The steamer Foley was built in 1872 in Baltimore, Maryland. It was a wooden-hulled steamer powered by a screw propulsion system. The vessel had a length of 154 feet, a beam of 31 feet, and a depth of 16 feet. It had a gross tonnage of 541 tons and a net tonnage of 348 tons.
Captain James Godman, the master and owner of the Foley, reported that on July 1, 1890, the steamer caught fire in its boiler house while off the coast of Charlotte. At the time, the Foley was towing another vessel named the American Union, both loaded with coal and en route from Charlotte to Chicago. Despite efforts by the crew and the occurrence of a rain squall, the fire rapidly spread, forcing the crew to abandon ship and take refuge in a small boat.
The fire consumed the Foley, burning it down to the water’s edge, and the vessel eventually sank in a depth of over 400 feet, located 15 miles above Charlotte and 8 miles offshore. The American Union, unable to accommodate the displaced crew members, safely landed them on the beach. A local farmer provided transportation to a nearby railroad station.
The cargo of the Foley, consisting of 748 tons of coal, was insured for $2,872 with Smith, Davis & Co. The vessel itself was insured for approximately $19,000, with the insurance arranged by William Egan of Chicago. Captain Godman stated that he had acquired the Foley from the Atlantic coast about four years prior and estimated its cost to be over $40,000.
Sources and External links
- The Marine Record Thurs. Sept. 15, 1887 p.1
- The Marine Record Thurs. Sept. 29, 1887 p.1
- 1887 Casualty List (Partial Loss) The Marine Record, Dec. 15, 1887
- Great Lakes Ships C Patrick Labadie Collection
