The two masted schooner Dawn was built at Clayton, New York in 1858. The vessel had been repaired in 1871 and underwent a major repair in 1882. The Dawn had been purchased shortly before her last trip by Captain August Williamson from Captain Halverson of Sheboygan.

1874: Class B2.

The Dawn had a Lloyd's valuation of $1,000 and was rated B1 1/2 at the time of the accident (8/23/1891)

Last Document Of Enrollment Surrendered: Milwaukee: 4/13/1892: "Total Loss".
The schooner Dawn was bound from Traverse Bay (Michigan) to Milwaukee with nearly 100,00 feet of lumber, capsized off Port Washington, and later beached near Fox Point (just north of Milwaukee).
When off Manitou, the schooner was noticed to be leaking, but the inflow of water was kept in check by the pumps. By Saturday (August 22), however, the water was gaining and two attempts to enter a harbor proved futile due to adverse winds and the fact that the "crew was not large enough" to handle the Dawn properly. That night, the vessel began to fill rapidly, but was kept afloat by her cargo. The heavy seas that were running at the time washed off her deck load and finally at 2 AM on August 23, the schooner capsized off Port Washington, leaving her three-man crew clinging to the upper rail. Happily, the three men were rescued that same morning by the steambarge John Schroeder. The Dawn's crew attempted to commission a tug to retrieve their vessel, which was still out in the lake. Their requests were refused, however, and the Dawn finally beached herself near Fox Point, becoming a total loss. Captain Williamson reportedly sent a tug to recover her anchors and other salvagable gear. The Milwaukee Sentinel of August 28, 1891, reported that much of her cargo of seasoned maple was also recovered.