The steambarge CHARLES H. BRADLEY was built in 1890 by F. Wheeler & Co. in West Bay City, Michigan. It had an official number of 126653 and measured 201 feet in length, 37 feet in width, and 13.6 feet in depth. The vessel had a gross tonnage of 804.11 and a net tonnage of 624.35.
Owned by the Charles H. Bradley Lumber Company of Bay City, Michigan, the CHARLES H. BRADLEY was primarily used for transporting bulk freight, specifically pulpwood. It had a propulsion system consisting of a screw (propeller) driven by a compound steam engine with two cylinders. The vessel had three masts and a diagonal strapping design, with a steel boilerhouse and a bow sheathed for ice.
On October 9, 1931, while towing the barge GRAMPIAN, the CHARLES H. BRADLEY encountered a mishap in Portage Lake, located in the Keweenaw Peninsula on Lake Superior. The vessel ran aground on a bar and was struck from behind by the barge. As a result, a fire broke out onboard the CHARLES H. BRADLEY, causing extensive damage and leading to its complete destruction. The vessel burned to the waterline and became a total loss. Fortunately, there were no reported fatalities among the 14 people aboard.
The wreck of the CHARLES H. BRADLEY now rests in 6 to 17 feet of water off the mouth of the Sturgeon River, at the southern end of Portage Lake.
Please note that the available information is based on historical records, and there may be additional details or variations in the accounts of the vessel’s history and the circumstances of its loss.
