for service building Rockwell, Guy T. Buy Euclid Corner for $75,000 Commercial Site The Plain Dealer Tue, Oct 02, 1917 ·Page 20

$3k for inspector's shed 28x187 Rockwell, Guy T> Leases Entire Building in Downtown District The Plain Dealer Thu, Nov 01, 1917 ·Page 22

Corrigan, McKinney purchased ladn upstream on the Cuyahoga and began construction of its own furnace in 1909 A second, also of 350 ton capacikty, started soon afterward two 500 ton furnaces built later eight furnaces have 1m ton capacity it scaled back on ore selling, savinging its ore for its own requirements Limestone quarries at Williamsburg, PA and Gouverner, NY were purchased in 1913, began work on steel plat at clevel, opposits its four blast furnaces 12 80-ton open hearth furnaces 204 byproduct coke ovens 40 inch blooming mill 18 ince and 21 inch bar mills can produces blooms, slabs, squares, rounds, and tin mill plate No 1 and No 2 River Furnaces blown on May 28, 1910 and June 20, 1912

No. 2 completed 1912 4 McClure 3-pass center combination stoves product bessemer iron, baisc iron, malleable iron, foundry and forge pig iron American Iron and Steel Institute Directory of Iron and Steel Works of the United States and Canada 1926 New York: Manufacturer Sales https://books.google.com/books?id=tzchzknmMkQC&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false 228-229

No 3 blown on May 13, 1916 No 4 blown Dec 30, 1916

hearth funaces placed in operation on Jan 1, 1916

24 soaking pits for ingots, 1800 tons per day blooming mill of 42,000 tons per day continuous mill of 40,000 tons per month

coke plant in operation on Nov 9, 1916 four batteries, 52 overs each designed to operate for 15 hours, but can operate for up to 18 produce 70,000 tons of coke a month

Idler disaster

Schooner yacht Idler

Sinking captured headlines on all regional newspapers

James Corrigan was a lifelong avid yachtsman.

Among the many pleasure craft he owned at times were the schooner yacht Jane Anderson in 1878, the schooner yacht Flora in 1883, and the schooner yacht Wasp in 1892. He and local banker John P. Huntington jointly purchased the steam-powered propeller yacht Nautilus in 1888, and poured $15,000 ($524,944 in 2024 dollars) worth of improvements into her. Although Corrigan used the Nautilus extensively, he sold his interest in her in 1892 for $22,000 ($769,919 in 2024 dollars).

On October 5, 1899, Corrigan purchased the luxury schooner yacht Idler for about $12,000 ($453,552 in 2024 dollars). Built in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1864 by shipbuilder F. Colgate, Idler was an ocean-going racing vessel with a centerboard. She was 97 feet (30 m) long, had a 23-foot (7.0 m) beam, drew 9.7 feet (3.0 m), and displaced 84 short tons (76 t). She won the June 1869 New York Yacht Club regatta, came in second in the 1870 America's Cup, and won the July 1892 Carolina Yacht Club (Wilmington, North Carolina) regatta.

Idler had been rebuilt 1890 and again in 1892, but Corrigan spent $8,000 ($302,368 in 2024 dollars) rebuilding and refurbishing the yacht. He had all but her hull replaced and the ship painted white. Her new interior accommodations were extremely comfortable. The Idler was widely considered one of the safest yachts on the Great Lakes, and both Mate Samuel Biggam and A.R. Landreth of the Cleveland Yacht Club claimed the yacht "absolutely safe and seaworthy."

On June 8, 1900, James Corrigan took the Idler out on Lake Erie for handling trials prior to her "maiden" voyage. A thunderstorm with heavy rain hit the ship, and she almost went over on her beam ends. The storm came on suddenly, and Corrigan himself helped lower the mainsail. The rope slid through his fingers, injuring him.

Captain Charles J. Holmes and crew

To captain the Idler, Corrigan hired 27-year-old Charles Joseph Holmes on October 18, 1899. He was a married man with a wife and two children living in Port Huron, Michigan. Holmes had spent his entire life sailing both lakes and oceans in large and small craft, nine of those years on the Great Lakes. He was reckless, a self-promoter, thrill-seeker, and liar. He claimed to have captained the half-clipper ship Glory of the Seas in his early 20s, and set a record sailing from New York City to Shanghai in just 72 days. Holmes also claimed to have smuggled arms to Cuba in January 1897, and in June 1897 said he would sail around the world in a 20-foot (6.1 m) sailboat.

His record as a Great Lakes ship captain was mixed. On November 13, 1896, Holmes attempted to bring the MV Walulla into the harbor at Conneaut, Ohio, during a severe storm without the aid of tugboats. He missed the pier and crashed on the shore. The ship burst into flames and two crewmembers died.

James Corrigan later told the press that he had hired Holmes because he had experience on oceans as well as lakes, had good recommendations, and was considered an expert seaman. Author John Stark Bellamy suggests that Corrigan chose Holmes to captain the Idler because Holmes was a flashy risk-taker.

The crew was hired by Holmes in May, and included first mate Samuel Biggam and sailors Jacob Antonson, Charles Johnson, Olaf Neilson, and Severn Neilson. Biggam had 36 years of experience on everything from fishing snacks to the SS Great Eastern. Nineteen of those years had been spent on the Great Lakes where he was mostly employed on schooners. Three of the four sailors were Norwegian, and all were very experienced.

Cleveland area yachtsman said later that they felt Holmes had not properly captained the Idler during her brief outings on Lake Erie after her refit. Part of the problem, captains of other sailing ships said, was that a vessel the size of the Idler should have had eight or nine sailors.

Maiden voyage under Corrigan

About June 30, the Idler left Cleveland for Lake St. Clair. Aboard were James Corrigan; his 46-year-old wife, Ida Belle; his 22-year-old daughter Jane; and his 15-year-old daughter Ida May. Traveling with them was James's eldest married daughter, 24-year-old Nettie Corrigan Rieley and her one-year-old daughter, Mary. The other family traveling on the Idler was that of John Corrigan, and included his 51-year-old wife, Mary; 18-year-old daughter Etta Irene; and 22-year old married daughter Viola Gilbert.

In addition to the captain, mate, and sailors, the crew consisted of first cook/steward George Welch, second cook/steward Charles Hackett, and carpenter William Summers.

