The METEOR was a propeller vessel with a registered name and official number of BLOOM, NELSON (Official Number: 17570). It was built in Cleveland, Ohio, and its construction was completed in 1863. The dimensions of the METEOR were recorded as 201.00 feet in length, 30.16 feet in width, and 12.50 feet in depth. It had a gross tonnage of 729.10.
The vessel underwent several rebuilds and changes throughout its history. It was measured again in Detroit, Michigan, on May 2, 1865, resulting in new measurements of 198.5 feet in length, 29.5 feet in width, and 13 feet in depth. Its gross tonnage was adjusted to 956.82. On April 25, 1882, the METEOR’s rig was changed to a schooner in Port Huron, Michigan, and its measurements were further modified to 197.58 feet in length, 31.16 feet in width, and 11.25 feet in depth. The gross tonnage was reduced to 549.42, with a net tonnage of 521.95. There were no further measure changes after a rebuild in 1918.
The METEOR’s vessel history includes notable incidents. On August 9, 1865, it was involved in a collision with the propeller PEWABIC, resulting in the sinking of the latter vessel in Thunder Bay, Lake Huron. The METEOR reached the Soo (Sault Ste. Marie) on August 10, 1865, but was discovered to be on fire due to leakage and lime in its cargo igniting. To extinguish the fire, the vessel was intentionally scuttled in the Soo Lock on August 11, 1865. Repairs were subsequently conducted at Clark Dry Dock in Detroit.
Another significant event occurred on June 7, 1873, when the METEOR caught fire while moored at Buckley’s dock in Detroit, Michigan. It burned and sank but was later raised in early September 1875. On September 10, 1875, the vessel was towed to the foot of Belle Isle. The machinery and hull of the METEOR were sold at a U.S. Marshal’s sale on April 24, 1876, with Stephen B. Grummond of Detroit, Michigan, purchasing the hull for $480.
Ultimately, the METEOR’s final enrollment was surrendered at Detroit, Michigan, on January 15, 1925, and it was endorsed as “abandoned.” According to reports, it was scuttled off Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927.
