Stewart made land on a desolate stretch of shoreline between Grand Marais and Deer Park on the Upper Peninsula of far northern Michigan, and lived.

Upon being debriefed, Stewart's description of the metal fatigue and structural failure of the 1.5-year-old lake vessel created almost conclusive evidence that the shipbuilders had improperly used brittle steel contaminated with sulfur and phosphorus.

Gilcher - which had been built at the same time with similar mill runs of steel plate - disappeared on northern Lake Michigan.

[5] The disasters, loss of life of seamen and a well-known shipowner, and ensuing scandal led to permanent changes in the types of steel approved for use in U.S. and Canadian shipbuilding.

After the sunken liner was discovered and samples were taken of her rivets and hull plates, forensic engineers reported that the non-ductility of the iron and steel used to build her could have played a significant role in speeding up its structural failure after Titanic hit the iceberg.