The Idler passed Detroit, Michigan, on her way into Lake St. Clair on July 1, and returned to Lake Erie under sail on July 2. She went back to Lake St. Clair at some point, and by July 6 was at Port Huron, Michigan.

While at Port Huron on July 6, James Corrigan, suffering from a severe ear infection, left the Idler and took a train home to Cleveland to see his doctor. Viola Gilbert accompanied him so that she might attend a friend's bridal shower in Cleveland. John Corrigan also left the Idler to take a train to Buffalo, New York, where he had a business meeting. Before he departed, James Corrigan told Capt. Holmes to let the steamer J. Emery Owen tow the Idler back to Cleveland.

The Idler left Port Huron at about 5 PM on July 6, towed by the schooner Australia, which was in turn towed by the steamship J. Emery Owen. On July 7 at 12:30 AM, she passed the city of Detroit on her way to Lake Erie, still towed by the J. Emery Owen. As the tow line occasionally went slack and tightened again, the Idler jerked violently and the women became seasick. Ida Belle Corrigan asked Capt. Holmes to cast off the tow line, and after some discussion he did so at 6:30 AM when the Idler was off Bar Point, Ontario.

The approach of the squall

The forecast for the Cleveland area on July 7 was fair and partly cloudy, with brisk winds out of the southwest and a strong chance of thunderstorms.

Off Bar Point, the wind continued to come from the southwest. After breakfast, Holmes had the spinnaker and balloon staysail set. The wind changed about 11 AM to come more from the west, and was light. The spinnaker was taken down at 11:30 AM, and the jib topsail set. After a noon lunch, the mainsail, foresail, forestaysail, main topmast staysail, standard jib, flying jibs, jib topsails, fore-gaff topsails, and main-gaff topsails went up. The Idler was now making about 2.6 knots (4.8 km/h; 3.0 mph) and headed southeast. According to Biggam, the weather was fine. Olaf Neilson disagreed, saying the weather had looked threatening all day. Severn Neilson agreed, saying the sky in the northwest was dark even before lunch. William Summers said it was fine until 10:30 AM, but then was only fair.

At roughly 10:30 AM, the yacht Ada W. passed the Idler off Colchester Beach, Ontario. A passenger aboard the Ada W. said he could already see the squall coming, and the wind was stiff.

The captain and crew of the Idler saw a squall approaching from the northwest at about 12 noon. The balloon staysail was taken down in the expectation that the wind would shift. Neither Holmes nor Biggam thought the squall looked particularly severe. Neither did sailor Charles Johnson, but Olaf Neilson said the crew was constantly on edge, waiting for orders to lower sails, and Severn Neilson thought it looked dark and angry from the start. It might, Biggam told Holmes, have winds of 30 to 35 miles per hour (48 to 56 km/h). The Idler had passed through little squalls every day during the trip, and this one looked to be no different. At best, Holmes felt, there would be heavy rain. the wind was from the northwest at about 10 to 12 miles per hour (16 to 19 km/h), and the Idler was roughly 28 miles (45 km) northeast of Cleveland. Cook/steward Charles Hackett said it was clear by this time that the squall was going to hit the Idler. Cousins Etta and Jane Corrigan were sitting in chairs on the stern.

Capt. Holmes ordered the lead steward, George Welch, to ensure that all the deadlights were closed. Welch told second steward Charles Hackett to carry out the order. The deadlights were openings in the deck. They were located along the sides of the yacht, two on the port side and two on the starboard side. When opened, a brass grating was placed over the opening. The grating was removed and put in a box on deck when the deadlight was closed. Hackett found the two on the port side open, and one on the starboard side open. He was able to secure all of them except the deadlight over the bathroom, which was locked and occupied at the time.

Holmes said he asked Biggam about the weather as it began to rain, and Biggam replied, "It's all over now." Holmes said he knew the storm was not over, because he looked to the northwest and could see wind on the water.

The captain and crew had plenty of time to prepare the Idler for the approaching storm.

By 1:30 PM, winds were still light, but they were "baffling" and seemed to come from many directions. Biggam began keeping an eye on the storm constantly, as it seemed to be gaining strength.

About 1:45 PM, the weather was almost calm, with the wind light and coming from the starboard quarter. The sky was very threatening, however, and it was growing darker. Biggam asked Captain Holmes if they should take the "light" sails down. (Biggam later said that he would have taken in all sails at this point, except for the fore staysail.) With Mary Corrigan standing nearby, Holmes replied, "Keep it on and have a little excitement." Holmes replied curtly, and allowed the crew to haul in the main topmast staysail and both gaff sails.

As the crew took in the topmast staysail, Holmes told the mate to close the deadlights. Biggam ordered the stewards to ensure that all deadlights were closed. Carpenter William Summers closed the two open deadlights on the starboard side. One of the stewards went briefly below and found two deadlights open. Mary Corrigan told him that the women had opened them to allow cool air into the stifling hot staterooms. The steward told Holmes, who ordered them closed. Either Biggam or the steward did so. As the crew finished taking in the sail, they were sent below to put on their oilskins and sea boots.

About 1:50 or 1:55 PM, heavy thunder and lightning began. It became quite dark, and the lake was rough and choppy, with large waves. The captain went below to change into his foul-weather gear. When he came back on deck two minutes later, Biggam asked Holmes if the crew could take down all but the fore staysail. Immediately afterward, Capt. Holmes ordered the crew to furl the main topsail, fore topsail, and fore jib topsail.

The fishing tug F.E. Smith was about 2 to 3 miles (3.2 to 4.8 km) behind the Idler, with another fishing tug, the Effie B., close by. The fishing tug Helene passed the Idler about 15 minutes before the storm hit, and the steamer Ogemaw was abreast of the Idler and somewhat to north. The captains of the F.E. Smith, Helene, and Ogemaw were all surprised that Idler was not taking down her sails. The captain of the Helene thought the storm looked "wicked", shouted at the Idler to take her sails in.

Fishermen and sailors standing on Eagle Cliff in Bay Village, Ohio, saw the Idler "staggering" under full sail just before the storm struck. "Those fellows will have their hands full if they don't shorten sail right away," one sailor said at the time.

With the wind now coming from the southeast, the Idler was tacking to starboard. She was lying over (tilted) strongly to starboard, and the crew could not take in the forestaysail. The crew had lowered and clewed the main gaff topsail and was taking down the fore jib topsail when the storm struck.

