WILLIAM ELGIN

The schooner WILLIAM ELGIN has had a storied history since its construction in 1853 at the bottom of CATHERINE, under the ownership of James Collins in Picton, Ontario. The vessel had a capacity of 12,000 bushels. It was launched on June 30, 1871, and shortly after encountered its first mishap when it ran aground at Duck Island in Lake Ontario in October of the same year while carrying barley.

In 1872, the WILLIAM ELGIN faced another incident when it went ashore three miles below Big Sandy Creek near Oswego and Selkirk, New York. At that time, it was laden with wheat. Despite these setbacks, the vessel continued its operations and even ran between Port Stanley and Cleveland in 1875.

Ownership of the WILLIAM ELGIN changed hands several times over the years. Sanford Baker of Belleville, Ontario, acquired it on January 22, 1876. Unfortunately, on March 24, 1876, the vessel experienced a fire in Port Stanley, Ontario, but it was subsequently repaired. In 1879, Baker and others from Picton, Ontario, took ownership, followed by James T. Allen and John Welsh of Kingston, Ontario, on April 10, 1880.

The WILLIAM ELGIN faced further challenges in subsequent years. On September 10, 1881, it ran aground at Ducks in Lake Ontario while carrying iron ore. Ownership transferred to William Nickle of Kingston on December 13, 1883, and then to James F. Allen of Kingston in 1884. Welsh and Allen of Picton became the owners in 1886, and later that year, Hiram Buckingham and James Savage of Wellington, Ontario, took ownership on June 8, 1887.

Tragically, on November 20, 1887, the WILLIAM ELGIN foundered in Lake Ontario. However, the vessel was salvaged, and ownership transferred to William and James Savage of Wellington on February 10, 1888. Another incident occurred on May 19, 1888, when the vessel sprang a leak and sank while bound from Oswego, New York, to Belleville with 3,000 tons of coal. The crew was fortunately rescued by the steamer OCEAN WAVE.

In more recent times, in 2020, the WILLIAM ELGIN was located by www.sonarguy.com. These events and the vessel’s history were documented in various newspaper reports and the List of Vessels on the Registry Books of the Dominion of Canada on December 31, 1886. The WILLIAM ELGIN had a registered tonnage of 156 tons and was built in Mill Point, Ontario, in 1871. Its home port was Picton, Ontario, and it was owned by William Nickle of Kingston, Ontario