Site Description
- Steamer
History #
The propeller vessel GLADYS, also known as NORTHERN BELLE, was built in 1874 in Marine City, MI. It had a wooden hull construction and was possibly built on the bottom of J.S. ESTABROOK. The original owner of the vessel was the Toledo & Saginaw Transportation Co. It was powered by a screw propulsion system with a for-and-aft compound engine consisting of two cylinders. The propulsion system included 17 + 28 x 21″, 270hp engines transferred from the steambarge J.S. ESTABROOK, which were previously used in the tug DAN RHODES. The hull dimensions of GLADYS were 135.4 feet in length, 22.6 feet in beam, and 9.5 feet in depth. It had a gross tonnage of 513 and a net tonnage of 337.
In terms of its history, GLADYS was launched in May 1875 in Marine City, MI, and enrolled at Port Huron, MI, on July 6, 1875. It was initially owned by Dan Cameron of Collingwood for the Georgian Bay Transit Co., later known as the Great Northern Transit Co. The vessel operated on the Collingwood, ONT – Sault Ste. Marie, ONT route in conjunction with the ships SEYMOUR and SILVER SPRAY. On November 1, 1876, it was renamed NORTHERN BELLE and came under the ownership of John & Thomas Long et al. in Collingwood. The Georgian Bay Transportation Co. eventually took ownership in 1877.
Over the years, NORTHERN BELLE served various routes, including Meaford, ONT, Manitoulin Islands, and Sault Ste. Marie, ONT. In November 1878, it sustained some damage while assisting the schooner MAPLE LEAF in getting away from a dock in Meaford. In October 1879, there was fire damage to the hurricane deck, and in March 1880, NORTHERN BELLE replaced the WAUBUNO on the Meaford – Perry Sound, ONT route, operating daily. It came under the ownership of the Northern Transit Co., Collingwood, in 1882 and underwent rebuilding in Collingwood in the spring of 1886.
Tragically, on November 6, 1896, NORTHERN BELLE burned in Lake Huron near the Magnetawan River, close to Byng Inlet. The exact final depth was estimated to be 15-20 inches. The passengers were rescued and taken to Perry Sound by a tug. The coordinates of the final location were Latitude: N45 degrees 46′ 1″ and Longitude: W80 degrees 35′ 20″.
Today, the remnants of NORTHERN BELLE can still be observed by snorkeling or diving in the area. The wreck is marked on Canadian Hydrographic Chart 2203, sheet 3, located approximately three-quarters of a mile downstream of Wright’s Marina. Although the steamer met its end in 1898, there are still individuals who remember NORTHERN BELLE, swimming near its ribs and hearing stories from older generations. However, with the passing of time, this connection to the vessel and its history will gradually fade away.
