F. A. Folger (1881)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: F. A. Folger
• Type: Sidewheel steamer / tug
• Year Built: 1881 (approximate)
• Builder:
• Dimensions: Length X ft (Y m); Beam; Depth of hold
• Registered Tonnage: approximately 8 to 10 tons
• Location: St. Clair River, approximately 1.5 miles south of Grande Pointe, Ontario

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

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

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.

History

• 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.

Significant Incidents

• 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.

Final Disposition

• 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.

Current Condition & Accessibility

• 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.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”f-a-folger-1881″ title=”References & Links”]

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.