The Idler was at that moment 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Cleveland. The sky was black with clouds in the northeast.

The squall hits

The squall hit just after 2 PM, with winds of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and blinding sheets of rain. Although the storm had been approaching from the northwest and the crew expected strong winds from the northwest, the storm winds actually came from the northeast. The Idler was tacking to port when the storm hit. She jibbed over (the jib moved from one side of the ship to the other), and her foreboom swung far off center. Her main boom swung about halfway off center, and there it stuck, as its guy became tangled.

The wind shifted to come from the north-northwest. Capt. Holmes was standing next to the wheel, which was being held by sailor Jake Antonson. Holmes took the wheel and sent Antonson forward to help take down canvas. Holmes ordered the crew to let go the flying jib. The crew let go of all the halyards and began to take down sails without orders from Holmes. According to carpenter William Summers, none of the crew panicked.

Two or three minutes after the storm hit, an extremely powerful gust hit the yacht from either the port quarter or just abaft the port beam. According to Jacob Antonson, now back at the wheel, Holmes ordered him to "put the wheel down" (turn it as far as it could go) to turn the yacht's bow into the wind. The Idler immediately heeled over onto its starboard side. The crew cut loose all the halyards they could reach, but the yacht had heeled over too far and they could only loosen the foresail. Then the foregaff broke.

In the ship's galley, second cook/steward Charles Hackett believed the boat was sinking. He opened a skylight and climbed out onto the deck. First cook/steward George Welch also managed to come out on deck. Welch shouted at Holmes, "Shall I get the live-preservers?" According to Hackett, Holmes held up his hand to stop him, and said "No! No! I have been in a hundred like this." Holmes later told the press that many yachts sailed with the lee rail near the water, and this seemed no different.

Ida May Corrigan was on deck amidships. Severn Neilson grabbed her to prevent her from falling over the starboard side, then let her go and rushed forward to cut loose the halyards.

The Idler righted herself. The captain shouted for the crew to let go of all head sails.

The passengers below deck were screaming for help. Holmes left the wheel, shouting at sailor Jake Antonson to steer her. Holmes went into the companionway and shouted something, but according to Mary Corrigan he could not be understood. Holmes later changed his story, saying that he only got three steps down the "flooded" companionway before he heard someone shout "She is sinking!", and he returned to the wheel.

Back on deck, Holmes said he saw Samuel Biggam standing by the weather rail, coat off, waving for a fishing tug to come save them. He also saw Jane Corrigan clinging to the port railing, begging to be saved.

Two or three minutes after the first gust hit, another powerful blast of wind from the northeast pushed the Idler over onto her starboard side. Her mainsail went into in water, the soaking wet canvas acting like an anchor and keeping her on her beam end. Most of the crew was thrown into the water.

Water began pouring into the ship through the open companionway, skylights, and two open deadlights. Biggam heard Antonson shout that two deadlights were open. He and cook/steward Charles Hackett made their way through the open companionway, wading through water that was already neck-deep. Biggam said that at least two deadlights were open, one in the room occupied by the John Corrigans and the other in the aft cabin. Mary Corrigan was in the aft cabin struggling to close the deadlight, but water was pouring in too swiftly. Biggam closed the deadlight, then ordered her on deck. Mary went, begging the other women to come with her. The two men proceeded aft to James Corrigan's room, where they found Ida Belle Corrigan, Mary's daughter Etta, Ida May, and Nettie Riley (her infant in her arms). Biggam told them the yacht was sinking and tried to get them on deck, but Ida Belle and Nettie would not come out. Biggam begged Nettie to let him have the baby, but she refused. "When I go, the baby goes," she told Biggam. Ida Belle refused to leave her daughter Mary. The best the two men could do was to get life preservers on the three.

Biggam said that Ida May followed them at first, but returned to the cabin, calling for her mother.

Biggam and the steward went back up on deck. Biggam saw Capt. Holmes and Olaf Neilson holding on to Jane Corrigan near the port railing, to keep her out of the water. She was begging the crew to save her mother. Biggam and Holmes tried to get Mary and Jane to climb the crosstrees, so that when the yacht righted they would be clear of the water, but powerful waves swept all four overboard.

Ida May, who came on deck, was at the stern with Severn Neilson, shouting for her mother to come on deck. A wave swept her over the lee side. She was last seen in the water, clinging to the starboard railing.

Holmes rose to the surface some distance from the yacht and found a fender. Jane Corrigan was nearby, and Holmes grabbed her by the hair to keep her head above water. She could not hold on to the fender in the heavy seas. For a few moments, Jane wrapped her arms around Holmes's neck in an attempt to save herself. She clung to him so tightly, he could not breathe. Heavy waves broke her hold on Holmes, and she was swept away from him.

Etta and Jane somehow made it partway up the stern. Etta spotted a small sofa made of cork, and tossed it to her mother in the water. Large waves then swept the two girls away. Large waves swamped the cork sofa three times, causing Mary Corrigan to let go of it. Each time, she managed to get back to the sofa and hang on again.

The Idler's gig had broken in two, leaving only the smaller rowboat. The rowboat was tangled in rope, but Charles Johnson cut it loose, even though the yacht was sinking and he was risking his own life. He and Jake Antonson plunged into the water, climbed aboard the rowboat, and spotted Ida May in the water. They tried to reach her, but the rowboat became tangled in another line. They could no longer see her by the time they cut the rope. They spotted Capt. Holmes and Mary Corrigan and managed to get both of them aboard.

The Idler lay on her side for three minutes, then began to sink stern first. She righted as she went down in 58 feet (18 m) of water. The time was 2:10 PM by the ship's clock. From the time she first went on her beam end until the time she sank took only 10 to 15 minutes.

The yacht hit the lake bottom upright, its bow facing north-northeast. Her crosstrees and topmasts projected about 20 to 25 feet (6.1 to 7.6 m) above the waves. The point where the main boom was attached to the mast was about 2 feet (0.61 m) above the water.

Biggam's feet became entangled in the ship's rigging and he was pulled under the water by the sinking ship. He kicked off his boots and managed to get free. Carpenter William Summers, who could not swim, was drowning nearby. Biggam swam over, held him above water, and got the two of them to the cross-trees. The two cook/stewards had already climbed up the cross-trees to safety.

