N. MILLS

The barge MILLS was built in 1870 in Vicksburg (Marysville), Michigan. It was a wooden-hulled barge with a single deck. The construction was carried out by Philander Lester. The original owners were the Mills Transportation Co. of Port Huron, Michigan, which included Nelson and B. Mills of Marysville, as well as Henry McMorran of Port Huron.

The MILLS had a length of 164.4 feet, a beam of 29.9 feet, and a depth of 11.6 feet. It had a gross tonnage of 391.49 and a net tonnage of 305.91. The barge had a capacity to carry 385,000 board feet of lumber.

On September 6, 1906, the MILLS met its final fate opposite McGregor Point in the St. Clair River. While en route from Cleveland, Ohio, to Algoma Mills, Ontario, with the tug A. ANDERSON in tow, the MILLS collided with the steamer MILWAUKEE. Two lives were lost in the collision. Subsequently, the MILLS was blown up to clear the channel.

Throughout its history, the MILLS was engaged in the lumber trade and towed various barges. It underwent repairs and modifications over the years. The barge was equipped with a steeple compound engine with two cylinders measuring 20 + 36 x 30 inches and producing 400 horsepower at 95 revolutions per minute. The engine was manufactured by Cuyahoga Iron Works in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ownership of the MILLS changed hands several times, with N. Mills & Co. of Cleveland owning it in 1888, and later the Port Huron Navigation Co., with N. Mills as the president in 1901.

The sinking of the MILLS in 1906 occurred when it collided head-on with a steel ship south of St. Clair on the St. Clair River. The bow of the MILLS was crushed, leading to the barge sinking. Two people on board, including the wife of the engineer, lost their lives in the incident.