History #
The Bunker Hill was a sidewheel steamer built in 1835 by F.N. Jones in Black River, Ohio. It had an official number of none and had a size of 154 feet in length, 28 feet in beam, and 12 feet in depth, with a tonnage of 457 tons. The vessel operated as a towing vessel on the river.
Unfortunately, the Bunker Hill met a tragic fate on September 2, 1851, when it burned to a total loss at Tonawanda, New York, on Lake Erie. The fire occurred while the steamer was docked and being used for towing vessels up the river. The fire consumed the Bunker Hill and also damaged a nearby vessel, the schooner T.P. Handy. There were no reported casualties from the incident.
The remains of the Bunker Hill continued to pose a hazard to small boats in the area for many years after the fire. In October 1910, while searching for the bodies of two drowned women, Chief of Police Ellicott and George Houck had a narrow escape from drowning when their launch ran upon the submerged wreck of the Bunker Hill, tearing a hole in the bottom of their boat.
It is worth noting that the Bunker Hill was involved in previous incidents, including a collision with the brig Fashion off Madison Dock in June 1846 and being stranded on Horseshoe Reef in Lake Erie with heavy damage in May 1838.
