Footage for documentary on the shipwreck of the Rouse Simmons, a three-masted schooner also known as the Christmas Tree Ship, that went missing on Lake Michigan in November 1912 during an ice storm. This segment includes mostly silent footage of camera shots panning painted canvases that visually narrate the maritime history of the ship around the Great Lakes and on the day of its wreck. There are also interviews with people who recall the ship delivering trees to Chicago, the discovery of Captain Schuenemann’s wallet caught in a fisherman’s net, and dead trees snagging nets. Kent Bellrichard also discusses his discovery of the ship by sonar and subsequent scuba dives to the wreckage.
This is the second of three reels on the Rouse Simmons, and may be documentary material for “The Christmas Tree Ship” that first aired on Channel 4 in November 1975.
| Series: | Special Report and Other Footage |
| Date: | Undated |
| Film Segment: | 1 |
| Film Reel: | SR355 |
| Start/Stop Time: | 00:00:13 - 00:07:11 |
| Soundtrack: | Magnetic |
| B/W or Color: | Color |
| Positive/Negative: | Postive |
| Condition: | Good |
| Script: | No |
| Access Copy: | WTMJ_reports_SR355_cs.mp4 |
| Citation: | [ CREATE A BRIEF TITLE BASED ON SUMMARY PROVIDED ], undated, Special Report and Other Footage, Milwaukee Journal Stations Records, Milwaukee Mss Collection 203, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives Department. |
| Rights: | Copyright © WTMJ-TV |