Identification & Site Information

• Name: GRACE DANFORTH (renamed CORNELL in 1907)
• Other Names: CORNELL
• Official Number: 86017
• Date Built and Launched: 1888
• Builder: Union Dry Dock Co., Buffalo, NY
• Hull Number: 47
• Original Owner: Unknown (later owned by Hand & Johnson Tug Line, Buffalo, NY)
• Homeport: Buffalo, New York
• Vessel Type: Wooden Tugboat (Towboat)
• Hull Materials: Wood
• Engine Type: high-pressure steam engine
• Boiler Type: Firebox Boiler (7’6″ x 13′) @ 146 psi steam pressure
• Engine Manufacturer: Whitman & Co., Buffalo, NY (1888)
• Measurements: Length: 72 ft (21.9 m) Beam: 17.4 ft (5.3 m) Depth: 10 ft (3.0 m)
• Gross Tonnage: 65 tons
• Net Tonnage: 32 tons
• horsepower: 300 hp @ 135 rpm
• Primary Function: Towing, Harbour Services, and General Maritime Assistance
• Notable Owners:
  • Hand & Johnson Tug Line, Buffalo, NY (1899)
  • Syracuse Sand Co. (1922)

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Vessel Type

The GRACE DANFORTH was a small but powerful wooden steam Tug, designed for:

• Towing larger vessels in and out of harbours
• Pulling Schooner-barges and steam freighters on the Great Lakes
• General harbour work and icebreaking in winter months

Built by Union Dry Dock Co. of Buffalo, NY, the vessel had a high-pressure steam engine, which gave it the necessary power to tow larger vessels despite its small size.

By 1907, the Tug was renamed CORNELL, possibly after a change in ownership.

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History

The GRACE DANFORTH/CORNELL operated for 34 years, undergoing multiple incidents, rebuilds, and ownership changes before foundering in Lake Erie in 1922 with the loss of all hands.

Key Events in the Vessel’s History:

• 1888: Built in Buffalo, NY, by Union Dry Dock Co., with a 300 hp steam engine by Whitman & Co.
• September 23, 1891: Sank in the Niagara River, Buffalo, NY, but was later raised and repaired.
• April 17, 1900: Fire damaged the vessel while docked in Buffalo, Lake Erie, but it was Rebuilt.
• 1906: Rebuilt in Buffalo, likely receiving repairs and mechanical upgrades.
• 1907: Renamed CORNELL, now working under new ownership.
• December 21, 1922: Foundered in Lake Erie between Cleveland, OH, and Erie, PA; all 8 crew members lost.

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Final Disposition

The GRACE DANFORTH (renamed CORNELL) was lost on December 21, 1922, when it Foundered in Lake Erie during a storm.

The Disaster

• The Tug was traveling between Cleveland, Ohio, and Erie, Pennsylvania, possibly towing a Barge or assisting another vessel.
• It encountered severe weather, which may have caused Hull failure, mechanical breakdown, or capsizing.
• All 8 crew members were lost, and the vessel was never recovered.
• No confirmed wreck location has been reported, meaning the vessel remains one of Lake Erie’s lost tugs.

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Located By & Date Found

Nil return. There are no confirmed reports of the GRACE DANFORTH/CORNELL wreck being discovered or documented in Lake Erie.

If it rests in deep water, it may be intact but undiscovered, while shallower wreckage could have deteriorated over time.

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NOTMARs & Advisories

Nil return. No modern navigational hazards related to this wreck are reported near Cleveland, Ohio, or Erie, Pennsylvania, in Lake Erie.

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Resources & Links

• Historical Databases:
• Maritime History of the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes Ships Database
• David Swayze Great Lakes Shipwreck File
• Books & Collections:
• Steamboat Era in the Muskokas by Richard Tatley
• Edward J. Dowling Collection, University of Detroit – Mercy
• Donald V. Baut’s Great Lakes Maritime Records

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Conclusion

The GRACE DANFORTH/CORNELL 1888 was one of many hardworking tugboats on the Great Lakes, surviving several disasters before meeting its final fate in 1922. Its loss with all hands highlights the dangers of small vessel operations on the Great Lakes, where ice, high winds, and rough seas frequently caused shipwrecks, capsizings, and sudden disappearances.