The wreck of the Ida Walker, originally known as the New Dominion, holds an iron relic discovered at Weller’s Bay. The relic is believed to be the pump of the Ida Walker, cast in 1860. Scott Hutcheson, a resident of Prince Edward County, has been collecting various oddments from the wreck, including the centerboard winch. The New Dominion was one of several vessels launched in 1867 and later renamed the Ida Walker. In 1880, the ship underwent an overhaul and name change to avoid confusion with another vessel. However, in October 1885, the Ida Walker suffered a partial loss when it sank in Ameliasburg, Lake Ontario, with a cargo of barley.
On November 19, 1886, the Ida Walker encountered a severe gale while attempting to anchor under Presqu’ile Point. The anchors dragged, and the ship was blown east into Wellers Bay, where it ran aground outside the Gravel Bar. The heavy seas battered the ship, causing significant damage. The crew sought refuge on the cabin top, clinging to the main boom gaff. They endured freezing temperatures, snow squalls, and relentless waves for nearly two days. Numerous spectators and potential rescuers gathered on the beach, praying and building fires to provide warmth if any survivors washed ashore.
The Wellington Life Saving Crew, summoned from a nearby volunteer lifeboat station, arrived with their lifeboat mounted on a flat car pulled by a locomotive. The crew launched the lifeboat into the choppy waters and navigated it past the wreck. Captained by Hugh McCullough, the crew made multiple attempts to rescue the stranded individuals using a lifeline. After several failed attempts, they successfully rescued everyone on the cabin top, just as the masts collapsed and the cabin top was torn away by the raging seas.
The Ida Walker’s tragic fate was not an isolated incident. The Queen of the Lakes, another vessel carrying coal, also ran aground on Stony Point and met a similar demise. These incidents highlighted the urgent need for paid life-saving crews along the Canadian shore, prompting calls for the Canadian government to establish life-saving stations and maintain crews. The loss of lives in recent accidents could have been prevented with proper lifeboats and trained personnel.
The Ida Walker’s dimensions were recorded as 109 feet in length, 26 feet in breadth, and 9.1 feet in depth. It had a tonnage of 216 tons and was a schooner-type vessel. The ship was originally built in 1867 at Sophiasburg and underwent a rebuild in Sarnia in 1880. Its present master at the time was George Tait, and it was registered in Whitby. The vessel’s description noted two masts, one deck, and a square stern. The owners of the ship included John Blow of Whitby, Fred A. Guy and Harry Allen of Oshawa, and James Savage of Wellington, who acquired a majority share in September 1885.
The Ida Walker, formerly known as the New Dominion, is presumed to have been lost in Lake Ontario near Wellington around ten years prior to the registry closure in October 1902. The certificate of registry was not delivered up, indicating the vessel’s fate and closure of its official registration.
