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On the Ontario coast of Lake
Huron, Boiler Beach is famous for its lovely sunsets and great
swimming. The beach gets its name from an old ship's boiler that has
rested in the same spot since 1883. Prior to that date, the boiler
was part of the power-plant for the steamship ERIE BELLE, a tug that
had also been a passenger/cargo ship. She exploded in the winter of
1883 while trying to rescue a schooner (the J. N. CARTER) that had
gone ashore during a terrible storm. The blast killed four of the
twelve men on board ERIE BELLE and utterly destroyed the ship itself.
The wreck of the ERIE BELLE is
one of the most visible shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, and yet the
physical traces of this 19th century steamship seems almost obscure
and abstract. All that remains is the boiler, sitting a few dozen
meters off shore, 3 km south of Kincardine, Ontario. It is indeed
ironic that the cause of the wreck of the ERIE BELLE was also the
only trace that now remains of her. The boiler has even lent its name
to the whole location - Boiler Beach! The ERIE BELLE has also lent
her name to a fine sea food restaurant in Kincardine, Ontaro. Be sure
to drop in if you're anywhere near.
The ERIE BELLE was built in 1862
as a steam-powered, wooden-hulled tug, and was originally named the
HECTOR. She was built at Peck & Masters of Cleveland, OH, and was
112 feet in length, had a beam of 20 feet and a hull depth of 9 feet.
She was registered as 221 gross tons and 111 net tons. During the
American civil war, the HECTOR operated as tug on the Great Lakes,
moving large quantities of material by towing either barges or
sailing ships. Some time after the war she was re-built as a
passenger ship, and served the ports at the western end of Lake Erie,
including Leamington and Pelee Island.
In 1879 while on Lake Erie, The
ERIE BELLE struck a submerged object - the fluke of an anchor of
another ship - and started to take on water. The captain ran her into
shallow water, and everyone got off safely. The ERIE BELLE settled to
the bottom in about 10 feet of water, and rested to on her side. She
was eventually raised and refitted.
In 1883 she exploded while trying
to rescue the schooner J. N. CARTER, which was beached during a
terrible storm in November, south of Kincardine. |