At about 2:32 PM, the fishing tugs Effie B. and F.E. Smith arrived. The Idler was still on her side, and Charles Johnson was just getting the rowboat free. Wreckage covered the water. Sailor Olaf Neilson saw Ida May floating lifeless in the water, and managed to grab her. A line was thrown from the F.E. Smith to Nielsen. He grabbed it and wrapped it about the arm holding Ida May. When sailors aboard the F.E. Smith began to pull on the line, Nielson's arm was yanked away from Ida May, and she disappeared beneath the water. Mary Corrigan was in the water for 30 minutes before she was saved.

All passengers except Mary Corrigan drowned. The captain, mate, and all crew members survived.

Aftermath

James Corrigan was in his office in downtown Cleveland when the storm hit the city at 2:35 PM. He was greatly alarmed, as he surmised the storm had likely hit the Idler. (Had she been under tow, she should have arrived in Cleveland two or three hours before the storm.) When the F.E. Smith and Effie B. reached port in Cleveland, he was immediately notified about the disaster.

John Corrigan had returned to Cleveland the morning of July 7 from Buffalo. John and his son-in-law, Edward G. Gilbert, took the prostrate Mary Corrigan home.

Recovery efforts were complicated when a storm system began passing over Ohio and Lake Erie about 5 PM on July 7. It did not exit the area until 9 PM on Monday. Patrols were made of the shoreline in Lorain and Cuyahoga counties in case the bodies washed ashore.

The tugboats William Kennedy and George C. Lutz left Cleveland for the wreck, James Corrigan and his nephew, John Corrigan Jr., aboard the Lutz and Capt. Holmes aboard the Kennedy. The wreck site was 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Cleveland, according to the captain of the Lutz, and the tugs reached it at 5:45 PM. No bodies could be seen. They placed wreck lights on the masts to warn other vessels. There was worry that the Idler might roll over and the lights might sink beneath the surface, so a raft was built and anchored near the wreck. It, too, had wreck lights on it.

Those who visited the Idler during recovery efforts confirmed that the mainsail, staysail, and jib sail were still up, and there was nothing to indicate that any attempt had been made to have them lowered. Only the fore staysail was partly down. Her kite sails were up and neatly tied in place, and divers said all of the sails were clear of the deck.

Late in the evening on July 7, the tug Ben Campbell was sent to wreck to find the bodies. Aboard her was diver Walter Metcalf. Conditions on Lake Erie were too rough to permit any diving, and the tug returned. The Ben Campbell left again at 3 AM on July 8. This time, it also carried James Corrigan, Charles Rieley, and Corrigan's friend and business associate, Albert R. Rumsey. The tug spent most of the day on the water waiting for conditions to improve. When they did not, it returned to Cleveland at 4 PM. James Corrigan was so distraught at the loss of his family that he went to stay with his wife's sister, who was married to local physician X.C. Scott.

On Monday, July 9, the storm abated and recovery efforts began. The tug Chauncey Morgan cruised near the wreck, searching for bodies, but large amounts of wreckage covered the lake making this difficult. James Corrigan, Morris A. Bradley, Albert R. Rumsey, and Frank Rieley, father-in-law of Mary Rieley, journeyed to the wreck aboard the tug Lutz. Diver Walter Metcalf found the main cabin of the yacht full of mattresses, bedclothes, chairs, tables, linen, and other floating debris that made his movements difficult, blocked his sight, and tended to hide the bodies. About 15 minutes after Metcalf descended on the wreck, he found the body of Ida Belle Corrigan in the main cabin, about 15 feet (4.6 m) away from the companionway. Her arms were locked about her face, as if she were shielding herself from something. After searching another half hour, Metcalf found Nettie Rieley's body in the top berth of the first bunk on the starboard side. From the position of her arms and hands, she appeared to have died holding her baby. After some rest, Metcalf and his assistant, Frank Schwab, found the body of Etta Corrigan in the lower berth of the starboard side room. One arm covered her face, while the other gripped her hair. Her face had an expression of agony on it. All had on life preservers.

Divers discovered that two deadlights were open on port side and one open on starboard side.

Etta Corrigan's funeral was held at the John Corrigan home, on July 11, 1900. She was buried in Cleveland's Woodland Cemetery. The funeral of Ida Belle Corrigan and Nettie Corrigan Riley was conducted at the James Corrigan home by the Reverend Dr. S.P. Sprecher of Euclid Avenue Presbyterian Church. James Corrigan did not want them buried until all the other bodies were found, so they were temporarily interred in the public receiving vault of Wade Memorial Chapel at Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery.

The body of the infant Mary Rieley was discovered in the cabin of the Idler after she was refloated on July 15. A funeral was held at Wade Memorial Chapel, conducted by Rev. Abel P. Buel, a retired Baptist minister and friend of the Corrigan family. Mary was temporarily interred next to her mother.

Corrigan's personal search

James Corrigan became desperate to find the bodies of the rest of his family. On July 23, he began offering "a liberal reward" to anyone who found them. He also had a glass-bottomed boat built to assist in the search. Recovery experts hoped that the area's warm weather would cause the bodies to rise to surface. In the middle of August, authorities gave up the search for the bodies as hopeless.

James Corrigan continued to search, spending $5,000 ($188,980 in 2024 dollars) looking for the bodies. After local life-saving stations ceased to send shore patrols out to look for the bodies, Corrigan hired men to do so. He also hired several gasoline-powered launches to patrol the shore as well as drag the shoreline with grappling hooks. He asked all merchant ship captains to be on the lookout for bodies, and offered to pay a reward and the cost of bringing the two women's remains to him. He also continued to pay shore patrols to look for the bodies, with men walking the shoreline from Cleveland to Buffalo.

He chartered the steamship Urania in late July and took it into Canadian waters to look for the bodies. He searched the wreck site again in early August using his glass-bottomed boat, and hired diver Walter Metcalf to walk over the entire site to see if the corpses were in the mud of the lake bottom. He hired a tugboat, and searched the waters off Sandusky, Ohio.

During this time, Corrigan barely spent any time working at his businesses. He aged noticeably, and the emotional toll left his health broken.

