The ''Niagara'' was a large wooden
tugboat
A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...
that sank on June 4, 1904 on
Lake Superior
Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...
near the town of
Duluth, Minnesota
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
,
Lake County, Minnesota
Lake County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,905. Its county seat is Two Harbors.
History
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area had long been inhabited by Native American groups. ...
after running aground near
Knife River
The Knife River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 120 mi (193 km) long, in North Dakota in the United States.
Knife is an English translation of the Native American name.
It rises in west central North Dakota, in ...
. On April 14, 1994 the wreck of the ''Niagara'' was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
History
The ''Niagara'' (Official number 18714) was one of the large class of "outside"
tugboat
A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...
s} that were built for
timber rafting
Timber rafting is a method of transporting felled tree trunks by tying them together to make rafts, which are then drifted or pulled downriver, or across a lake or other body of water. It is arguably, after log driving, the second cheapest mean ...
on the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
. They were designed for the lumber industry which at the time was very large.
She was built by the
Detroit Dry Dock Company
The Dry Dock Complex consists of six interconnected buildings located at 1801–1803 Atwater Street in Detroit, Michigan, as well as the remains of a nearby dry dock at 1900 Atwater Street. The 1801-1803 Atwater complex is also known as the Globe ...
in 1872 as hull number #9.
She was long, her beam was wide and she had a
depth of .
The vessel measured 276.87
gross register tons and 183.05
net register tons. The ''Niagara'' is significant because of her work in the Great Lakes lumber industry.
In 1889 the ''Niagara'' was rebuilt and had a new engine and machinery installed. Her new engine was a 56-horsepower
fore and aft compound steam engine that had bores of 24 inches and 44 inches by 36 inch stroke. The new engine was built by the Frontier Engine Works Company of
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
. Her new
Scotch marine boiler
A "Scotch" marine boiler (or simply Scotch boiler) is a design of steam boiler best known for its use on ships.
The general layout is that of a squat horizontal cylinder. One or more large cylindrical furnaces are in the lower part of the boiler ...
-wide and -high, and it was built by Thomas McGregor of Detroit, Michigan.
Final voyage
On the day of June 4, 1904 the ''Niagara'' was sailing from
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the second-most populated ...
to
Duluth, Minnesota
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
to tow some construction equipment owned by Hugo & Tims from Duluth, Minnesota To
Lake Huron
Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...
.
She was sailing in heavy weather when she ran aground on Knife Island. The crew of the ''Niagara'' claimed that the reason for their grounding was that their compass failed because it started detecting magnetic anomalies on the shoreline. Her captain ordered her engine to be reversed, but the strong winds and heavy seas drove her onto the rocks. Huge waves began to pound the ''Niagara''; she began to break apart quickly.
Distress calls that were being sent by the ''Niagara'' were heard in a village at the mouth of Knife River. The village's telegraph operator telegraphed the town of
Two Harbors, Minnesota
Two Harbors is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Minnesota, United States, along the shore of Lake Superior. The population was 3,633 at the 2020 census. Minnesota State Highway 61 serves as a main route in Two Harbors. Gooseberry ...
to request assistance. The steel tug ''
Edna G'' was sent to rescue her crew. She quickly arrived to assist the ''Niagaras crew. The ''Edna G'' rescued the eleven crewmen and two passengers that were aboard. The only person who sustained an injury was Mrs. A. Merritt who cut her hand on a piece of broken glass while she was escaping her cabin.
On June 16, 1904 the
Duluth Evening News reported that the ''Niagara'' was quickly stripped of her boiler, engine, machinery, and iron and steel work, then the pieces were placed the machinery in the Whitney Brother's dock in Duluth, Minnesota.
Wreck of the ''Niagara''
The wreck of the ''Niagara'' lies in four pieces on a rocky slope off Knife Island. The four sections of her hull include: her stem, her starboard side and keel, her port side and a detached section of her starboard side rail.
There is no trace of her stern which means that either it was recovered during a salvage attempt, or it lies quite far away from the rest of the wreckage. There is also a small section of her deck is still attached to her port side.
The ''Niagara'' is also a rare vessel because she is one of only two known rafting tugs in the Minnesota portion of Lake Superior, the other one being the ''Bob Anderson'' which was built in 1862.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niagara, SS
1872 ships
Tugboats on the Great Lakes
Maritime incidents in 1904
Shipwrecks of Lake Superior
Ships built in Detroit
Steamships of the United States
Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
National Register of Historic Places in Lake County, Minnesota
Shipwrecks of the Minnesota coast
Ships sunk with no fatalities
Wreck diving sites in the United States