The DAVID G. THOMSON was a wooden lake tug with the official number C 85306. It was launched on June 25, 1883, at Kingston by R. Robertson. The tug had a round stern design and was initially equipped with two single-cylinder engines, totaling 200 rated horsepower, which were obtained from Montreal Transportation Co.’s tug CHAMPION. In 1892, the THOMSON underwent modifications, including the installation of a new fore and aft compound engine and boiler, increasing its power to 400 indicated horsepower and 200 rated horsepower.
Throughout its history, the THOMSON had various changes in its rating and valuation. In 1883, it was rated A1. By 1890, its rating had increased to A11⁄2, and it was valued at $13,000. In 1897, its rating was A2, and its value rose to $16,000. However, its value began to decrease over the years. In 1903, it was valued at $8,000, and by 1920, its value had dropped to $12,150.
The THOMSON encountered several incidents during its years of service. In 1884, it ran aground while both the captain and mate were asleep. It underwent repairs during the winter at Kingston. In 1886, it sustained significant damage after going ashore on Yorkshire Island near Kingston, with only partial insurance coverage. Repairs carried out at Portsmouth, Ontario, included attaching an iron plate along its waterline. In 1887, the THOMSON was seized by the Americans for towing on the Saginaw River in Michigan. The details of what transpired next are unclear, but the tug soon resumed operations under Canadian registry and remained under Montreal Transportation Co. ownership.
Over the years, the THOMSON experienced additional incidents. It went aground in Brighton Bay, Lake Ontario, in 1901. On March 20, 1907, it was wrecked on Tecumseh Reef southeast of Port Maitland in Lake Erie but was successfully salvaged. The tug underwent a rebuild at Kingston in 1917, presumably after running aground on Snake Island in Lake Ontario near Kingston during fog on September 26. On May 30, 1918, it ran aground in fog near Morrisburg, Ontario, on the St. Lawrence River but was quickly hauled off and repaired in dry dock. In July 1918, the THOMSON participated in the salvage of Montreal Transportation Co.’s vessels ARABIAN and SIMLA. It also played a role in towing parts of other vessels, including THUNDER BAY, ATIKOKAN, PAIPOONGE, and NORTH LAND, across Lake Ontario in 1918 and 1919.
In 1921, the THOMSON was transferred to Canada Steamship Lines as part of the final winding up of the Montreal Transportation Co. fleet. It was later sold to J.E. Russell Construction of Toronto in 1924. From 1925 to 1927, the tug was owned by Kilmer & Barber Construction, a Toronto-based road builder. Unfortunately, on March 26, 1927, the THOMSON was lost once again on Tecumseh Reef in Lake Erie, the same reef where it had been wrecked twenty years earlier. This time, it could not be salvaged, and its registry was closed on August 11, 1927.
During its service with Montreal Transportation Co., the THOMSON was primarily involved in towing coal and grain barges on Lake Ontario. Mr. David G. Thomson, after whom the tug was named, was an official of the Montreal Transportation Co
.
Various sources were referenced for this information, including J. Gaskin’s letterbook from 1884-86, Montreal Transportation Co.’s Annual Directors’ Reports from 1903, 1906, 1908, and 1910, as well as 1913-20, Montreal Transportation Co.’s Charter (1917) Schedule A, Montreal Transportation Co.’s Directors Minutes from November 11, 1921, R.G.A. Weaver’s Engineer’s Log for Montreal Transportation Co. from May 1 to October 14, 1917, Montreal Transportation Co.’s Fleet List from 1921, D.G. Thomson’s Ships’ Logs from August 30 to December 14, 1919, and Glide’s Ships’ Logs from May 2 to December 15, 1919. Additional sources include Bascom and Gillham’s “Early Ships of Canada Steamship Lines,” Canada List of Shipping from 1895, 1910, 1912, 1918, 1924, and 1925, Canadian Heritage Ship Information Database, Inland Lloyd’s Vessel Register from 1890 and 1897, Lewis and Neilson’s “The River Palace,” Marine Museum of the Great Lakes’ Canadian Ship Registers online, Mercantile Navy List from 1923, 1925, 1926, and 1927, New Mills List, British Whig articles from July 25, 1883, April 23, 1884, March 20, 1885, September 1 and 24, 1886, and June 28, 1887, Buffalo Daily Courier article from August 12, 1901, Detroit Marine Historian article from January 1953, and Whig Standard article from May 3, 1973.
