Barge 104, also known as none, was an unrigged steel whaleback barge primarily used for bulk freight. It was built in 1890 by A. MacDougall (American Steel Barge Co.) in Superior, Wisconsin. The official number assigned to the barge was 53257. The specifications of Barge 104 were approximately 276 feet in length, 36 feet in beam, and 19 feet in depth. It had a gross tonnage of 1295.44 tons and a net tonnage of 1230.69 tons.
On November 10, 1898, Barge 104 was lost in a storm in Cleveland Harbor, located on Lake Erie. At the time, the barge was waiting to be towed by the steamer ROCKEFELLER to Duluth from Cleveland. It was being towed by the tug ALVA B when it broke loose and collided with the breakwater, causing it to sink rapidly. Despite the challenging conditions, the crew of Barge 104 was rescued by the U.S. Lifesaving Service, and no lives were lost in the incident.
Initially, it was believed that Barge 104 had completely disintegrated due to the limited recovery of fragments. However, it was later discovered that the barge had drifted underwater for over 500 feet from its original location. This loss marked the first instance of a whaleback vessel becoming a total loss in a Great Lakes accident.
The sources for this information include various newspaper articles, historical collections, and merchant vessel lists. It is worth noting that there are discrepancies in some of the details provided, such as the date of loss, which is often mistakenly recorded as 1899 instead of 1898.
