NathanHis Reason And Plan
So what was his plan and what was he shipping the cattle? Well, after buying the cattle, Wallace made a plan to transport the herd from Manitoulin to the mainland. And when he reached the mainland, he was planning to sell the cattle for a profit. He knew that the livestock he bought was of a superior kind, so he knew they would be easily sold like hot cakes.
A Small Fortune
So what Wallace did was quite a huge risk. He had literally spent most of his money in the hopes that the cattle would help him make a profit. “In all, he bought about $5,600 worth, and had only about $300 left in his pocket at the end of the buying spree,” an account of what happened on the fateful day trouble struck had written.
Poorly Maintained
The way the cattle had been loaded on the ship was indeed poorly planned. The cows he had taken with him were loaded onto the main deck into four pens. There was enough space for these cows to turn around which was a terrible thing to do. They had not made sure the cows were properly maintained. Hence, there was bound to be an accident.
Wrong Assumptions
And also, even though you might be thinking that Wallace was wrong to have taken such poor care of his cattle, how was he to know? His trip on the Manasoo was the first time he had ever shipped cattle on a ship which basically means that Wallace was not at all equipped to do so. “This was Wallace’s first experience to transport cattle by boat,” the account revealed.
The Details Regarding Wallace
The account further explained, “He noticed that unlike transport by railway box cars where the bedding was hay, bedding on the Manasoo was sawdust, pen slats were not nailed to posts, they were tied and knotted with rope to metal stanchions, and pens had two plank slats instead of four or five. He said nothing as he figured the crew knew what they were doing.”
Tragic Storm
So as the time came for the ship to start its voyage, no one expected things to go wrong. They all assumed that the journey would go smooth. Then, the Manasoo and the precious cargo left Manitoulin Island as of September 14, 1928. The ship was on its way towards Owen Sound, but unfortunately, the ship met with a raging storm.