The propeller vessel named Tonawanda was involved in a series of wrecking operations, as reported in the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser and Toronto Daily Globe in 1871 and 1875. On September 2, 1871, operations on the sunken vessel were temporarily suspended as the captain of the tug Rescue had gone to New York on business but was expected to return soon.
However, by September 6, 1871, the prospect of recovering the Tonawanda that season seemed bleak. Despite previous efforts to lift the wreck from its sand bed, the vessel had rolled back and was now lying on its beam ends with a significant amount of sand inside. The chains that were placed under the vessel were covered by sand, making their retrieval a challenging task. It appeared that the wreckers were in a worse position than when they started their operations.
As anticipated, work on the Tonawanda was abandoned for the season, and the chains were secured to the rail to facilitate future recovery efforts in the spring. The tug Rescue was subsequently ordered to Port Huron for the remainder of the season.
On August 14, 1875, masters of vessels were warned to be cautious of the wreck of the Tonawanda, which posed a potential hazard to vessels entering Buffalo Harbor. Later, on August 17, 1875, it was reported that the boiler of the wrecked vessel had been raised and brought into port.
According to the Merchant Vessel List of 1871, the Tonawanda was a steam screw vessel with the official number U.S. 24110. It had a tonnage of 935.62 tons and was registered in Buffalo, New York, as its home port.
