If you ever find yourself in a sinking boat, you probably want a capable captain who knows his vessel and the waterway, and passengers, too, who follow directions and are fit. That occurred in 1927, when a gasoline-powered watercraft, loaded with a group of Boy Scouts, unexpectedly began to sink at Lake George in the Adirondacks.
Back in 1927, as with today, the Boy Scouts of America (since February 8, 2025, now known as Scouting America) work to develop their members’ good citizenship, personal character, and physical fitness. The organization was incorporated in 1910 and by 1925 the popular boys’ group topped one million constituents.
On August 15, 1927, a pack of 18 Scouts, led by scout leader J.W. Owens, boarded the wooden launch Winogene to head back to their camp at Pilot Knob on the lake’s east side.
The scouts, from Schenectady, had earlier toured Fort Ticonderoga, a French & Indian War (1755–1763) and an American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) fortification located on Lake Champlain.
The historic site, originally called Fort Carillon, was restored and opened to tourism in 1909. Since then, the star-pattern stone fortress has been a major tourist destination for history enthusiasts, school groups, and youth organizations like the Boy Scouts.
It was mid-afternoon, August 15, 1927, and the wooden launch, owned and piloted by Duane Irish of Pilot Knob, had just passed Baldwin Dock just south of the end of Lake George.
Suddenly, the boaters felt a slight and unexpected bump. Their gasoline-powered excursion craft abruptly slowed after reportedly hitting an unseen floating log.
Irish quickly realized his craft was taking on water and was sinking. The maritime accident tore a sizeable hole in the stern and also disabled the vessel’s rudder.
Irish turned the launch toward the western shore, a quarter-mile away, and directed his passengers to grab their lifejackets. Realizing the sleek boat, which one newspaper reported was 40 feet long, would not reach Baldwin Dock under its own propulsion, Irish told the scouts to grab oars and other objects to begin paddling to save the damaged vessel and themselves.
After what was described as “considerable effort” by the scouts and Irish, the Winogene, with a foot of water in its hull, reached a beach near Baldwin Dock.
Shortly after unloading the fatigued scouts, Irish’s vessel sank into five feet of water. However, by 9:30 pm all the Boy Scouts had been ferried back in a motorboat by Bolton Landing’s Joseph Smith to their Pilot Knob camp, about 18 miles away.
It was certainly a memorable day for all. The scouts had toured one of America’s most historic 18th century forts and also took multiple boat rides on picturesque Lake George.
Furthermore, the lads from the “Electric City” generated enough human-power to guide the Winogene safely to shore. Duane Irish was later able to get his boat raised from the lake bottom.
