STEAMER KINCARDINE

Research from Ron Beaupre (Marine Historian):

From the "Wiarton Echo" 1887-04-29, "The steam barge KINCARDINE has been bought by P.C. and J.J. Pearson, and will be used with the schooner PHOEBE CATHERINE in the Georgian Bay lumber trade."

The same newspaper carried the following story in the Friday, Sept. 21, 1888 edition. "Sunk at French River, the barge KINCARDINE, belonging to John Pearson and sons of Owen Sound, struck a rock in French River and sunk. About 8" of her deck is above water. She in insured for $4000 and has been protested. A diver has been sent and the insurance company will take immediate steps to raise her."

The KINCARDINE was raised and taken to dry dock at Owen Sound. She was taken out of dry dock on Oct. 17, 1888. The certificate of registered owners in the National Archives, does not note that Capt. Pearson owned the KINCARDINE. This is not unusual as only a small portion of this type of information is preserved. On Dec. 21, 1889, Robert Edgar sold the KINCARDINE to John Harrison of Owen Sound. Capt. Pearson must have sold the ship to Edgar or perhaps the insurance underwriters paid him the assessed value of the ship at the time of the wreck and then sold her to Edgar. The wreck of the KINCARDINE now lies about 20 miles east of Tobermory.

John Pearson's Other Ships:

The schooner "Alice" was stranded in 1858 - on May 8th, the Alice ran aground at the entrance to the river. The Schooner "Phebe Catherine" is mentioned in the history of Grey county as a fine vessel that didn't steer too well in the wind. The schooner "Nellie Sherwood": Winkelmann, A. Shipping Casualties resulting in total loss on the Great Lakes from 1970 to 1970. This book lists this vessel as foundering 2 miles from Cabot Head on Sept. 14, 1882. The steamer "Kincardine" ia listed in above book as being from the port of Goderich and being stranded near Cabot Head, Georgian Bay in 1892. One other reference to Capt. Pearson - in the 1892 Vessel Classification of the Inland Lloyd's list of Canadian hulls, the owner of the PHOEBE CATHERINE is Pearson. This schooner was built at Picton in 1864 by Tait and was 141 tons.

Notes from O.S Archives:

The Nellie Sherwood - schooner: 95 tons, length 77'6"; Beam 22'2"; Depth 7'6". Built at Algonac, Michigan, 1986, as market Drayton; sold Canadian, 1873 & renamed Nellie Sherwood. Owner, George Sherwood, Brighton (1873-74) John Pearson, Owen Sound (1882) Value of Vessel, $3,000. Master, Thomas Blanchard. Bound Owen Sound to Algoma Mills. Cargo, block stone & railroad flat cars. Wrecked north shore of Russell Island, September 13, 1882; five lives lost.

Newspaper coverage on Sinking of Nellie Sherwood:

Wiarton "Echo", Friday June 16, 1882:

Saturday, schr. NELLIE SHERWOOD for Oliphant to load ties, departed.

Toronto "Globe", Thursday, Sept. 21, 1882

ANOTHER DISASTER FEARED

Owen Sound, Sept. 20 - Grace fears are entertained here regarding the safety of the schooner NELLIE SHERWOOD that left here on the 12th inst., laden with flat cars and stone for the CPR at Algoma Mills. Nothing has been heard of her since, and it is feared she is another victim to the fearful gale of last Thursday. The cause for apprehension is increased by the report of Captain Griffin, of the schooner A.G. MOREY, who reports seeing a vessel go down near Cabot's Head with all on board. The SHERWOOD was a small vessel, owned by Mr. John Pearson, of this place.

Kingston, Sept. 20 - The loss of the schooner NELLIE SHERWOOD is reported. She went down in the gale of Thursday at Cabot's Head Point, Georgian Bay, very near where the ill-fated propeller ASIA sank. She is well known to mariners here, having sailed into port every season, and here had her name changed from the MARKET DRAYTON to that which she bore at the time of her loss. She has latterly been commanded by Capt. Blanchard, of Owen Sound, and valued at $3,000. She was very old having been built many years ago at Buffalo [sic]. All the crew, five in number, are believed to be lost.

TORONTONIANS LOST - She cleared with the following crew on board; Captain Blanchard and son, of Toronto; Thomas Gaskin, mate, Owen Sound; Alexander McPhee, Owen Sound; Annie Miles, of Toronto, cook.

The steamer AFRICA reports the SHERWOOD not having arrived at Algoma Mills, and there being no tidings of her on the route strengthened the belief that she has foundered, and met the same sad fate as the steamer ASIA.

Wiarton "Echo", Friday, Sept. 29, 1882:

A portion of a schooner's rail was found at Big Bay Tuesday. It is supposed to have belonged to the NELLIE SHERWOOD.

Body found - on Saturday last a body, supposed to be one of the crew of the ill-fated schooner NELLIE SHERWOOD, was found on the south-east end of Griffith's Island by Mr. G.W. Patterson, lighthouse keeper, and taken to Big Bay. An inquest was held Saturday evening, but the identity of the person - a young man apparently 17 years of age - was not fully established. Portions of his clothing were retained and the body buried.

Toronto "Globe", Wednesday, Oct. 25, 1882:

The sunken hull of the foundered NELLIE SHERWOOD has been discovered in the Georgian Bay.

 

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