Discovery of the last bodies

Ida May Corrigan's body was finally found on August 29. Her body was floating in Lake Erie about 4 miles (6.4 km) from the disaster site by the passenger steamer City of Detroit. Four other boats had recently passed by and seen nothing, so it was presumed that the body had only recently risen to the surface. The body was badly decomposed and the features unrecognizable, but Ida May was identified by the brown suit she was wearing and her jewelry and locket. James Corrigan gave each of the four men who retrieved the body from the water a $50 ($1,890 in 2024 dollars) reward. No funeral was immediately held, and she was temporarily interred in the Wade Chapel vault at Lake View Cemetery.

Jane Corrigan's body was finally found on September 28. Her remains were found 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Willoughby, Ohio (at what is now the village of Timberlake beach). The body was very badly decomposed, and one arm was missing. The clothes were in shreds. James Corrigan was out of town on business, so the body was identified by Frank Rieley and Jane's brother, James Corrigan Jr. She was identified by the shoes and brown skirt she was wearing, and a cuff button engraved with her initials. A small chamois bag containing unset jewels worth $1,000 ($37,796 in 2024 dollars), which Jane Corrigan habitually wore about her neck, was missing. As with the other family members, Jane's body was placed in Lake View's receiving vault.

A funeral at Wade Chapel was held for Ida May and Jane Corrigan on October 6, with the Rev. Dr. S.P. Sprecher officiating.

Ida Belle, Nettie, Jane, Ida May, and Mary were interred in the Corrigan family plot at Lake View on October 9.

The question of blame

I consider negligence on the part of Captain Holmes as being the cause of the disaster. When we arrived at the scene of the accident, we saw the mainsail and foresail in a position indicating that they had not been taken in, as they should have been under the circumstances.

James Corrigan,

In the opinion of James and John Corrigan, Holmes had not properly captained the Idler. The consensus of Cleveland boatmen, was that Holmes had been careless, and should have taken in all sail as soon as the storm had been spotted. Experienced local yachtsmen said much smaller boats had passed safely through much worse storms, and proper handling should have easily brought the Idler through as well. A.R. Landreth Jr., secretary of the Cleveland Yacht Club, noted that "Yachtsmen have gone through squalls time and time again, many of them more severe than yesterday's storm, and they have done it in twenty-five and thirty-foot boats, boats much smaller than the Idler, and have come through without the slightest accident."

Cleveland yachtsmen said the failure to take in all sails was the critical error. It was standard practice, they said, for a yacht to close all deadlights, companionways, and hatches and get sail down long before a squall hits. "[T]he only safe way to meet a squall is with all canvas down", one veteran sailor said. Local yachtsman G.H. Gardner told the press, "With her sails furled, the Idler could have weathered any storm." Capt. Martin O'Toole of the Ogemaw agreed. At best, Holmes should have kept only a staysail up: "If they had done that it would have been as safe in that boat as it is on the inside of a house in a rain storm."

Landreth also criticized Holmes for not having the right experience to handle a yacht: "I understand from the newspapers that the captain of the Idler was a vessel-man and not a yachtsman. It is a great mistake to think that a man who has handled large vessels can sail a yacht."

Holmes admitted the yacht had too much sail on for such a storm, but claimed that no one could have anticipated that a simple squall would become "a cyclone". "[A]ny man who would carry the sail which the yacht had on in a sixty-five mile wind would be a fool. I never expected such a wind," he said on July 19. Mate Samuel Biggam also felt the storm was severe, calling it "a hurricane". Holmes asserted that the Idler would have sunk in such a violent storm even if all its sails had been taken down. He later claimed the open deadlights caused the sinking.

Holmes also alleged that the Idler failed to answer her helm and come into the wind, and Jacob Antonson confirmed it. Local yachtsmen noted that the mainsail would have brought the Idler into the wind at once if the helm were not answering.

Local sailing experts disagreed that the storm was bad. Charles W. Kelly, the second-highest ranking member of the Cleveland Yacht Club, felt the storm that hit the Idler was no worse than most. "There is not a yachtsman on the lake who has not been through storms as severe as this without the slightest damage," he said. The passenger steamer City of the Straits, making its daily run between Cleveland and Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island (85 miles (137 km) east-northeast of Cleveland), was headed east and only a few miles south of the Idler. One of its officers said the crew saw no evidence of a severe storm over the lake.

Nor were the waves particularly bad. Sailors in Cleveland said the sea wasn't running very high at all. "As far as any sea was concerned," the captain of the Ogemaw said, "a birch bark canoe could have lived in it, and without being skillfully managed either." Local 14-year-old Eddie Dahike was in a small sailboat off the mouth of Euclid Creek just east of Cleveland. He, too, said the sea was not high, or he would have been swamped.

Critics of Holmes also pointed out that much smaller craft came through the same storm easily, contradicting the claim that the squall was severe. A hooker and a small gasoline-powered launch were following the Ogemaw, and both came through the storm without any problems.

County coroner's investigation

On Tuesday, July 10, the entire crew of the Idler, except for Capt. Holmes, was called to the law offices of Goulder, Holding & Masten in downtown Cleveland, where they were closely questioned by Corrigan attorney Harvey D. Goulder. All made signed statements, but Goulder said he learned nothing that had not already been printed in local newspapers.

Although the accident happened in the waters of Lorain County, by law the inquest was held in Cuyahoga County, where the bodies came ashore. Because the Idler was not large enough (700 short tons (640 t)) to require a sailing master and was not a steamer (steamship captains had to be licensed), the county coroner could claim jurisdiction along with the federal government.

The coroner's inquest began on the morning of July 18. All the crew were subpoenaed. Biggam's testimony was critical of Holmes. Without directly blaming the captain, he said, "Had the yacht been stripped she would have been all right." Severn Neilson also "would have ordered in more sail than was taken in." According to the local press, Holmes denied every incriminating statement made by all other members of the crew. He specifically denied having too much sail up, saying, "when the squall struck us, we were under storm canvas." Holmes blamed Biggam for not closing the deadlights after being ordered to do so. "...it seems very strange to me that he did not close the deadlights," he testified. "It was an easy thing to do, as it was on the weather side."

On November 10, 1900, the Cuyahoga County Coroner rendered a verdict of accidental death, and Capt. Holmes was freed. The Cleveland press had widely anticipated a finding of negligence, but Samuel Biggam had gone to Louisville, Kentucky, and the Norwegian crew had returned to Norway. This left the coroner without testimony to assign blame. The best he could do was rule only in the death of Ida May Corrigan, in which he found no one to blame.

