.jpg) Minnedosa before 1905 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Canada | |
| Name | Minnedosa |
| Owner | Montreal Transportation Company |
| Port of registry |  Kingston, Ontario |
| Builder | Montreal Transportation Company,Kingston |
| Completed | 1890 |
| Out of service | 1905 |
| Identification | C94884 |
| Fate | Sank October 20, 1905, Lake Huron in tow of theWestmount. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Four masted schooner later converted to barge |
| Length | 250 ft (76 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Depth | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
| Decks | 2 |
| Installed power | Sail, later towed |
| Capacity | 1,041 net tons[1] |
| Crew | 12 (sail) 7 (barge) |
Minnedosa was a four-masted woodenGreat Lakesschooner launched in 1890. This was late in the era of sailing ships and it spent its career as aschooner barge, towed by a steam tug. It was lost with its nine crew and passengers and a heavy load of grain in a storm October 20, 1905 onLake Huron.[2]
TheMinnedosa was constructed by theMontreal Transportation Company and was one of 41 ships ordered for Great Lakes service. It was launched atKingston, Ontario on April 26, 1890, and was put into commercial service two days later, April 28. At 250 feet long, 36 foot beam and 15 foot depth, it was the largest Canadian-built sailing vessel on the Great Lakes.[2] It had agross tonnage of 1315 and anet tonnage of 1041.
The ship spent its entire working career as a"consort barge", towed by a steamship or a tug. This practice allowed more cargo to be moved at a slight cost in lowered speed and increased manpower. Consort barges were made obsolete by larger steel freighters. TheMinnedosa was mostly used to move grain across the Great Lakes to Kingston. It was often paired with theSS Bannockburn.[2]
In 1892 while in theWelland Canal theMinnedosa was damaged when the packet freighterArabian struck a lock.[3] Later that year theMinnedosa'smate was injured by waves on the deck. In 1894 through 1898 the ship was towed by the steamersAlgonquin,Glengarry andSS Bannockburn. In 1903 the masts were cut down, makingMinnedosa a barge.[1]
Minnedosa took on 75,000 bushels of wheat atFort William, Ontario on October 18, 1905. Along with the steamerWestmount and the bargeMelrose, it departed acrossLake Superior in tow for Kingston under the command of Captain John Phillips. The steamer was connected to theMinnedosa which in turn had a cable towing theMelrose. The three ships passed through the locks atSault Ste. Marie early on October 19 and passedDe Tour, Michigan that evening, then enteredLake Huron where a strong wind was blowing with snow falling. The captain of theWestmount, Alexander Milligan, directed the ships acrossSaginaw Bay. Late on the evening of October 20, theMinnedosa abruptly disappeared as the ships neared Harbor Beach. The crew aboard the bargeMelrose recovered the tow cable and observed it had been cut; theMelrose was adrift.[2]
Captain Milligan turnedWestmount and began to search for the two consort barges. TheWestmount's crew discovered the towing post of theMinnedosa still attached to the cable when they pulled it on board. It was later discovered that there were axe marks on the post, possibly meaning a crew of the doomed vessel chopped it off to save the Melrose. There was no trace found of theMinnedosa or its occupants, and theMelrose was taken back in tow at 5 AM October 21, making a safe arrival atHarbor Beach that afternoon.[2]
This same storm wrecked at least eleven ships, and damaged about 12 others, on the Great Lakes that day, with loss of several crews.[4]
TheWestmount and Melrose arrived at Kingston on October 26, 1905.
Loss of theMinnedosa was attributed to its heavy load and storm damage, resulting in its taking on water. The wreckage of theMinnedosa was located in 1993, sixteen miles fromHarbor Beach at a depth of 210 feet (64 m) .[2][5] The deep water wreck can be inspected by properly equipped divers.[6]
