ZEALAND 71152

Site Description

Unfortunately, all hopes of the propeller ZEALAND’s safety have been abandoned. As a freight boat without cabin accommodation, it is not expected that any passengers were on board. However, the crew is believed to have consisted of approximately 16 individuals, with the following names and positions known: Captain Edward Zealand from Hamilton, First Engineer Thomas Dewey from St. Catharines, who leaves behind a wife and four children, Second Engineer David Taylor from Port Colborne, who was unmarried, First Mate Joseph Malette from Montreal, who was unmarried, Second Mate Thomas Danos Legic from near Cornwall, who was unmarried, Ship Carpenter Thomas Armstrong from Hamilton, who leaves behind a wife and daughter, and Miss Frances, a lady’s maid from Montreal. The two deckhands were known as George and Jack, with the former being an Englishman and the latter originally from Toronto, known as George to distinguish him from his companion. The cook’s name is unknown, but she was a widow and a former resident of Hamilton.

Captain Edward Zealand, the master of the ill-fated propeller, was well-known and highly regarded among sailors on Lake Ontario. He came from a lineage of sailors, with his father being the renowned Captain Edward Zealand who was famously associated with the CAROLINE incident of 1812. Capt. Edward Zealand spent his entire life as a sailor, commanding some of the finest vessels on the Lower Lakes. He was a respected citizen of Hamilton, where he left behind a wife and a large family. His sailor’s life was filled with adventures and numerous shipwrecks, from which he miraculously escaped. Tragically, he met his untimely end in one of the most severe storms ever witnessed on Lake Ontario.

The ZEALAND was a propeller ship built in 1872 by Hyslop & Ronald in Chatham, Ontario. It was constructed for the Chatham & Montreal line and had two decks. The vessel, measuring 136 feet in length, 26 feet in beam, and 12 feet in depth, had a gross tonnage of 361 and a net tonnage of 267. Powered by a single high-pressure engine with one cylinder and one boiler, the propeller ship was equipped with a single propeller. It had a vertical engine manufactured by Hyslop & Ronald, with a cylinder size of 24 inches by 27 inches and a power output of 250 horsepower.

Tragically, the ZEALAND met its final fate in November 1880. It foundered in a storm off Long Point, south of Prince Edward Bay, Ontario, in Lake Ontario. The vessel was bound for Montreal from Toronto, carrying a cargo of wheat and flour. Regrettably, all hands on board were lost in the disaster. The shipwreck of the ZEALAND was later discovered by salvagers west of Nicholson Island in 1899, serving as a somber reminder of the tragic event.