BURLINGTON

4 min read

Site Description

Bulk Carrier
20ffw 8m
137ft Length
Mississauga Lighthouse
Lake Huron

History

The Burlington was a propeller vessel built in 1857 in Buffalo, New York. It was primarily used for passenger and freight transportation. The vessel had a wooden hull with two decks and was constructed by Daniel O’Connor. The original owners were the Old Oswego Line, owned by Fitzburgh & Littlejohn, based in Oswego, New York.

Powered by a low-pressure engine with one cylinder and propelled by a single propeller, the Burlington had a 24″ x 36″ engine manufactured by Swartz Foundry in Buffalo and a 7′ 6″ x 18′ boiler. It measured 144 feet in length, 25 feet 4 inches in beam, and 11 feet 1 inch in depth. The vessel had a tonnage of 384 74/95 according to the old measurement style and a capacity of 350 tons.

Throughout its history, the Burlington underwent various changes in ownership. It had sister ships named Dubuque, Quincy, and City of Madison. The vessel was initially owned by Elijah K. Bruce of Buffalo, New York, upon its launch in May 1857. On July 16, 1857, it came under the ownership of Henry Fitzhugh and Dewitt Littlejohn, both from Oswego, New York. On September 19, 1857, it was owned by the Old Oswego Line, with D.C. Littlejohn as the president.

In the following years, the Burlington changed hands multiple times. In June 1859, it was owned by W. Kiep of Oswego, New York. By March 15, 1860, it was under the ownership of Gibson T. Williams from Buffalo. On May 25, 1860, Eber W. Owen of Ann Arbor, Michigan became the new owner.

The Burlington faced several incidents and accidents during its lifetime. In August 1861, it ran aground in Sandusky Harbor on Lake Erie but was eventually released. In 1862 or 1863, the vessel underwent major repairs. On April 15, 1862, Charles C. Blodgett of Detroit, Michigan, became the owner. Ownership transferred to C. Blodgett and George Hendrie on April 18, 1864.

The vessel was readmeasured on April 20, 1865, and was recorded as having one deck, one mast, and dimensions of 137 feet in length, 25.3 feet in beam, and 12.5 feet in depth. Its tonnage increased to 460.65 gross tons. In 1866, the Burlington was chartered to the New York & Erie Lake Line, operating between Buffalo, New York, and Chicago, Illinois. In 1868, it was chartered to the New York City Rail Road Line for towing in the lumber trade.

On May 12, 1871, ownership transferred to Blodgett and George Lockhart of Detroit. In 1872, the vessel was owned by Robert Hackett, but on May 24 of that year, it ran aground at Charity Islands in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. Later in 1872, it sank in Pelee Passage due to ice but was raised on December 7 by Hackett. The vessel was then converted into a steam barge at Bay City, with dimensions of 137 feet in length, 25.3 feet in beam, and 12 feet in depth. Its tonnage was reduced to 276 gross tons and 203 net tons. The Western Coal & Dock Co. of Detroit became the new owner.

On April 17, 1873, the vessel was owned by the Western Transportation & Coal Co., with Robert Hackett serving as secretary. In 1875, the Burlington achieved a significant feat by pulling a tow of 10,000 tons of stone up the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers to Sand Beach Harbor, marking it as the heaviest tow of its time.

The vessel underwent various ownership changes in the subsequent years. On April 13, 1878, ownership transferred to Thomas Adams of Detroit. On October 20, 1879, it was owned by William Jenkinson of Port Huron, Michigan, and was rebuilt by Wheeler in Bay City. The Port Huron Transportation Co., with William Jenkinson as president, took ownership on May 28, 1881.

In April 1885, the Burlington was involved in a spring thaw accident at Port Huron when it became jammed against a bridge due to a freshet. On February 15, 1886, R.M. Burrington of Bay City became the owner. Ownership then transferred to R.M. Bradley and others from Bay City on April 6, 1887. C.H. Bradley of Bay City took ownership on March 18, 1891, followed by Gurdon K. Jackson of Bay City on March 15, 1894.

In April 1894, the Burlington burned in the Detroit River and sank at Sandwich (Windsor), Ontario. It was later released by the Canadian Government in December 1894. Ownership transferred to Stephan B. Grummond of Detroit, and the vessel was raised and rebuilt. However, on August 24, 1895, the Burlington burned once again, this time sinking in Meldrum Bay in the North Channel of Lake Huron, marking its final disposition.