Dan Henry, Arthur Frohmeir and Tom Anderson were aboard the ill-fated fishing vessel when it caught fire and sank five miles off Sherwood Point. The blaze, ignited when the engine backfired and exploded, was kindled by the kerosene-soaked nets on board (kerosene was used to preserve the nets). Henry, a Marinette fisherman, and Frohmeir, a Chicago native, leaped overboard without life jackets. Anderson dashed to the bow of the craft, grabbed three life preservers, and then joined his companions in the water, but by this time Henry had already disappeared. Frohmeir refused a life jacket because he was floating on a fish box at the time. Somewhat later Anderson was rescued by the tug Florence, which had been only 4 miles away when she noted the flames. The Sturgeon Bay Coast Guard arrived and searched for the other two men without success.