History
The B.M. Baker was a schooner-barge that was built in 1869 by G. Hardison in Charlotte, New York. It had a length of 115.2 feet, a beam of 25.4 feet, and a depth of 8.8 feet. The barge had a gross tonnage of 186 tons and a net tonnage of 181 tons.
Initially, the B.M. Baker was owned by J.B. Estes of Rochester, New York, and later by S. Scott of Detroit, Michigan in 1879. It was used in the Saginaw lumber trade and owned by A.A. Pinit of East Saginaw, Michigan in 1881.
On May 29, 1890, the B.M. Baker was wrecked at Springwells (Ecorse), Michigan, in the Detroit River. It was bound from Port Huron to Toledo with a cargo of lumber and lath. Reports from newspapers at the time indicated that the stern of the vessel appeared to be entirely carried away. Although her cargo was removed in June 1891, there is no record of the barge being rebuilt or returning to service. It remained in a damaged condition until 1896 when it was reported as lost.
No lives were lost in the incident, and the vessel carried approximately 185,000 board feet of lumber, which was later taken from the damaged vessel John Sherman. The B.M. Baker’s official number was 31217.
