The wreckage remains at the bottom of the bay, close to the ship's namesake city.

As timber was harvested around the Bad River area of Wisconsin, the logs would collect near the shore, where City of Ashland would pick them up and tow them in rafts to the sawmill in Ashland.

At a point about three nautical miles (5.5 km) northeast of Washburn, Wisconsin, a fire was discovered at the rear of the pilothouse.

Hundreds of people lined the shore to view the emergency.

[2] As the flames quickly began to consume almost the entire ship, the crew had no choice but to jump into the cold water of Lake Superior.