The steam screw vessel known as Annie Laura had a varied history with some notable incidents. Built in 1871 by J. Rice in Marine City, Michigan, it had an official U.S. number of 105106. The vessel had a gross tonnage of 244 and a net tonnage of 189. It measured approximately 133 feet in length, 25 feet in width, and 11 feet in depth. With an engine power of 141 horsepower, the Annie Laura primarily operated out of Chicago, Illinois.
On August 10, 1922, a significant event occurred when the Annie Laura caught fire and burned at the St. Clair Flats on Lake St. Clair. Fortunately, there were no reported fatalities, but the vessel was deemed a total loss as a result of the fire. It is worth noting that the sources sometimes refer to the vessel as Annie Laurie.
In another incident, which took place on an earlier date, the Annie Laura was involved in a collision with the small schooner Lem Higby near Rush Street bridge in Chicago. The schooner began to leak as a result, and the tug Babcock, which was towing the schooner, managed to bring it to the dock at McCormick’s factory before it sank.
The Annie Laura had undergone significant transformations throughout its lifetime. In 1881, it underwent major repairs, and in 1913, it was converted into a sandsucker, a vessel used for dredging sand from bodies of water. Despite these alterations, it met its final fate due to a fire near Algonac, Michigan, on Lake St. Clair. The vessel was beached during the incident and burned down to the waterline. To mitigate the hazard, the wreck was removed in November of the same year.
The Annie Laura was owned by D. O. Lockhart at the time of its loss. These details provide a glimpse into the history of the Annie Laura, a propeller wood sandsucker vessel that experienced both a collision and a destructive fire during its existence.
