W.W. Stewart (W.J. Spicer)

Shotline Diving Wreck Profile

• Name: W.W. Stewart (W.J. Spicer)
• Type: Tow barge
• Year Built: 1864
• Builder: R. Stedman
• Dimensions: Length: 160.1 ft (48.8 m); Beam: 26.5 ft (8.1 m); Depth of hold: 11.5 ft (3.5 m)
• Registered Tonnage: 294 tons
• Depth at Wreck Site: 3.5 m / 11.5 ft
• Location: Buffalo harbor, Lake Erie
• Official Number: Not assigned (pre-1870s Canadian build)
• Original Owners: Grand Trunk Railroad Company, Thompson Towing & Wrecking Association
• Number of Masts: Three new spars fitted in 1881

Wreck Location Map

Vessel Type

Initially a wooden sidewheel steamer, purpose-built for the Grand Trunk Railroad. Her steam machinery reportedly came from the earlier steamer Saint Clair. In 1880 she was converted into a tow barge at Sarnia.

Description

• Hull Construction: Wood
• Original Dimensions:
  • Length: 154 ft (46.9 m)
  • Beam: 24 ft (7.3 m)
  • Depth: 11 ft (3.4 m)
  • Gross Tonnage (initial): 356 tons
  • Net Tonnage (initial): 239 tons
• Revised Dimensions (1881):
  • Length: 160.1 ft (48.8 m)
  • Beam: 26.5 ft (8.1 m)
  • Depth: 11.5 ft (3.5 m)
  • Gross Tonnage (after rebuild): 294 tons

History

• 1872 (Nov 20): Laid up after early career.
• 1875: Rebuilt at Port Huron, MI.
• 1880 (Apr): Converted to unpowered tow barge by Dunford & Atverson, Sarnia. Machinery removed.
• 1881 (Apr): Made an American vessel by U.S. congressional act. Renamed W.W. Stewart. Fitted with three new spars.
• 1880s–1890s: Active in lumber trade at Alpena, MI and Toledo, OH.
• 1898 (Mar 18): Transferred to Thompson Towing & Wrecking Association.
• 1905: Laid up at Buffalo, NY.
• 1909 (Oct 12): Burned at her dock after seven years idle. Suspected arson. Total loss.

Significant Incidents

• 1909 (Oct 12): The vessel burned at her dock in Buffalo Harbor, resulting in a total loss. The fire was suspected to be arson.

Final Disposition

• Date Lost: 12 October 1909
• Location: Buffalo harbor, Lake Erie
• Cause: Fire — suspected arson
• Final Role: Unpowered barge (tow lighter), laid up
• Cargo: None

Current Condition & Accessibility

The W.W. Stewart was burned and destroyed dockside, and is not a submerged wreck. No remnants survive.

Resources & Links

[shotline_reference_links slug=”w-w-stewart-w-j-spicer” title=”References & Links”]

The W.J. Spicer, later W.W. Stewart, is a textbook example of 19th-century Great Lakes vessel adaptation — from sidewheel steamer to unpowered barge. Initially serving Canada’s Grand Trunk Railroad, her later decades were spent in the lumber trade. Her final idle years culminated in a suspected arson fire in Buffalo Harbor. No remnants survive, but she remains part of Lake Erie’s industrial maritime legacy.