The EAST, originally launched as the CANTIN in Montreal in May 1864, was a wooden propeller/package freighter that had a varied and eventful career on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. With its round stern and single mast, the EAST was a robust vessel, initially valued at $24,000, and equipped with an engine salvaged from the wrecked OSHAWA.
Early History and Ownership: Shortly after its launch, the CANTIN was renamed EAST and became one of the vessels claimed to be part of a quartet of blockade-runners during the Civil War era, though this claim remains unsubstantiated. The EAST had several owners over its operational life, starting with J.F.D. Black and I. Bonner of Montreal in 1864-65. By 1865, J. McLennan owned the vessel and chartered it to the Chaffeys.
Incidents and Collisions: The EAST encountered numerous incidents throughout its service. In 1867, the vessel broke two lock gates in the Welland Canal and collided with the American ship CONGRESS off Port Dalhousie, sustaining $300 in damages. Repairs were made at Andrew’s yard in Port Dalhousie.
The EAST continued to face challenges, including striking a pier in Port Stanley, Ontario, on November 11, 1868, leading to its scuttling to protect it over the winter. It was later salvaged and repaired in Detroit. The vessel also broke its shaft in Lake Erie in 1869 and lost two propeller blades in the Detroit River in 1870.
Legal Troubles and Conversion: In 1875, the EAST was involved in a collision with the American tug JOE MAC near Cole’s Light in the St. Lawrence River. The JOE MAC sank as a result, but its crew was rescued. The EAST sustained damage to its upperworks but continued to operate after repairs.
The vessel’s troubles culminated in November 1876 when it was seized by American authorities on the St. Lawrence River. The following year, the EAST was cut down to a coal barge and renamed KENT by its new owners, Seymour & Co. of Ogdensburg, New York. This conversion marked the end of its life as a propeller freighter and the beginning of its final chapter as a coal barge.
Final Fate: The KENT foundered on a bar near Ogdensburg around 1885. Its long and tumultuous career ended on June 2, 1906, when it was blown up, likely to clear the navigation hazard it posed.
Legacy: The story of the EAST, from its ambitious beginnings as a propeller freighter to its final days as a coal barge, reflects the dynamic and often perilous nature of maritime operations on the Great Lakes. The vessel’s repeated incidents, legal troubles, and eventual conversion illustrate the challenges faced by 19th-century maritime operators. Though it was ultimately destroyed, the EAST remains a notable example of the resilience and adaptability required to survive the ever-changing demands of Great Lakes shipping.
References and Links:
- Alpena Public Library Great Lakes Maritime Database
- Association of Canadian Lake Underwriters Lake Vessel Register 1866 and 1869
- Board of Lake Underwriters Marine Register 1878
- Canada List of Shipping 1877
- Canadian Heritage Ship Information Database
- Classification of Lake Vessels and Barges 1871
- Lake Vessel Register 1866 (Buffalo)
- Lytle Holdcamper List (Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States 1790-1868)
- Marine Museum of the Great Lakes Canadian Ship Registers online
- Merchant Vessels of the United States 1886
- New Mills List
- British Whig 15 November 1879
- Canadian Railway & Marine World July 1906
- Chicago Times 10 April 1865
- Cleveland Herald 26 December 1878
- Detroit Free Press 2 December 1870
- Detroit Tribune 9 November 1876
- Kingston Daily News 11 June 1864, 4 April 1865, 11 June and 17 August 1867, 16 April and 12 November 1868, 21 April 1869, 17 December 1873 and 25 February 1874
- Toronto Globe 26 August 1875
