Erie Belle
Encyclopedia
The Erie Belle was a Great Lakes
steam ship which exploded in 1883 along the eastern shore of Lake Huron
. Built in 1864 as the Hector, she initially served the east coast of the USA during the Civil War
era. She sailed for many years as a packet steamer on Lake Erie
, until sinking and being re-built as a tug
.
, Canada
to rescue the schooner
J. M. Carter which had been blown ashore. While maneuvering offshore it is thought that the water supply to the boiler
was cut off, and when restored, superheated steam blew up the boiler and the ship. Four crewmen died. Interestingly, and ironically, the remains of the boiler are today on shore and still visible, as the naming feature of "Boiler Beach" two miles south of Kincardine.
Today the boiler rests partly buried in the sands of Boiler Beach. The largest visible part of the boiler is the outer casing of the fire box, the lower end of the boiler, which is oriented toward the south. The boiler is resting on what was originally the side through which fuel would have been stoked into the firebox. The base of the flue, which would have carried smoke and exhaust gasses to the ship's funnel, is now nearly buried in the sand and points to the north. Between the flue and the firebox is a tangled, broken area that would have originally held steam tubes.
The boiler can be found from Boiler Beach Rd at the Huronville Rd beach access at the south end of Kincardine. The boiler lies on the beach a few hundred metres north of this access.
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
steam ship which exploded in 1883 along the eastern shore of Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
. Built in 1864 as the Hector, she initially served the east coast of the USA during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
era. She sailed for many years as a packet steamer on Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, until sinking and being re-built as a tug
Tug
Tuğ is a village in the Khojavend Rayon of Azerbaijan....
.
Demise
During monumental storms in November 1883 she was sent to an area south of Kincardine, OntarioKincardine, Ontario
The Municipality of Kincardine is located on the shores of Lake Huron in the County of Bruce in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has a population of 12,000, and covers an area of 580 square kilometres...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to rescue the schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
J. M. Carter which had been blown ashore. While maneuvering offshore it is thought that the water supply to the boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
was cut off, and when restored, superheated steam blew up the boiler and the ship. Four crewmen died. Interestingly, and ironically, the remains of the boiler are today on shore and still visible, as the naming feature of "Boiler Beach" two miles south of Kincardine.
Restaurant
There is a restaurant named Erie Belle in Kincardine, on Harbour Street. It offers fish "straight from the waters the Erie Belle sank"The Boiler Artifact Today
The Erie Belle's boiler is one of the most visible and accessible relics of a ship wreck along the shores of the Great Lakes. The boiler does not rest in the precise location of the explosion, which would have taken place further out from shore. Following the 1883 explosion, the remains of the ship were dragged toward shore and disassembled. The boiler itself remained about 20 metres offshore until it was pushed onto the beach by winter ice in the mid-twentieth century. Depending on the level of the lake from year to year, the boiler can be completely out of the water, or in shallow water within a metre of shore.Today the boiler rests partly buried in the sands of Boiler Beach. The largest visible part of the boiler is the outer casing of the fire box, the lower end of the boiler, which is oriented toward the south. The boiler is resting on what was originally the side through which fuel would have been stoked into the firebox. The base of the flue, which would have carried smoke and exhaust gasses to the ship's funnel, is now nearly buried in the sand and points to the north. Between the flue and the firebox is a tangled, broken area that would have originally held steam tubes.
The boiler can be found from Boiler Beach Rd at the Huronville Rd beach access at the south end of Kincardine. The boiler lies on the beach a few hundred metres north of this access.