Shotline Diving

Connecting You to the Depths of the Great Lakes

H.S. Picklands US 95836

Explore the history of the H.S. Picklands, a wooden steambarge that served the Great Lakes before its unfortunate end in a fire.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Name: PICKANDS, H. S.
  • Type: Bulk Freighter / Wooden Steambarge
  • Year Built: 1884
  • Builder: John Collister
  • Dimensions: 181.4 ft (55.3 m) L × 32.5 ft (9.9 m) B × 13.4 ft (4.1 m) D
  • Registered Tonnage: 625.46
  • Location: Fairport Harbor, Ohio
  • Official Number: 95836
  • Original Owners: Mary E. Kirby, H.C. McCollom, Cheesebrough, Teagan Bros., Henry Wineman Jr., George B. Taylor, Harvey Morrison Co.
  • Number of Masts: Three

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

  • Type: Bulk Freighter / Wooden Steambarge
  • Configuration: Single-deck, three-mast
  • Intended Use: Bulk cargo (grain, iron ore); also towed consort barges

Description

  • Construction: Wood hull
  • Dimensions: 181.4 ft (55.3 m) L × 32.5 ft (9.9 m) B × 13.4 ft (4.1 m) D
  • Gross Tonnage: 625.46
  • Net Tonnage: 505.97
  • Cargo Capacity: ~1,250 tons
  • Propulsion:
    • One screw propeller
    • Steeple compound steam engine (20 + 36 in × 36 in)
    • 350 hp @ 80 rpm
    • Built by Iron Works, Buffalo, NY (installed 1885)
  • Boiler: One firebox (rebuilt 1889, 9 × 15 ft, 110 psi)

History

Chronology:
  • 1884
    • Oct: Launched, Grand Haven, MI
    • Dec 1: Enrolled, replacing ACKLEY
  • 1885: Ownership shared by Mary Kirby & H.C. McCollom
  • 1887:
    • Aug: Disabled near Ludington, towed by COLIN CAMPBELL
    • Sep: Acquired by AuSable Transportation Co., Detroit — entered grain/ore trades
  • 1889: Reboilered (9 × 15 ft @ 110 psi)
  • 1891–1902: Multiple ownership transfers, including Cheesebrough (Detroit), Teagan Brothers (Detroit), and Teagan Transportation Co. (Hamtramack, MI)
  • 1907: Acquired by Henry Wineman Jr., then George B. Taylor (Erie, PA)
  • 1912:
    • Jul: Acquired by Harvey Morrison Co., Cleveland, OH
    • Dec 3: Caught fire at Fairport, OH during sheltering maneuver in storm — aft destroyed

Significant Incidents

  • Date of Loss: December 3, 1912
  • Location: Fairport Harbor, Ohio — Lake Erie
  • Cause: Fire, likely engine-room origin while in harbor during storm tow
  • Tug Involved: FRANCIS B. HACKETT
  • Outcome: Aft destroyed, vessel laid up; documentation surrendered in 1914; scrapped in 1916
  • Casualties: None reported

Final Disposition

  • Wreck Site: No wreck recorded; vessel was scrapped
  • Discovery/Salvage: Not applicable
  • Current Status: Not listed in NOAA, Thunder Bay, or Ohio DNR wreck databases

Current Condition & Accessibility

  • Diving Status: Not a diveable wreck
  • Site Condition: No physical remains recorded post-1916 scrapping
  • Dive Notes: None — vessel completely destroyed and dismantled

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”h-s-picklands-us-95836″ title=”References & Links”]

PICKANDS, H. S. exemplified the 19th-century transition to powered bulk carriers on the Great Lakes. Despite her unremarkable end—burned in harbor and later scrapped—her near-three-decade service reflects evolving industrial transport needs and Great Lakes maritime engineering. Although no physical wreck remains, her history is thoroughly documented and preserved through enrollment archives, marine loss indices, and local port histories.

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.