Federal manslaughter charge

Captain Charles J. Holmes was arrested on July 18, 1990, by U.S. Marshal J.J. Kelley. United States Attorney John J. Sullivan charged him with manslaughter under a federal law which held ship captains responsible for "misconduct, negligence, or inattention to his duties". Bail was set at $1,000 ($37,796 in 2024 dollars). Holmes sought to have James Corrigan post his bail, but Corrigan refused to see him. Local doctor J.R. Smith, who had been attending to Holmes after he was rescued, agreed to post his bail.

Set free on bail, Holmes attempted to flee the city. He sought out his bondsman for help in escaping the city, but Dr. Smith turned him in, and revoked the bail. Holmes secured bail again on July 21 from his defense attorney, Ernest M. Shay of the law firm of Canfield & Shay.

On October 11, 1900, a federal grand jury began hearing testimony in the case, and Holmes testified before it. The grand jury also heard from several sailing and navigation experts, and the sworn depositions of the crew were read. A model of the yacht was displayed to aid the jury in understanding nautical terms. Charles J. Holmes was indicted for manslaughter the next day.

Holmes pleaded not guilty on October 12. He withdrew his plea on October 29, so that his attorneys could file a demurrer, arguing that federal law only applied to steam vessels. The federal district court denied the demurrer on November 9.

Holmes won a postponement of his trial in February 1901 on the grounds that his witnesses (the Norwegian crew) needed to be brought to Cleveland. Trial was rescheduled for April 17, but Holmes fled Cleveland and could not be found.

Holmes turned himself in to the court on May 23. He claimed that he took a job on the steamer Gold Seeker, which was plying the Caribbean Sea. The vessel should have returned to New York City in time for him to reach Cleveland for his trial, but he claimed severe storms in the region delayed it The court accepted his story, but required him to post bond, which he was unable to do. Holmes told the press that James Corrigan had pressured bondsmen to refuse him. On August 17, Holmes was set free after Cleveland Mayor Tom L. Johnson and local contractor John Carron supplied bond.

Trial was due to begin on October 7, 1901, but Holmes again won a delay after his attorney fell seriously ill.

Trial was again rescheduled, this time for February 19, 1902. As the trial date approached, however, the prosecution became worried because its witnesses could not be found. The key government witness was Samuel Biggam. Although Biggam had been served with a subpoena in Louisville, Kentucky, he had now disappeared. U.S. District Court Judge Francis J. Wing nolled the case at request of U.S. Attorney John J. Sullivan on February 19.

The press speculated that the real reason the case was dropped was that James Corrigan's desire to prosecute had waned. Harry Goulder, Corrigan's attorney, denied such rumors. He said that he and Corrigan had been very surprised to learn that the case had been nolled.

Disposition of the Idler

Immediately after the disaster, James Corrigan said he wanted to blow the Idler apart with dynamite. He changed his mind on July 10, and turned title to the boat over to his friend, Albert R. Rumsey.

Work on raising the Idler began on July 11. The tugs William Kennedy and Tom Maytham, accompanied by the derrick-equipped service ship Jumbo, reached the wreck at about 6 AM. Albert Rumsey, James Corrigan, and Frank Rieley were aboard the Kennedy. A diver searched around stern for any sign of bodies, and then nailed the companionway door and hatch shut and cut away nearly all the remaining canvas. With the yacht about 4 feet (1.2 m) deep in the mud, the intent was to pass an anchor chain back and forth under the hull until the ship was free. Tugs would then lift the bow, and drag the Idler into port. Two divers managed to get the 200-foot (61 m) long anchor chain under the stern. The two tugs gradually worked the chain toward the bow. They managed to drag it back to the foremast but a squall prevented further activity.

On July 12, the tugs William Kennedy and Dreadnought, accompanied by the Jumbo returned to the wreck. Mid-morning, the Dreadnought returned to port for rope and grappling hooks, and managed to obtain a 4-foot (1.2 m) long brass cannon. James Corrigan was convinced the bodies of Jane and Ida May lay in the mud near the wreck, and intended to drag the bottom with the hooks. The cannon was fired to bring the bodies to the surface. The lake became rough again in early afternoon, and work was suspended.

A raft was anchored to site of wreck, to mark the exact location of the shipwreck. On July 16, an additional search of the lake bed where the Idler sank was made by a diver. Men aboard the tug Alva B. used 200 pounds (91 kg) of dynamite at the surface and lake bottom and dragged the lake bottom all day, but no bodies were recovered. On July 17, men aboard the tug Lutz used 500 pounds (230 kg) of dynamite, dragged the bottom, and fired the brass cannon numerous time, but again no bodies were found. Launches continued to patrol the shore, in case the searchers missed a body and it washed ashore.

On Friday, July 13, Jumbo and the tugs William Kennedy and Lutz made their third attempt at raising the Idler. Two divers spent the morning inspecting the deck and rigging for bodies, and found nothing. Chains were once more passed beneath the sunken vessel. At 2 PM, the Idler broke free of the bottom. The ship proved heavier than expected, so the Dreadnought was called for. While waiting for the third tug, chains were fastened to the bow of the Idler, and the Jumbo raised the forward portion of the ship off the lake bottom. The three boats had trouble turning the yacht around to face southwest. With Kennedy and Lutz towing the wreck and the Dreadnought helping to push the Jumbo, the Idler began to be towed toward shore at 4:50 PM.

By 2 AM on Saturday, July 14, the Idler was 4 to 4.5 miles (6.4 to 7.2 km) from shore. The yacht was within a few hundred feet of the entrance to the port of Cleveland's breakwater when she ran aground at 1 PM. It took the Jumbo three hours to free her, during which time people rowed out to the wreck to break off bits of the hull as keepsakes. With the tugs Harvey Goulder and George C. Lutz towing her, the Idler was brought within the breakwater at 6 PM.

The Idler was beached at 6 PM in about 20 feet (6.1 m) of water 1,000 feet (300 m) offshore in front of the Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. Her bow faced west. She listed to starboard at a 45 degree angle, her railing about 6 feet (1.8 m) under water. The Dreadnought, which had very little draft, brought Idler to shore. It had taken 35 hours to move her 16 miles (26 km). The deck was a tangle of rope, broken spars, twisted chains, and wreckage. Nearly all the stays were broken. The overhang and forefoot had suffered damage, apparently because the yacht struck the bottom bow-first. The hull was undamaged, and the starboard lifeboat was still lashed to the davits.

