History
The mysterious tale of the steam ferry G.W. CLINTON unfurls like a veiled melody from the depths of Lake Erie, a story shrouded in conflicting accounts and vanished records. Built with an enigmatic past, the vessel’s origins and specifications remain lost to time, leaving only the echoes of her final moments.
Around the date of July 4, 1843, the G.W. CLINTON found herself enshrouded by a fateful storm, a tempest that would become the harbinger of her fate. As the waves raged on Lake Erie’s expanse, the vessel met her doom approximately 10 miles east of Cleveland. Some accounts suggest that her crew was rescued by a small boat from the shore, while others hint at the vessel sinking with all hands on board.
Once a ferry that traversed between Fort Erie and Buffalo, the G.W. CLINTON had transitioned to running as a ferry boat on the Maumee River. Her past was intertwined with the waterways, and her final voyage took her to the waters near Cleveland. Conflicting narratives clouded her demise, with newspapers offering differing reports. Some asserted her complete loss, while others questioned the veracity of her sinking, speculating about her resilience and the absence of any shockwave felt by the nearby shores.
The G.W. CLINTON, with a curious tonnage of 19 and an engine of 40 rat power, was a vessel whose memory was forged in uncertainty. Her cost was estimated at $1,000, a reflection of her modest stature and utilitarian purpose. Captain A.R. Swift, hailing from Buffalo, was at her helm during her ill-fated journey.
The pages of history yield but fragments of the G.W. CLINTON’s story, as newspapers of the time struggled to reconcile the accounts of her loss. Despite the intrigue and speculation, one fact remains certain: the G.W. CLINTON met her end within the tumultuous embrace of Lake Erie’s waters. Her legacy rests in the enigma that surrounds her final moments, a testament to the unforgiving power of the elements and the fleeting nature of maritime tales.
