BELLE ADKINS

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Other Names

BELLE ATKINS

Site Description

Schooner
?
134 Lengths
Oswego NY
Lake Ontario

History

In 1856, the schooner BELLE ADKINS, also known as BELLE ATKINS, was first enrolled in Oswego, NY. It was a wooden schooner built by D. Hause in Wilson, NY. The vessel had a length of 134 feet, a beam of 26 feet, and a depth of 12 feet, with a tonnage of 394 tons.

On February 8, 1857, tragedy struck as the BELLE ADKINS encountered a flood. The vessel was washed off its winter moorings and out of the Oswego River near Port Ontario, propelled by the force of the spring runoff flood. Although the crew managed to tow the schooner back, it soon broke apart in a storm on February 10, 1857. There were no reported casualties from the incident. The master of the BELLE ADKINS was likely Captain Daniels, and the vessel was owned by Collins & Abbey.

Newspaper reports from the time provide further details about the wreck and its aftermath. The Oswego Daily Palladium published articles on February 9 and February 12, 1857. The reports mention that the BELLE ADKINS grounded between the piers while being towed into the harbor on Monday night but was driven back out into the lake by a subsequent gale and heavy sea on Tuesday. The schooner ultimately ended up on the beach below the east pier and was expected to be a total loss, aside from salvageable damaged rigging.

The same articles mention the grounding of another vessel, the WIDE AWAKE, in the same area, as well as the Virginia, which lay close to the shore near Port Ontario. Both were also likely lost due to the storm. However, the owners of all three vessels were reportedly well insured, mitigating the financial impact of the losses.

Prior to the sinking, a freshet in the Oswego River caused several vessels and a canal boat to be carried into the lake. The BELLE ADKINS, along with the BELLE SHERIDAN, TITAN, WIDE AWAKE, THOMAS KINGSFORD, and the canal boat, were among those swept away. The article highlights the efforts made to recover the vessels, with two large yawl boats and their crews sent out to pursue them. However, at the time of reporting, there was no news of their return or whereabouts.

The dangerous location where the vessels were moored, coupled with the changing wind and worsening weather conditions, raised concerns for the safety of both the crew members and the vessels themselves.