BoatNerd.Com Discussion Boards

Maybe because they didn't enter the country at an official entry point.

Tashmoo struck rocks at 11:45 PM and sank after midnight. Considering Sarnia was a regular stop during the 1936 season on the Port Huron leg of the trip I don't see why passengers disembarking (especially under such conditions) would be a problem at Amherstburg. And, uh, the Bob-Lo steamers daily carried passengers from Detroit to Bois Blanc Island and back, and I doubt they carried passports.

For some reason, I cannot recall where, but I distinctly remember reading that when the Tashmoo sank in the Detroit River at Amherstburg, Ontario on June 18, 1936 (some newspaper reports relate the accident as happening on June 19, 1936, which may be more accurate as it happened at night) the passengers were cited by Canadian immigration officials for entering Canada illegally. In searching through contemporary accounts of this accident I can find no mention of Canada citing the passengers for their unexpected entry into the country. I would imagine that even back then there would have been some type of international agreement concerning the unintentional landing of foreign nationals through a transportation-related accident between the two countries, so I have difficulty believing this story. Does anyone know if this actually happened or is it just an example of a Great Lakes-oriented urban legend or an example of an author possibly employing artistic license to make a story seem more interesting? I apologize if this has been asked before.