Some work on making the Idler watertight was done Saturday at dusk, but the vessel was listing too badly to do much work. A tug remained by the ship all night, to keep watch.

At 6 AM on Sunday, July 15, work began on refloating the Idler. James Corrigan, John Corrigan, and Frank Rieley were on site all day. The tug Dreadnought attached a rope to the Idler's main mast, and pulled her level in five minutes. The deadlights were closed, and divers sealed every opening they could find to make the wreck as watertight as possible. The suction dredge Ohio, towed by the tugs Ben Campbell and Chamberlain, moved alongside, and its suction hose was run into the companionway. A screen at the mouth of the hose prevented pieces of debris from being vacuumed up.

At 2:15 PM, after just a few minutes of work, half the water inside the ship was gone. There was so much debris against the screen that diver Walter Metcalf had to go down into the cabin to clear it. He discovered the corpse of the infant Mary Rieley against the screen. Metcalf suggested that the body had likely floated against the cabin ceiling, where a mass of mattresses, furniture, hangings, clothing, and other items were also floating, obscuring the corpse from view. The body was badly decomposed.

At James Corrigan's request, five men wearing diving suits (but not helmets) then went aboard the wreck and removed the skylights over the cabin. As many items as could be removed from the cabin were hoisted out of the skylight, in case the bodies of Ida May or Jane were to be found there. An unidentified worker attempted to set aside and conceal a bag containing several hundred dollars' worth of jewelry, but the captain of the Ohio spotted the bag and turned it over to John Corrigan.

The Ohio ceased pumping at 4:30 PM. A suction pipe from the tug Chamberlain was used to finish emptying the Idler.

During the refloating effort, the harbor was jammed with launches, rafts, and rowboats as gawkers tried to get a look at the wreck. One entrepreneur charged 10 cents per ride to take people out to the wreck. Souvenir hunters tore pieces from the hull and cut away any scraps of sail they could get hold of. There were so many craft crowding the wreck that the tugs and suction dredge found it hard to work.

At 5:45 PM on July 15, a tug began towing the refloated Idler into the Cuyahoga River. She arrived at Shipbuilder's Drydock at 6:45 PM. Rumsey hired Samuel Biggam to lead the cleanup of the ship.

Rumsey had the Idler towed to Fairport, Ohio, on October 17 by the Harry D. Goulder. It was tied up there for a year. Rumsey initially planned to have the yacht rebuilt as a steam-powered vessel, but abandoned this idea in October 1901 and had it stripped of all useable material. The Idler was still being stripped when, in late August 1902, two sailors broke into the ship and stole several items.

On January 22, 1904, an ice jam on the Grand River swept the Idler and several other vessels out onto Lake Erie. The yacht was towed back to her berth, but on March 24 another ice jam broke the Idler free and took her out onto the lake. This time, the lake ice pierced the yacht's hull, and she sank. Rumsey sold the wreck, and the new owner intended to salvage the 6 short tons (5.4 t) of pig iron ballast. He failed to take any action, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers dismantled and removed the wreck.

Thefts

After the loss of the Idler, James Corrigan's home in Wickliffe, Ohio, was broken into several times, apparently by souvenir seekers, and many items taken.

On July 30, 1900, Rose Frazier was arrested for stealing jewelry and clothing belonging to Jane Corrigan. Frazier was the housekeeper at the Corrigan summer home in Wickliffe. She broke into a trunk and stole dresses belonging to Jane Corrigan, some of them worth as much as $100 ($3,780 in 2024 dollars). She sold at least one of them, but the dress was returned anonymously to James Corrigan, which alerted him to the theft. The rest of the items she stole were found in a storage locker at the Prospect Storage Company.

On October 3, 1900, Charles R. Sammels, a Russian sailor living in Cleveland, was arrested for having stolen jewelry from the Idler. Sammels had been employed by Albert Rumsey to clean the yacht after it was refloated. Sammels was destitute, but suddenly displayed signs of prosperity: His children had new clothes, he purchased a sewing machine for his wife, had bought a large and luxurious traveling trunk. Sammels sold some gold cufflinks engraved with "J.C." (for Jane Corrigan) but the buyer returned them because they were "dead people's jewelry". Alerted to the sale, Cleveland police became suspicious. Sammels then packed up his wife, children, and household goods and departed Cleveland almost overnight, having purchase train tickets for New York City. The family stopped in Pittsburgh, and took rooms in a luxury hotel. He claimed to be a wealthy man from Galveston, Texas, who had lost everything in recent severe flooding there, and was relocating. Local people expressed deep sympathy for him.

Alerted by Cleveland law enforcement, Pittsburgh police arrested Sammels. He had stolen jewelry worth $10,000 ($377,960 in 2024 dollars) from the yacht. The loot included dozens of unset diamonds (worth $6,000 [$226,776 in 2024 dollars]); a gold brooch set with opals; numerous diamond, sapphire, and turquoise rings; several gold bracelets; and small items like cufflinks, hairpins, and tie pins made of gold. Extradited to Cleveland, Sammels was charged with petty larceny, to which he pleaded guilty. The local court of common pleas fined him $25 and ordered him to spend 10 days in jail. The sentence was suspended because James Corrigan took pity on the man and his family and declined to prosecute.

Politics

In April 1887, James Corrigan ran as the Republican candidate for treasurer of the city of Cleveland. He lost to Democratic candidate Thomas Axworthy, 59.6 percent to 39.3 percent.

Corrigan was one of the co-founders of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce in April 1893.

Personal life

James Corrigan was a very strong, broad-shouldered man.

The Plain Dealer newspaper described him as "of warm disposition and much sympathy." Iron Trade magazine called him fearless, earnest, and straight-talking to the point of bluntness. He was a man of plain tastes and was disinterested in high society and rich clothing.

At the time of Corrigan's death, one of his friends said: "The great things were his courage, his intensity, his fairness and his sterling integrity, and with these his loyalty to friends and the right. ... It was not known, except to his intimates, that this lion hearted man had always the heart and softness and sympathy of a child."

Corrigan was a lifelong Episcopalian and a member of the Union Club (the city's oldest private business club), the Euclid Golf Club, and the Roadside Club (a horse racing and gambling club).

