During a severe storm on Lake Ontario on the 7th of the month, the schooner WELLINGTON faced a calamitous disaster. Laden with wheat, the vessel sought shelter in Presqu’Isle, but it is believed that its cargo became wet. The following day, the WELLINGTON set sail again, but only fragments of the ship have since washed ashore at Wellington. It is highly likely that the grain on board caused the seams to open as it swelled, ultimately leading to the vessel foundering in the lake. Unfortunately, there are strong reasons to fear that all crew members perished. Among them was a nephew of Mr. Archibald McFaul from Wellington, leaving little hope for his survival.
In 1816, the schooner WELLINGTON was listed for sale in the Kingston Gazette. A newly built vessel, it was moored at the wharf of Mr. Patrick Smith in Kingston and was to be auctioned to the highest bidder. The sale, including all materials for finishing the vessel, was scheduled to commence on Monday, the 1st of April.
An important case involving the WELLINGTON occurred before Mr. Justice Day and a special jury. It revolved around an insurance policy on the cargo of the schooner, consisting of approximately 3,000 bushels of wheat. Departing from Wellington Square for Kingston on the night of the 6th of October 1845, the vessel foundered in a squall off Nicholsons Island the following Sunday. The case was tried in September of the preceding year.
Unfortunately, the specific details regarding the construction and ownership of the WELLINGTON before 1854 are not available. However, it is known that the vessel was a wooden schooner. Tragically, on the 22nd of April 1854, the WELLINGTON was lost off Puttneyville in Lake Ontario while carrying a cargo of peas.
- Kingston Chronicle November 21, 1820
- Kingston Chronicle November 17, 1820