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

  • Vessel Name: PICKANDS, H. S.
  • Official Number: 95836
  • Year Built: 1884
  • Builder: John Collister
  • Master Carpenter: John Kirby
  • Built At: Grand Haven, Michigan
  • Original Owner: Mary E. Kirby, Grand Haven, MI
  • Final Disposition: Burned, Fairport, OH — December 3, 1912

Vessel Type

  • Type: Bulk Freighter / Wooden Steambarge
  • Configuration: Single-deck, three-mast
  • Intended Use: Bulk cargo (grain, iron ore); also towed consort barges

Description

  • Construction: Wood hull
  • Dimensions: 181.4 ft (55.3 m) L × 32.5 ft (9.9 m) B × 13.4 ft (4.1 m) D
  • Gross Tonnage: 625.46
  • Net Tonnage: 505.97
  • Cargo Capacity: ~1,250 tons
  • Propulsion:
    • One screw propeller
    • Steeple compound steam engine (20 + 36 in × 36 in)
    • 350 hp @ 80 rpm
    • Built by Iron Works, Buffalo, NY (installed 1885)
  • Boiler: One firebox (rebuilt 1889, 9 × 15 ft, 110 psi)

History & Operations

Chronology:
  • 1884
    • Oct: Launched, Grand Haven, MI
    • Dec 1: Enrolled, replacing ACKLEY
  • 1885: Ownership shared by Mary Kirby & H.C. McCollom
  • 1887:
    • Aug: Disabled near Ludington, towed by COLIN CAMPBELL
    • Sep: Acquired by AuSable Transportation Co., Detroit — entered grain/ore trades
  • 1889: Reboilered (9 × 15 ft @ 110 psi)
  • 1891–1902: Multiple ownership transfers, including Cheesebrough (Detroit), Teagan Brothers (Detroit), and Teagan Transportation Co. (Hamtramack, MI)
  • 1907: Acquired by Henry Wineman Jr., then George B. Taylor (Erie, PA)
  • 1912:
    • Jul: Acquired by Harvey Morrison Co., Cleveland, OH
    • Dec 3: Caught fire at Fairport, OH during sheltering maneuver in storm — aft destroyed

Final Disposition

  • Date of Loss: December 3, 1912
  • Location: Fairport Harbor, Ohio — Lake Erie
  • Cause: Fire, likely engine-room origin while in harbor during storm tow
  • Tug Involved: FRANCIS B. HACKETT
  • Outcome: Aft destroyed, vessel laid up; documentation surrendered in 1914; scrapped in 1916
  • Casualties: None reported

Located By & Documentation Status

  • Wreck Site: No wreck recorded; vessel was scrapped
  • Discovery/Salvage: Not applicable
  • Current Status: Not listed in NOAA, Thunder Bay, or Ohio DNR wreck databases

Notmars & Advisories

  • Notices to Mariners: None noted
  • Hazard Bulletins: No submerged hazard recorded at Fairport Harbor

Personnel & Ownership Records

  • Original Owner: Mary E. Kirby
  • Subsequent owners: H.C. McCollom, Cheesebrough, Teagan Bros., Henry Wineman Jr., George B. Taylor, Harvey Morrison Co.
  • HCGL Crew Records: Available by request via Bowling Green State University archives (HCGL Vessel Card No. 95836)
  • Bureau of Navigation: Crew & master enrollment manifests obtainable (NARA Region 5)

Newspaper & Port Authority Records

  • Sources:
  • Next Steps: Newspapers.com and Chronicling America for Dec 1912 fire coverage and harbor logs for incident confirmation

Insurance & Legal Outcomes

  • Documentation Surrendered: Circa 1914
  • No Formal Salvage Recorded
  • Presumed Total Loss; Later Scrapped
  • Marine Inquiry/Claim Files: Potentially in Lloyd’s, NARA (Region 5), or U.S. Marine Board holdings

Shore Dive & Exploration

  • Diving Status: Not a diveable wreck
  • Site Condition: No physical remains recorded post-1916 scrapping
  • Dive Notes: None — vessel completely destroyed and dismantled

Resources & Links

Conclusion

PICKANDS, H. S. exemplified the 19th-century transition to powered bulk carriers on the Great Lakes. Despite her unremarkable end—burned in harbor and later scrapped—her near-three-decade service reflects evolving industrial transport needs and Great Lakes maritime engineering. Although no physical wreck remains, her history is thoroughly documented and preserved through enrollment archives, marine loss indices, and local port histories.

Keywords, Categories, Glossary Terms

  • Region: Lake Erie / Fairport, OH
  • Vessel Type: Wooden bulk freighter / steambarge
  • Cause of Loss: Fire
  • Dive Difficulty: Not applicable
  • Owner Transitions: Grand Haven → Detroit → Erie → Cleveland
  • Period: 1884–1912 (operational); 1916 (scrapped)
h-s-picklands-us-95836 1912-12-03 20:01:00