Accolades

In September 1907, the Frontier Steamship Co. of Tonawanda, New York, announced the construction of a large new lake freighter to be named for James Corrigan. The vessel, to be built by Great Lakes Engineering Works of Detroit, was 550 feet (170 m) long, had a beam of 56 feet (17 m), and drew 31 feet (9.4 m) of water. She could carry 10,000 short tons (9,100 t), had triple expansion steam engines, and utilized Scotch boilers.

The James Corrigan was launched from the Ecorse, Michigan, yard of the Great Lakes Engineering Works on May 16, 1908.

His impact on the city was considered immense, with The Plain Dealer calling him "one of the group of men who made Cleveland, who saw the opportunities of its location... and out of them founded a great city." Corrigan was "one of the best known vessel and mine owners on the lakes". In 1908, his fleet was the largest independent shipping concern in the country. It was not the biggest fleet on the Great Lakes, but it was one of the most important. In 1908, he was still one of the largest independent iron mine operater in the United States.

Family

On July 29, 1875, James Corrigan married Ida Belle Allen, daughter of William C. and Isabella Allen of Cleveland, Ohio.

They had three daughters: Jane (born 1877), Jeanette (nicknamed Nettie, born 1878), and Ida May (born 1885). Their son, James W., was born 1880 in Grybów, Austrian Galicia. James Jr. was Corrigan's only child not to die during the sinking of the Idler. In April 1906, James was living in San Francisco, California, when the terrible earthquake struck the city. For days, James Corrigan had no idea if his son was dead or alive.

In July 1901, Letha House of Lafayette Township, Medina County, Ohio, contacted Corrigan. She was raised by George W. Morse in the village of Whittlesey. After she turned 21, she was told that her real last name was Brewster. She also discovered that her mother was Margaret Corrigan Brewster, and that she was still alive and living in Tacoma, Washington. By accident, Letha read about James Corrigan in the newspaper and contacted him. James confirmed to her that she is his niece.

Death

Corrigan family headstone at Lake View Cemetery

On September 10, 1908, James Corrigan fell ill with peritonitis at his summer home in Wickliffe, Ohio. His condition worsened swiftly, and four doctors were called in on September 14 to consult on the case. He came close to death on September 15, but rallied the next day and recovered. He returned to work in mid October.

In late December 1908, Corrigan came down with appendicitis. He underwent an appendectomy on December 24, but there were complications from the surgery. He died at his home at 8114 Euclid Avenue on December 24, 1908.

James Corrigan's funeral was held at his home. Rev. J.D. Williamson, a close friend and former pastor of Beckwith Memorial Presbyterian Church, officiated. He was interred in the family plot at Lake View Cemetery.

Estate

At the time of his death, James Corrigan was worth $10 million (equivalent to $239,276,000 in 2023). This included his mines, which he personally owned, worth $750,000 (equivalent to $17,946,000 in 2023), and his Wickliffe summer home, worth $38,000 (equivalent to $909,000 in 2023). His son, his only surviving heir, received an additional $250,000 (equivalent to $5,982,000 in 2023) in life insurance.

Corrigan left nothing to charity. The estate all went to relatives and survivors. His brother, John Corrigan, received $50,000 and $5,000 a year for 10 years; his nephew, James R. Corrigan, received $20,000 and $4,000 a year for 10 years; his son, James W. Corrigan, received $15,000 a year; Mary Corrigan received $5,000 and $400 a month for life; and his son-in-law Charles F. Riley received $5,000 and $100 a month for 10 years. Other recipients included May F. Scott, sister-in-law; nieces Jennie Peters and Letha House; nephew Johnson Corrigan; cousins John Rutherford and Maggie Rutherford; and second cousins Bruce Rutherford, Harry Ray Waddington, and Ethel Waddington. Large amounts of money were also given to his attorney, Harvey D. Goulder; his housekeeper, Merriette Wessersmith; the treasurer of Corrigan, McKinney & Co., J.E. Ferris; and Corrigan, McKinney transportation manager Fred Stelnen.

Homes

James Corrigan's home was in Cleveland, but he had a second residence (often referred to as his "summer house") in Wickliffe.

Corrigan purchased a newly-built home in 1887 located at 1340 Willson Avenue. Corrigan still lived there at the time of the Idler disaster.

The year before his death, James Corrigan purchased for $25,000 (equivalent to $597,000 in 2023) the residence of Cleveland Electrical Manufacturing executive A.B. Foster, located at 8114 Euclid Avenue. The local architectural firm of Searles, Hirsh & Gavin designed numerous, expensive renovations to the home, expanding it from 10 rooms to 19 rooms and giving it four bathrooms. The property was somewhat large, and Corrigan erected stables there at a cost of $7,500, also designed by Searles, Hirsh & Gavin.

Corrigan's second home was located in Wickliffe, Ohio, on the north side of what was then Pine Ridge Road (the modern address is 30601 Ridge Road). It consisted of 56 acres (23 ha) purchased by Ida Belle Corrigan on April 3, 1891. James Corrigan added another 12.78 acres (5.17 ha) to the site on May 5, 1904.

Named "Nagirroc" ("Corrigan" backwards), the estate was enlarged by an additional 91 acres (37 ha) south of Ridge Road by James W. Corrigan, Jr. in May 1916. It doubled in size between 1916 and 1924 to 425 acres (172 ha). The estate became a showcase for exotic plants, particularly flowers. He added a private golf course, a 270-foot (82 m) long swimming pool, and built a large refrigeration and storage plant for cut flowers. At some point between 1908 and 1924, the home James Corrigan occupied burned down, and James W. Corrigan had a new structure built about 300 feet (91 m) to the northwest, a bit further away from Ridge Road.

A syndicate of investors purchased the estate on January 7, 1924, for $325,000 (equivalent to $4,583,000 in 2023) The syndicate turned the land over to the newly-formed Cedarhurst Golf Club. The house, which had been converted into a clubhouse and substantial additions made, burned in the autumn of 1925. The golf club built a new concrete clubhouse on the site of James Corrigan's old home.

In March 1926, 200 acres (81 ha) of the estate were sold and became the Cedarhurst Club Colony luxury housing development. Cedarhurst became the Pine Ridge Golf Club, and in March 1992 the course was sold to Lake Metroparks. It is still operated as a public golf course as of 2025.

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