The JESSIE HALL was a screw wooden river tug with the official number C 70288 (formerly U 13300). It was built by Van Slyke & G.H. Notter at Buffalo, New York, in 1867. The tug had a gross tonnage of 56.54 tons, a net tonnage of 29 tons, and a length of 83.5 feet. Its first engine was a single-cylinder with 100 horsepower, and it later received a compound fore and aft (referred to as steeple in Green 1920) engine with 95 indicated horsepower and 120 rated horsepower. In 1878, it was rated B1 and valued at $7,500. By 1890, its rating improved to A2, and its value was assessed at $9,000. However, by 1903, its value had decreased to $3,000, and by 1908, it was valued at $1,000.
In 1871, the tug was owned by Hall & Gardiner of Ogdensburg, New York. The St. Lawrence & Chicago Forwarding Co. purchased the JESSIE HALL from Buffalo owners, and it came under Canadian registry in 1874. The tug experienced several incidents throughout its history. It sank on a shoal off Refugee Island in the St. Lawrence River (just above Brockville, Ontario) in May 1878 but was subsequently raised by Donnelly, who was working for Calvin & Breck at the time, and taken to Montreal. In late July 1878, it ran aground again without sustaining damage. The tug suffered a broken shaft and eccentric in 1879 and underwent significant repairs in 1880. It was involved in a collision with the American schooner EMERALD in October 1880, resulting in the loss of the schooner’s bowsprit.
In June 1883, the JESSIE HALL experienced a burst cylinder head four miles below Brockville, and it was towed back to Kingston for repairs by the Montreal Transportation Co. tug GLIDE. The tug underwent a rebuild in 1889, during which it received a new boiler and its engine was compounded by the Kingston Locomotive Works.
In 1909, the Montreal Transportation Co. sold the JESSIE HALL to Thomas Ganley, an owner from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, for $2,000. By 1914, it was owned by Matthew F. Griffith of Sault Ste. Marie. From at least 1915 to 1935, the tug was owned by Charles W. Cox of Port Arthur, Ontario. In 1936, it came under the ownership of the Pulpwood Co. of Appleton, Wisconsin, despite being registered in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The JESSIE HALL ultimately foundered in Thunder Bay, Lake Superior, on October 1, 1936.
Sources used for this information include various records and publications, such as Montreal Transportation Co.’s Annual Directors’ Reports, Green’s “Steam Vessels and Marine Engines,” and relevant ship registries and databases.
