History
The Aztec was a steambarge that was built in 1889 in Marine City, Michigan. It was constructed by David Lester and owned by the Marine Transit Co. of Marine City, Michigan. The steambarge had a wooden hull and featured one deck. It had a length of 180 feet, a beam of 33.3 feet, and a depth of 13.9 feet. The gross tonnage of the vessel was 834, while the net tonnage was 653.
The Aztec was powered by a steeple compound engine with two cylinders measuring 22″ and 44″ in diameter and a stroke of 40″. The engine, manufactured by Phoenix Iron Works in Port Huron in 1889, provided 785 horsepower at 85 revolutions per minute. The steambarge had one propeller and was equipped with a 10 x 16-foot, 120-pound firebox boiler.
Throughout its history, the Aztec underwent several ownership changes. It towed barges named Miztec and Zapotec when it was first enrolled in Port Huron, Michigan on April 30, 1889. In 1892, the machinery of the vessel was rebuilt at Phoenix Iron Works. Ownership of the steambarge transferred to Charles Burchinal of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 16, 1899, and later to John M. Spence and William Spence of Cleveland, Ohio on April 1, 1903. Lawrence Brown of Buffalo became the owner on April 9, 1912.
The Aztec met its unfortunate fate on November 8, 1923, when it caught fire on the St. Clair River in Marine City, Michigan. The vessel was destroyed and remained in its homeport until the 1930s when it was dynamited. The remains of the Aztec were then placed in a previously raised barge named Province. The barge, containing the remnants of the Aztec, was towed into Lake Huron and intentionally scuttled. At the time of the fire, the Aztec was owned by L.D. Brown.
