- Bulk Freighter
- 20ffw 6m
- 273ft Length
- Long Point, Lake Erie
- 42 32.18 80 03.97
The C.W. ELPHICKE was a bulk freighter that was built in Trenton, Michigan, in 1889. It was constructed with a wooden hull and featured hold beams, two stacks, diagonal steel straps, and a bow sheathed for ice. The vessel had a single deck and was numbered 39. Its initial owners were G.W. Close et al, based in Huron, Ohio.
Powered by a triple expansion steam engine with three cylinders, the C.W. ELPHICKE had a propulsion system consisting of a screw propeller. The engine, built by Samuel Hodge Iron Works in Detroit, Michigan, in 1889, had dimensions of 19, 30, and 50 inches, generated 975 horsepower, and operated at 80 revolutions per minute. The ship was equipped with two boilers, an 11’6″ x 11′ scotch boiler providing 160 pounds of steam, manufactured by T.M. McGregor in Detroit.
In terms of its dimensions, the C.W. ELPHICKE measured 273 feet in length, 42 feet in beam, and had a depth of 20.4 feet. It had a gross tonnage of 2,058 and a net tonnage of 1,702. The vessel had a capacity of carrying 3,100 gross tons.
The C.W. ELPHICKE’s final fate occurred on October 21, 1913, when it was wrecked at Long Point in Lake Erie. The ship, carrying a cargo of wheat, was driven onto the point during a gale, causing it to break in two and sink in shallow water. The wreckage came to rest at a depth of 24 inches.
Throughout its years of service, the C.W. ELPHICKE was involved in various incidents and operations. It carried grain from Duluth, Minnesota, in December 1891 and was engaged in towing the F.A. GEORGER in July 1898 and the H.D. ALVERSON in August of the same year. In 1899, ownership of the vessel transferred to J.C. Gilchrist of Vermillion, Minnesota.
The ship encountered a broken wheel while navigating the St. Mary’s River at Sault Ste. Marie on May 14, 1900. It continued its towing activities, including the F.A. GEORGER in September 1901 and the YUKON in May 1902. On June 23, 1903, a collision occurred between the C.W. ELPHICKE and the steamer BADGER STATE.
In July 1906, the vessel crashed into the east breakwater in Cleveland, Ohio, resulting in its sinking. However, it was successfully raised, released, and placed in drydock on August 23, 1906. Its final ownership belonged to the Kinney Transportation Co. of Cleveland at the time of the wreck at Long Point in 1913.
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