The CITY OF COLLINGWOOD, a propeller steamer, was built in 1893 by John Simpson in Owen Sound, Ontario. It was constructed with a wooden hull and measured 213 feet in length, 34 feet in beam, and 13 feet in depth. With a gross tonnage of 1,387 and a net tonnage of 893, it was primarily used for passenger and package freight transportation.
Tragedy struck on June 16, 1905, when the CITY OF COLLINGWOOD was destroyed by a fire at the Grand Trunk Rail docks in Collingwood, Ontario, on Georgian Bay. The fire broke out after the vessel had towed the damaged steamer BRITTANIC to the docks. The local tug SAUCY JIM took hold of the burning CITY OF COLLINGWOOD and towed it to the local “graveyard of the harbor” where it burned near the remains of its sister ship, the CITY OF PARRY SOUND, which had suffered the same fate five years earlier. Unfortunately, four crew members lost their lives in the fire, and the rest of the crew had to jump overboard to escape the flames.
Interestingly, the CITY OF COLLINGWOOD had been raised from a depth of 110 feet off Cove Island in Georgian Bay in 1895. This salvage operation was the deepest and most successful at that time.
The vessel was owned by the Northern Navigation Company, based in Collingwood, Ontario. The loss of the CITY OF COLLINGWOOD was a significant blow to the company, as it was considered one of their finest steamers and the flagship of the Georgian Bay Division.
After the fire, the wreck of the CITY OF COLLINGWOOD was described as being in a terrible state, burned to the water’s edge and broken in two. It lay in the mud and was deemed a total loss, including its machinery and boilers. The fire had originated in the engine room, causing extensive damage to the cylinders and rendering the boilers worthless.
The tragic loss of the CITY OF COLLINGWOOD served as a reminder of the risks and dangers associated with fires on vessels and the devastating consequences they could have on both human lives and maritime assets.
