Other Names
- MARION
The barge Jura, with a registration of 98 tons, was a relatively new vessel at the age of three. On October 24, 1885, the barge ran aground on Lake Ontario due to an error and became a total loss. The estimated value of the loss was $4,000. The Jura was en route from Oswego to Charlotte when the stranding occurred.
Captain Donnely, who visited the wrecked schooners Hannah Butler and Jura, reported that both vessels were completely destroyed. Attempts were made to reach the Jura with wrecking apparatus on the steamer John A. McDonald, but severe gales prevented the rescue operation. The barge was stranded on Gull Island and pounded heavily by the storm, resulting in a hole in the bottom of the vessel. Approximately 1,200 bushels of grain from the cargo were lost. Eventually, the decision was made to abandon the Jura, and all movable items, including sails and rigging, were removed. Unfortunately, the amount of salvaged grain was insufficient to cover the expenses of the wrecking operation. The cargo was owned by Mathews of Toronto and insured in the Commercial Union.
The Jura’s fate was reported in The Globe newspaper on November 4, 1885, mentioning that the vessel had jumped over a bar on Friday but was forced back and subsequently fell apart on Saturday. A separate entry in the List of Partial Lake Losses for 1885 valued the property loss of the Jura, carrying a cargo of barley, at $3,000.
It’s worth noting that the Jura was a rebuilt version of the schooner Marion, which was initially constructed in 1856 on Amherst Island. The Marion was rebuilt into the Jura in 1865. The Jura had an official Canadian registration number of 85411 and was owned by George W. Chase of Colborne, Ontario. Its home port was St. Catharines, Ontario. Information about the barge Jura’s registration can be found in the List of Vessels on the Registry Books of the Dominion of Canada as of December 31, 1886.
