Site Description
- Steam Barge
- 40ffw 13m
- 180ft Length
- Point Pelee
- N 41 53.058 W 82 35.339
The Tioga, a steamer built in 1862, was originally constructed in Cleveland, Ohio, by Quayle & Martin. It was a wooden-hulled vessel with a single deck. The New York & Erie Railway Co. from Dunkirk, New York, served as the original owner and location of the steamer.
Powered by a screw propulsion system, the Tioga had a vertical direct-acting engine with 788 horsepower, which was built by the Cuyahoga Steam Boiler Works in Cleveland, Ohio. The steamer had one mast and one propeller. Its hull measured 173.75 feet in length, 28.16 feet in beam, and 11.82 feet in depth. The Tioga had a tonnage of 549 54/95 based on the old measurement style.
Tragically, the Tioga met its final fate on October 5, 1877. It was near Grubb Reef, Point Pelee, Ontario, in Lake Ontario when it caught fire and ultimately foundered. The steamer was carrying general merchandise as its final cargo. On October 8, 1877, the vessel’s documents were surrendered. In 1879, Quinn Brothers purchased half of the Tioga with the intention of removing the engines and extracting scrap iron, although it is unclear whether this was carried out.
Throughout its history, the Tioga had several ownership changes and incidents. It was launched on April 24, 1862, and operated on the route between Dunkirk, New York, and Sandusky, Ohio, on Lake Erie. However, tragedy struck on May 9, 1863, when the boiler exploded near Cleveland, Ohio, resulting in the loss of approximately four lives.
Over the years, the Tioga changed ownership multiple times. It was owned by the Erie Railway Steamboat Co. in 1864 and later by the Erie Railway Line in 1868. In 1869, it came under the ownership of the Union Steamboat Co. The steamer experienced ice damage on April 27, 1864, in Lake Erie, and was ashore on Niagara Reef in Lake Erie in August 1873.
In June 1876, the Tioga underwent modifications and received a patented furnace by Thomas Murphy, which was said to use cheaper coal while providing the same power output. In May 1877, the steamer was purchased and rebuilt as a steam barge by C.C. Blodgett from Detroit, Michigan. It was then employed in the lumber trade, running between Saginaw, Michigan, and North Tonawanda, New York.
However, its career was cut short on October 5, 1877, when the Tioga was engulfed in flames and burned down to its eventual demise.
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