The barge Puritan

Shipwreck research notes

Reported by Metcalfe, Canavas and Steam, p.176, as the 'schooner' Peruvian; copied to Allan Ralley wreck chart #49 as the Pervian as having sunk near Forester's Island in December 1898, with a cargo of iron. Research very strongly suggests confusion with the barge Puritan, which foundered in this location two months earlier than the date given. See our database entry for Puritan.

Note: This is not the sternwheeler Puritan, renamed the Alberta in 1895.

Press reports

British Whig (Kingston, ON), 18 Oct 1898, p.5 : The Barge Went Down - Napanee, Oct. 18th - On Monday afternoon as the barge Puritan was lighting a tow barge of iron ore for the Deseronto smelter, a short distance from Deseronto, she went down with 200 tons of ore on board. The ore was brought from the Marquette iron ore mines and was a trial shipment for the Deseronto smelter. There are at present 2 barges unloading the ore and 3 more out in the bay waiting to be unloaded.

Foundering off Forester's Island, 1898

British Whig (Kingston, ON), 24 Oct 1898 : The Burial of the Puritan - The old barge Puritan lies at the bottom of the Bay, midway between the Rathbun company's dock and Forrester's island, with about 150 tons of iron ore in her hold. She was lightering the monster steam barge Sequin from Marquette, on Monday, to permit of her landing at the Deseronto iron works dock with her cargo of iron ore. The ore proved too much for the Puritan and she sank in about 22' of water. Her masts are visible above the water and an attempt will be made to raise her. Failing this, a charge of dynamite will likely remove this impediment to Bay navigation. [Napanee Express]

British Whig (Kingston, ON), 24 Oct 1898 : The Donnelly wrecking company has closed a contract with the Rathbun company, Deseronto, to raise the barge Puritan, sunk in the channel abreast of Capt. John's Island, Bay of Quinte.

British Whig (Kingston, ON), 1 Dec 1898 : [Note: this is the press report that was probably at the origin of the confusion over the names 'Peruvian' and 'Puritan'.] To Raise the Peruvian [sic]. The Donnelly wrecking company today shipped two car loads of wrecking outfit to Deseronto to be used in raising the schooner Peruvian [sic], sunk near Foresters' park while trying to make Deseronto harbor with a cargo of iron ore. As the schooner lies she is a menace to navigation in that part of the bay.