History #
The James F. Cahill was a wooden tanker barge that was built in 1914 in Brooklyn, New York. It had a length of 105 feet 4 inches, a beam of 29 feet 7 inches, and a depth of 12 feet 3 inches. The barge had a gross tonnage of 396 tons and a net tonnage of 396 tons.
On September 12, 1928, the James F. Cahill caught fire in Buffalo Harbor on Lake Erie. Despite the efforts of the fireboat William S. Grattan to extinguish the blaze, the fire continued to burn for over 17 hours. Eventually, the barge burned through its mooring lines and drifted into the motor tanker B.B. McColl, which was tied up nearby. The residual fumes in the McColl’s tanks exploded, engulfing all three vessels in flames.
During the incident, the crew of the fireboat abandoned ship, but several members were seriously injured, and unfortunately, one person lost their life in the rescue attempt. The James F. Cahill was completely destroyed by the fire and was considered a total loss. However, both the William S. Grattan (now named Edward M. Cotter) and the B.B. McColl were repaired and returned to service. The Edward M. Cotter, in particular, continues to operate out of Buffalo to this day, with a history spanning over 115 years.
At the time of the incident, the James F. Cahill was owned by Carl D. Secord of Buffalo, New York. The barge was primarily used for freight service and had a crew of two people.
