EMPRESS

• Sidewheeler
• 10 – 30ffw
• 172ft Length
• Garden Island

On March 18, 1868, the steamer EMPRESS, formerly known as the NEW ERA, tragically burned at Kingston. The vessel, built in 1848 by George Thurston in Kingston, had a burden of 432 tons and was valued at around $15,000. It served as a river steamer and belonged to O.S. Gildersleeve, with its home port also being Kingston.

After the fire, the remains of the EMPRESS were sold at auction in May 1868, including the hull, engines, boilers, anchors, and chains, which fetched a total of $1,167.50. However, in October 1870, the damaged hull of the old steamer was refloated and taken to Garden Island.

The construction and ownership history of the vessel revealed that it had undergone several changes over the years. Originally built in 1849, it was powered by a vertical beam engine with sidewheels. The dimensions of the EMPRESS were 172 feet in length, 23 feet in beam, and 9 feet in depth, with a tonnage of 263 gross. The rebuilt vessel, measuring 171.6 x 23 x 9 feet, had a tonnage of 262 tons. It was owned by O. Lynch and Beauharnais & C.B. Dewitt in 1865.

Throughout its operational years, the EMPRESS had various voyages and encounters. It serviced the Canada Mail Line between Montreal and Kingston, operated by John Hamilton in 1849. It experienced incidents such as sinking in Gallops Rapids in the St. Lawrence River in 1856, breaking a shaft on Lake Ontario in 1858, and colliding with the PASSPORT near Kingston in 1862. The EMPRESS also underwent repairs, renovations, and changes in its routes.

Unfortunately, its final fate came in 1868 when it burned in Kingston. However, the hull was salvaged, and after being raised, it was towed and scuttled at Garden Island in October 1870. Thus, the steamer EMPRESS concluded its journey on Lake Ontario.