- Propeller
- 98ffw
- 195f Length
- Wolfe Island Graveyard, Lake Ontario
SIMON LANGELL, a steambarge constructed in 1886, played a notable role in maritime history. Built in St. Clair, Michigan, it had an official number of 116091. The vessel, made of wood, had a single deck and was originally owned by John C. Pringle and others.
Powered by a for-and-aft compound engine with two cylinders, the SIMON LANGELL featured three masts and a single screw propulsion system. The engine, manufactured by Globe Iron Works in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1896, had dimensions of 27 inches and 50 inches by 36 inches, generating 575 horsepower at 85 revolutions per minute. The steam came from an 11-foot by 17-foot, 100-pound steam firebox boiler, also produced by Globe Iron Works in 1896.
The steambarge’s hull measured 195.3 feet in length, 34.6 feet in beam, and 13.7 feet in depth. It had a gross tonnage of 845.27 and a net tonnage of 677.82. The vessel had a capacity of 800,000 feet of lumber.
Throughout its history, the SIMON LANGELL had various owners and underwent several changes. It ran aground in Lake George in June 1886 and was officially enrolled in Port Huron, Michigan, on April 24, 1886. It was subsequently owned by the St. Clair Transportation Co., based in China, Michigan, and participated in the Two Harbors iron ore trade, towing the SWEETHEART and F.M. KNAPP.
In 1889, ownership transferred to Alex R. Sinclair and others in Port Huron, and the vessel operated between Kelleys Island and Duluth, Minnesota, transporting stone. The SIMON LANGELL experienced a collision with an unidentified steamer off Presque Isle in Lake Huron on November 30, 1893, which caused its machinery to halt for an hour. Modifications were made to the vessel in subsequent years, including the installation of a new boiler in December 1891 and another boiler in 1899.
Over time, the SIMON LANGELL changed its rigging to a configuration with one deck and two masts on March 12, 1900. The vessel encountered incidents such as running aground on the Tonawanda River with lumber in October 1905 and requiring repairs to its bow and bulwarks in Detroit after a collision with the barge CHATTANOOGA in the Soo passage on August 16, 1906.
Ownership of the steambarge shifted to the Sinclair Transportation Co. in Duluth, Minnesota, on March 10, 1913. It was later owned by the Argo Steamship Co. in the Mentor Special District, Ohio, on April 17, 1916. The vessel then came under the ownership of Robert S. Misner and others in Sarnia, Ontario, on March 2, 1919, with a new official number of C138373. Eventually, it became part of the Langell Transportation Co. in Sarnia by 1923.
In 1930, the SIMON LANGELL was laid up in Portsmouth, Ontario, and its hull was stripped in 1936. On November 23, 1936, the hull was set on fire. However, it was raised from the water and towed to Lake Ontario, off Amherst Island, where it was intentionally scuttled in 1937.
You must be logged in to post a comment.