History #
On the night of Sunday, December 14, 1856, the schooner Belvidere met a tragic fate on Lake Ontario. Loaded with a cargo of wood and bound for Oakville, the vessel was caught in a fierce gale that resulted in its capsizing off the coast of Oakville. All on board, including the captain and four crew members, lost their lives in the incident. The news of the disaster was received through a telegram from James Hamilton of Port Credit, who reported the tragic outcome.
The Belvidere, with a tonnage of 60 tons, was not a new vessel and was owned by the captain, whose name was Burnside. Despite efforts to recover the bodies, none had been found by the time of the reports. The loss of the Belvidere and its crew cast a somber mood over the maritime community, highlighting the dangers and uncertainties faced by sailors on Lake Ontario.
The vessel, built in 1847 at Oakville, had a listed value of $1,000. Although the Belvidere was not included in the list of Canadian vessels for the following year, its fate served as a reminder of the perils that mariners faced on the unpredictable waters of Lake Ontario during that era. The loss of the Belvidere and its tragic crew added to the annals of maritime casualties and underscored the risks associated with shipping cargo in the region.
External Links #
- Great Lakes Ships website
- C. E. Feltner Enrollments Database
- C. Patrick Labadie Collection – Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library
- David Swayze Shipwreck File
- Maritime History of the Great Lakes Website
- Buffalo Commercial Advertiser – January 31, 1857 (1856 casualty list)
- Toronto Globe Tuesday, December 16, 1856
- Buffalo Daily Republic, Friday, December 19, 1856
- List of Canadian Vessels for 1856
- Toronto GLOBE, August 4, 1856
- History of the Great Lakes
