JULIA C72559

The schooner Julia encountered a tragic incident on Saturday noon when it departed from port carrying 7,500 bushels of barley, which belonged to Richardson & Sons and was loaded in Gananoque. The vessel reached Oswego at 9 o’clock but faced a disastrous turn of events while attempting to enter the harbor. The Julia struck the middle pier and subsequently sank, causing the entire cargo to be submerged underwater. Fortunately, the grain was insured, and the vessel itself had insurance coverage of $3,000. George Richardson promptly traveled to Oswego to oversee the process of raising the ship. According to experienced captains, Captain Courson displayed indiscretion by attempting to enter the harbor at night, as the only safe entrance could be made in daylight. This incident was reported by the Kingston Whig on October 25, 1883.

The sinking of the schooner Julia at the piers in Oswego was further covered in the Kingston Report of the Marine Record on October 25, 1883. The vessel, consigned by Richardson & Son and carrying 7,500 bushels of barley, went down in forty-five feet of water. Both the vessel and its cargo were insured by the Continental. The Julia had a value of $4,500 but was insured for $3,500, while the cargo was insured at a rate of 70 cents per bushel. The ownership of the vessel rested with Captain Courson and Timothy Hartnett. The sinking occurred when the Julia struck the piers while attempting to enter the harbor.

The Port Huron Daily Times reported on Saturday, October 26, 1883, that the Canadian schooner Julia, en route from Gananoque to Oswego, sank off the piers in Oswego after colliding with them. Thankfully, the crew members were safe, and efforts were planned to salvage the vessel from its watery grave.

As of December 31, 1886, the Schooner Julia, officially registered under Canada No. 72559, had a registry size of 108 tons. It was built in Smith’s Falls, Ontario, in 1875, and had its homeport in Kingston, Ontario. The vessel, measuring 89.0 x 19.8 x 7.9, was owned by T. Hartnett of Kingston, Ontario. These details were recorded in the List of Vessels on the Registry Books of the Dominion of Canada.

The schooner Julia, constructed in Smith’s Falls, Ontario, in 1875 by O’Meara, had a length of 89 feet, a beam of 19.8 feet, and a depth of 7.9 feet. It had a gross tonnage of 115 and a net tonnage of 108. The vessel changed ownership over the years, with T. Hartnett of Kingston, Ontario, acquiring it in 1876, followed by F. Hartnett and eventually Timothy Hartnett. The Julia’s history was marred by unfortunate incidents, including the pier collision and sinking in Oswego, New York, in 1883, which might have led to the vessel’s salvage or reconstruction. It also ran aground in Consecon, Lake Ontario, on November 23, 1884. Tragically, the schooner sank during a storm near Oswego, Lake Ontario, on November 25, 1887. Finally, the Julia met its demise when it burned on Wolfe Island, Lake Ontario, on February 25, 1895.