The schooner FLORIDA was a Canadian vessel that foundered in Lake Erie on August 20, 1882. It was bound from Black River to Toronto with a cargo of 662 tons of coal when it sprung a leak and sank about 15 miles off the Mohawk, 15 miles from Port Colborne. The crew of the FLORIDA, consisting of six men and two women, were able to take to a small boat and were rescued by the propeller BLANCHARD of Buffalo. The FLORIDA sank in about 80 feet of water, with its topmasts sticking out.
The FLORIDA was a three-masted schooner of 386 tons, built in 1875 and classed as B2. It was owned by Quebec parties and was constructed mostly of pine and tamarack. Despite efforts to salvage some of the equipment, the vessel was not raised and was considered a total loss.
