ALVIN A. TURNER U105227

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The Alvin A. Turner was a steambarge built in 1873 in Trenton, Michigan. It was constructed by A.A. Turner and originally owned by D. Whitney, Junior & Company. The vessel was primarily made of wood and featured wooden arches and a wooden boiler house.

The steambarge was powered by a steeple compound engine with three cylinders. The engine, built by Samuel F. Hodge of Detroit, Michigan in 1873, had dimensions of 20 + 40 x 32 inches and produced 350 horsepower at 95 revolutions per minute. It was accompanied by a firebox boiler measuring 9 x 15 feet and operating at 110 pounds of steam.

The Alvin A. Turner had a length of 135.2 feet, a beam of 26 feet, and a depth of 11.5 feet. It had a gross tonnage of 309.87 and a net tonnage of 220.81. The vessel had one deck and a single mast.

Throughout its history, the Alvin A. Turner had several changes in ownership and operated in various capacities. It transported lumber and grain, primarily running between Saginaw, Michigan, and Ogdensburg, New York. It was involved in towing other vessels, such as the JUDD & JONES.

The steambarge experienced several incidents over the years. In 1874, it sank in a collision near Cape Vincent, Lake Ontario. Ownership of the vessel changed multiple times, with Eugene Robinson, William Rankin, and George W. Wilson being among the owners.

In 1882, the Alvin A. Turner came under the ownership of the A.A. Turner Transportation Company, with William Nesbitt serving as the president. It operated in the lumber trade, running between Bay City and Toledo, Ohio.

In 1905, the steambarge met its final fate. On October 18, it burned and sank in the Little Detroit Channel of the St. Mary’s River near Spanish Mills, Ontario, in Lake Huron. The vessel was carrying a cargo of lath at the time. It was stranded in fog and wrecked due to storms and currents.