Legacy Notes & Full Historical Record

This section preserves the original unedited Shotline content for this wreck so that no historical detail is lost as we transition to the new logbook format.

(built 1881 – lost 9 September 1889; fire in engine room)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: F. A. Folger
• Year Built: 1881 (approximate, based on registry batch timing)
• Loss Date: 9 September 1889
• Location of Loss: Stranded and destroyed by fire in the St. Clair River, approximately 1.5 miles south of Grande Pointe, Ontario—on the St. Clair/Lake St. Clair waterway (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files, Heritage Johnstown)

Vessel Type

• Small sidewheel steamer or tug (wooden hull), light-draft vessel used for package freight or towing commerce in the St. Clair corridor (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Description

• Estimated tonnage: approximately 8 to 10 tons, sidewheel-driven, wooden hull
• Often referred to as a “miniature steamer” or tug, likely outfitted with a moderate engine installation
• Exact dimensions, official number, and builder records are not currently documented in available sources (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Final Voyage & Incident Narrative

• While upbound on the St. Clair River, the vessel caught fire in the engine room.
• Attempts to save the vessel involved the wheelsman holding his post as long as possible, steering her toward shore to beach her.
• Despite efforts, she stranded and was engulfed by fire. The hull was completely destroyed and broke apart—lost as a total wreck. No injuries or fatalities are recorded; no crew deaths (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files)

Final Disposition

• Cause of Loss: Engine room fire leading to uncontrollable blaze; vessel stranded while attempting to beach.
• Total loss; burned out and broken up by fire and eventual grounding.
• Casualties: None reported.

Located by & Wreck Condition

• No modern rediscovery or underwater survey is known.
• Wreck remains are presumed buried in shallow River sediments or destroyed by fire damage and subsequent scavenging.

Notices & Advisories

• No formal Notices to Mariners appear to have been maintained or discovered pertaining to this incident.
• The event is recorded in historic loss lists such as the Great Lakes Shipwreck Files (Great Lakes Shipwreck Files, usdeadlyevents.com)

Research Gaps & Suggested Follow‑Up

Key details still missing:

• Builder, dimensions, official number, and enrollment or ownership records
• Crew manifest and master identity
• Contemporary newspaper reporting from early September 1889 in St. Clair River port towns such as Port Huron, Marine City, or Great Lakes shipping columns
• Insurance, marine board reports, or steam vessel registry entries in Michigan/Ontario archives

Suggested research directions:

• Examine HCGL (Bowling Green) accident registers and steamboat logs for 1889 under “F. A. Folger” or similar spelling
• Search Port Huron and Marine City newspapers (e.g. Port Huron Times‑Herald) from early September 1889
• Review St. Clair River ferry or towing company archives (if the vessel was operated commercially)
• Investigate Canadian and U.S. underwriters for claims filed on small steamboat fires in the Sarnia–Port Huron corridor

Summary Table

Attribute	Details
Vessel Name	F. A. Folger
Built	circa 1881 (approx.)
Type	Sidewheel steamer / tug, wooden hull
Loss Date	9 September 1889
Location of Loss	St. Clair River ~1.5 mi S of Grande Pointe, ON
Cause of Loss	Engine room fire
Fatalities	None reported
Outcome	Caught fire, grounded, destroyed
Modern Rediscovery	None known

Conclusion

The F. A. Folger was a small sidewheel steamer built around 1881 and lost on 9 September 1889 after a catastrophic fire in her engine room while traveling up the St. Clair River. The wheelsman heroically attempted to beach her, but the blaze overtook the vessel, resulting in total loss. No casualties are reported, but substantial vessel details are lacking in surviving records.

f-a-folger-1881 1889-09-09 13:11:00