The James H. Shrigley was a steambarge built in 1881 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It had an official number of 76214 and was constructed by the Milwaukee Shipyard Co. The vessel was noted to be a duplicate of the R. G. Peters and featured diagonal strapped frames and an iron-lined boiler house.
Owned initially by John Canfield and James Shrigley of Manistee, Michigan, the steambarge had a single deck and was powered by a steeple compound engine with two cylinders. The engine, manufactured in Philadelphia in 1881, had dimensions of 19 + 40 x 30 inches and produced 350 horsepower at 97 revolutions per minute. The propulsion system consisted of a single propeller.
With a length of 171.6 feet, a beam of 31.2 feet, and a depth of 11.6 feet, the James H. Shrigley had a gross tonnage of 459.92 and a net tonnage of 364.58. It had a capacity to carry 606,000 feet of lumber.
On August 18, 1920, the James H. Shrigley met its final fate when it was wrecked half a mile off Braddocks Point Lighthouse near Charlotte, New York, in Lake Ontario. At the time, it was transporting a cargo of coal. The crew members were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Throughout its history, the steambarge had various owners and engagements. It was involved in collisions, fires, machinery disabilities, and grounding incidents. It served in towing operations for other vessels and was part of different transportation companies.
The wrecking of the James H. Shrigley marked the end of its active service, concluding a chapter in its eventful maritime history.
