The Preston, also known as the Harlow, was a steambarge built in 1891 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It had a length of 154 feet, a beam of 34.4 feet, and a depth of 10.7 feet. The vessel was constructed with wood and featured a single deck.
The original owner of the Preston was P.F. Thrall from Green Bay. It was powered by a steeple compound engine with two cylinders, manufactured by Phoenix Iron Works in Port Huron, Michigan. The engine had dimensions of 16.32 x 26 inches and provided 300 horsepower at 85 revolutions per minute. The steam power was generated by a firebox boiler, also manufactured by Phoenix Iron Works, with dimensions of 7 feet 6 inches x 14 feet, operating at 125 pounds per square inch.
In 1893, the Preston came under the ownership of the Cleveland Cedar Co. in Cleveland, Ohio, and in 1894, it was owned by William J. Harlow and others in Toledo, Ohio. The vessel experienced various incidents and changes in ownership throughout its history.
In September 1894, the Preston ran aground in the Hog Lake Canal in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, but was later released with the assistance of the tug Brockaway. In 1899, it underwent rebuilding and lengthening in Toledo, resulting in new dimensions of 193.7 x 35 x 11 feet and an increased tonnage of 639 gross tons.
On June 29, 1901, the Preston became waterlogged and was abandoned during a gale on Lake Superior. It was later towed to Port Coldwell, Ontario. Subsequently, in 1902, the vessel was rebuilt once again in Toledo, with dimensions of 193.7 x 35 x 10.6 feet and a gross tonnage of 575. It was also renamed the Harlow at this time.
In 1906, the Harlow stranded on the head of Fighting Island near Detroit, Michigan. Ownership of the vessel changed hands several times over the following years. In 1913, it was owned by Lillian B. Burke and others in Detroit, and in 1914, it was owned by Edward Closser and others in the same city.
The Harlow underwent conversion into a self-unloader sandsucker in 1915. It was then owned by Frederick D. Gleason in Detroit in 1916 and later by the F.D. Gleason Coal Co. in 1921. The enrollment for the vessel was surrendered on June 30, 1927, in Detroit, with the note “vessel abandoned-wore out.”
The Harlow, formerly known as the Preston, had a notable history of incidents, including running aground, nearly sinking, and undergoing multiple rebuildings. After being scrapped in 1926, the hull of the vessel was towed and intentionally sunk by a local individual named Mr. Sears. It was used to create a breakwall for his property, near the area where it had run aground 30 years prior. The wreck of the Harlow can be found on the edge of the Middle Channel, behind the green #13 buoy, by the Chene Highway. When the water level is low, the wreck is partially exposed and can be easily spotted.
