Construction and Early Service
The H.A. Barr was a substantial wooden schooner-barge constructed in 1893 by Jas. Davidson in West Bay City, Michigan. Measuring 217 feet in length, with a beam of 35 feet and a depth of 17 feet, the vessel had a gross tonnage of 1,119 tons and a net tonnage of 1,063 tons. Initially owned by W.C. Richardson of Cleveland, Ohio, the H.A. Barr was primarily used as a towed vessel, a common practice for large barges that were often towed by steamers to transport goods efficiently across the Great Lakes.
Notable Incidents and Ownership Changes
The H.A. Barr was involved in several maritime incidents during its service life. In April 1898, while being towed by the steamer J.H. Outhwaite, the vessel ran aground on Middle Island in Lake Huron during an easterly gale. The crew was rescued by a lifesaving crew, and the vessel was later refloated with the assistance of the J.H. Outhwaite. Following this incident, the H.A. Barr was taken to Alpena and underwent repairs at the Springwells Shipyard in Detroit, allowing it to return to service.
In 1901, the H.A. Barr was sold to the Algoma Central Railway Company, based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, and was re-registered with the Canadian official number C107489. Under the ownership of Algoma Central Railway, the vessel continued its operations, primarily transporting cargoes such as iron ore across the Great Lakes.
The Final Voyage and Sinking
On September 24, 1902, the H.A. Barr was en route from Lake Superior to Buffalo, New York, carrying a cargo of iron ore. The schooner-barge was in tow of the “saltie” (a term for a foreign ocean-going vessel) named THEANO when it encountered a severe storm on Lake Erie. The violent weather caused the towline to break, leaving the H.A. Barr vulnerable to the giant waves.
Despite the crew’s efforts to pump water out of the hold, the vessel continued to take on water and eventually foundered. The crew was rescued by THEANO before the schooner-barge sank, ensuring that there were no fatalities in the incident. The H.A. Barr is believed to have sunk approximately 30 miles off Port Stanley, near Braddock Point, in Lake Erie.
Post-Sinking and Legacy
Following the sinking, the wreck of the H.A. Barr was considered a potential hazard to navigation, along with other wrecks in the area, such as the City of Venice. In 1902, the Canadian government vessel PETREL was dispatched to remove the mast and any floating wreckage from the sunken vessel to reduce the risk to other ships.
The history of the H.A. Barr highlights the vessel’s role in the transportation of goods on the Great Lakes during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite the challenges it faced, including grounding incidents and its ultimate loss in a storm, the H.A. Barr exemplifies the robust yet vulnerable nature of wooden schooner-barges that served as vital links in the Great Lakes maritime trade.
Resources & Links
Keywords
H.A. Barr, Hull 70, schooner-barge, Great Lakes shipwreck, Lake Erie, West Bay City Michigan, Port Stanley Ontario, maritime history, vessel loss, storm wreck, Algoma Central Railway, shipwreck remembrance.
Ongoing Research & Monitoring
Further research into the H.A. Barr may uncover additional details about its construction, service history, and any surviving documentation related to its final voyage and the salvage operations that followed its sinking. Continuous monitoring of maritime history archives and shipwreck databases will ensure that any new information about the H.A. Barr is integrated into its historical narrative.
