ELLSWORTH U23796

Table of Contents

History
Photo Gallery CC Dan Gildea 2023
YouTube Video CC Dan Gildea

Steam Barge
117ft 38m Lengths
21ffw 7m Depths
Stoney Island, Lake Ontario

Table of Contents

History #

The steambarge, officially numbered 23796, met a tragic fate in the waters of Lake Ontario. Built in 1869 in Geneva, New York, as a schooner-rigged canal boat, it underwent a transformation to become a propeller wood bulk freight vessel. With dimensions of 117 feet in length, 18 feet in width, and 8 feet in depth, it had a gross tonnage of 136 tons.

On July 10, 1877, disaster struck as the steambarge was anchored at the southeast point of Stony Island. Having just dropped off a group of excursionists and campers on the island, the vessel caught fire, most likely originating from the kitchen. Despite efforts to extinguish the flames, the fire engulfed the steambarge, leading to its complete destruction. It sank in 21 feet of water, leaving no loss of life but resulting in a significant loss of the vessel.

In 1879, an attempt was made to recover the machinery from the sunken steambarge, but the boat disintegrated during the salvage operation. However, the engine and gear were salvaged and later utilized in the construction of the steambarge THOMPSON KINGSFORD, which was built for Abner Mattoon in 1880.

Originally built with an Erie Canal-boat hull, the steambarge traveled south through the canal and Hudson River in 1871. It was registered in Savannah, Georgia, under the ownership of A. Mattoon from 1871 to 1872 for lumbering purposes in Florida and to settle a land claim. The vessel returned to the Great Lakes in 1872.

In 1873, the steambarge underwent a reconstruction process at Oswego, transforming from a schooner-rigged canal boat into a steambarge. This conversion involved using the engine and boiler salvaged from the burned tug GEORGE S. DODGE.

Originally measuring 92 feet in length, 18 feet in width, and 9 feet in depth, with a gross tonnage of 114 tons, the steambarge was enlarged during the rebuilding process in 1873. Despite its unfortunate end, the vessel played a role in the maritime history of the region and left behind a story of fire and destruction on Lake Ontario.