[7] While on Lake Erie Captain Sweet fell and injured his knee badly enough that he was forced to stay in bed for the rest of the journey.

[4]: 48 [6]: 283 [8] About two hours out of Manitowoc, the fireman tending the Phoenix's boilers noticed that the pumps were not working properly.

By the time the lifeboats reached the shore, those aboard were exhausted from rowing, and unable to return to try and rescue more people.

[4]: 49 In the nearby town of Sheboygan, a justice of the peace named Judge Morris woke and spotted the flames on the lake.

He ran down to the harbor and woke the crew of the steamer Delaware, who began building up the steam needed to take their ship out to assist.

At around the same time the captain of the schooner Liberty saw the flames, and he and his crew manned the ship's lifeboat and rowed for the Phoenix.

[4]: 51 [9] A dutch Bible from 1693 washed ashore shortly after the disaster and is part of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum's collection.

[11] 175 years later the smokestack was found by Dutch public broadcaster Omroep Gelderland during filming for a documentary of the disaster.

On 17 June 1850 when the G. P. Griffith burned with a loss of at least 241 of the roughly 300 people aboard, the Delaware arrived on the scene.