The inquest

At the end of November 1913, an inquest was held into the Great Storm of 1913 in Goderich. The inquest was called mainly to assess the cause of death for one sailor whose body had washed ashore near Goderich, and who was later identified as a crew member of the John A. McGean. The inquest went beyond this, however, and questioned witnesses on other issues. These issues included:

•  Safety and navigation aids on the Great Lakes
•  The sinking of the Wexford
•  The issue of Goderich as a harbour of refuge: what changes needed to be made for it to be an adequate haven?

Both then and now, a common question is why would so many ships be out in such extreme weather? Unlike today, weather reports and warnings were not as readily available, and weather patterns and storm systems were not as well understood. In addition, ships did not have radios, so they did not receive updated weather reports while on the water.