History
The ADRIATIC was a passenger steamer built in 1856 in Buffalo, New York. It had a wooden hull with one deck and a plain head and square stern. The vessel was initially owned by Charles Bancroft of Detroit, Michigan, and operated by various companies throughout its history.
The steamer experienced several incidents and changes during its years of service. In 1856, shortly after its enrollment in Buffalo, the ADRIATIC suffered a broken shaft near Buffalo and had to be towed back for repairs. In 1857, its machinery was damaged off Port Albino, Ontario, on Lake Erie but was subsequently repaired. Ownership of the vessel changed hands multiple times, with owners including Elijah K. Bruce, the Bank of Cazenovia, William Moore, and William O. Brown.
Over the years, the ADRIATIC had collisions, grounding incidents, and machinery failures that required repairs. In 1866, the steamer was wrecked in the St. Lawrence River but was later owned by Thomas Coatsworth of Buffalo. It was then operated by the Evans Buffalo & Chicago Line and Sidney T. Wilson of Chicago.
In 1871, the ADRIATIC was purchased by James M. Ballentine of Detroit and converted into a barge. It was reduced to one deck and one mast, and its figurehead and round stern were removed. The vessel’s dimensions at this time were recorded as 183.8 feet in length, 31.6 feet in beam, and 11.9 feet in depth, with a gross tonnage of 482.38.
On October 1, 1872, while being towed by the tug Wm. A. MOORE, the ADRIATIC, along with the barge BALTIC, foundered near Long Point, Ontario, in Lake Erie during a severe gale. The crews of both vessels tragically perished in the incident. The ADRIATIC was carrying a total of seven people, including five men and two women.
Following the sinking, the ADRIATIC was declared a total loss, and its documents were surrendered on March 8, 1873, in Detroit.
