History
The AFRICA was a propeller vessel built in 1873 in Kingston, Ontario. It had a wooden hull construction and featured a plain head and round stern. The original owners of the AFRICA were Patterson & Proctor, based in Kingston, Ontario.
Powered by a single low-pressure engine with one cylinder, the AFRICA had dimensions of 36 x 30 inches and generated 35 horsepower. The engine was manufactured by Davidson & Doran in Kingston in 1872 and was originally from the vessel CHINA. In 1891, the engine was compounded. The engine room of the AFRICA measured approximately 32.6 feet.
The AFRICA had a length of 135.7 feet, a beam (width) of 25.4 feet, and a depth of 12 feet. It had a tonnage of 352.00 gross tons and 265 net tons. The vessel had two decks and a capacity of 19,000 bushels.
Tragically, on October 7, 1895, the AFRICA foundered in Lake Huron, specifically 15 miles south of Cove Island Light in Georgian Bay. The vessel was carrying coal and miscellaneous freight and was bound for Owen Sound, Ontario, from Ashtabula, Ohio. It was towing the schooner SEVERN when it struck a reef, broke up, and sank. All 13 crew members on board lost their lives. The SEVERN was let go during the incident and subsequently disappeared.
The AFRICA had a U.S. registry with an official number of 92285. It was classified as a propeller vessel.
The vessel had a history of operating in the Merchants Line, primarily between Montreal, Quebec, and Chicago, Illinois. It underwent rebuilding in 1887 by J. Simpson in Owen Sound, Ontario, and was converted into a steam barge. The rebuilt vessel had dimensions of 148 x 26 x 13 feet and a gross tonnage of 485.
The loss of the AFRICA was a significant tragedy, and wreckage bearing its name was found after the incident. Bodies of some of the crew members were discovered, confirming the loss. The AFRICA had a lasting impact on the local maritime history, and its wreck remains undiscovered.
