History #
The Belle was a wooden two-masted schooner built in 1866 by A. Shaw in Port Dover, Ontario. It had a length of 61 feet, a beam of 15 feet, and a depth of 6 feet. The vessel had a gross tonnage of 40 tons and was registered under the official number C83153.
On December 8, 1886, the Belle caught fire while frozen in at anchor, resulting in a total loss. The exact location of the loss is believed to be Belleville, Ontario, on Lake Ontario. The details regarding the loss of life and the cargo being carried at the time are unknown.
Prior to its loss, the Belle had a history of ownership changes. It was initially owned by George Bell of Port Dover, Ontario, in 1873, and later passed through the ownership of A. Lee, William Golding of Toronto, and Shaw of Port Dover. In 1885, the vessel was rebuilt in Belleville, Ontario, and came under the ownership of Joseph H. Smith of Belleville.
It is worth noting that there was another vessel named Belle, weighing 65 tons, which foundered near Port Dalhousie in November 1887. However, this appears to be a separate incident and not directly related to the Belle that burned in 1886.
