The Steam Barge Aberdeen (1894)

General

See also the entry for the steam barge Aberdeen in our ships Database. [updated 6 February 2024]

1. PROPELLERS. ABERDEEN: Built of Wood: Gross Tons; 142: When Built; ’94: Bottom Caulked; ’01: Owner; A.W. Hepburn: Port of Hail; Picton: Value; $10,000 –(1907): Class; A2: Lumber Deck Load; 8’: Remarks; S.S.C.(smoke-stack cased): S.K1.(steel plates on keelson): Re.’06 (repairs)
2. Marine Review (Cleveland, Ohio), 5 Apr, 1894 p.5. Vessels laid up at Lake Ontario and River St. Lawrence ports.
   ABERDEEN Capt. M. Heffernan.
   
3. Marine Review (Cleveland, Ohio), 2 Apr 1896 p.5. Hepburn, A.W., Picton, Ont: Steamers:
   ALEXANDRIA Capt. H.B. Smith, Engineer Alex Milne
   EMPRESS OF INDIA Capt. George O’Brien, Engineer Francis Summerville
   ABERDEEN Capt. Micheal Heffernan, Engineer Henry Allison
4. Marine Review (Cleveland, Ohio), 15 Apr 1897, p. 5. Hepburn, A.W., Picton, Ont. Steamers:
   ALEXANDRIA Capt. R. Smith Engineer Chas. McWilliam
   EMPRESS OF INDIA Capt. Geo. O’Brien Engineer M. Tetro
   ABERDEEN Capt. M. Heffernan, Engineer George Gown
   WATER LILY __________, __________
   Schooner:
   ONTEORA Capt. Homer Perron.

Steam barge Aberdeen, circa 1910, Picton. (Photo: Lorne Joyce fonds.)

5. Marine Review (Cleveland, Ohio), 13 Jan, 1898, p.6. Vessels in Winter Quarters in Various Lake Ports.
   Steam Vessels: ABERDEEN – at Picton.
6. Marine Review (Cleveland, Ohio), 7 Apr 1898, p.4. Hepburn, A.W., Picton, Ont.
   Steamers:
   ALEXANDRIA Capt. E.B. Smith, Engineer Chas. McWilliam
   EMPRESS (OF INDIA) Capt. George O’Brien, Engineer M. Tetro
   ABERDEEN Capt. M. Heffernan, Engineer F. Thercauld
   WATER LILY Capt. M. Hicks, Engineer Geo. Gown
   Schooners:
   ROB ROY Capt. H. Perron,
   DELAWARE __________
7. Marine Review (Cleveland, Ohio), 23 Mar 1899 p. 8 Hepburn, A.W., Picton, Ont.
   Steamers:
   ALEXANDRIA Capt. E.B. Smith, Engineer Chas. McWilliams.
   ABERDEEN Capt. M. Heffernan Engineer Frank Thercauld
   WATER LILY Capt. M. Hicks Engineer George Gerow
   Schooners:
   ROB ROY Capt. Homer Peron
   DELAWARE __________
8. Marine Review (Cleveland, Ohio), 13 Mar 1902. APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS Lake Ontario Navigation Co., Ltd., Picton, Ont.
   ALEXANDRIA E.B. Smith, Thos. Milne
   ARGYLE G. O’Brien, John Hazelett
   ABERDEEN M. Hicks, Frank Thenault
   L. S. PORTER M. Hefferan, Geo. Hazelett
   WATER LILY Wm. Dulmage, Geo. Sauve
   NIAGARA not appointed, Fred Corkey
   ISABELLA REID H. Bonin, __________
   ROB ROY T. Brunette, __________
   DRAKE A. Durocher,__________

9. ABERDEEN	#7
   Other names: none.	Official Number: 94924.
   Type at loss: propeller, wood, bulk freight, “rabbit”.	Build Info: 1894, J. Tait, Picton, Ont.
   Specs: 100 x 22 x 9; 142 s.t.
   Date of Loss: 1918, Mar 11.	Place of Loss: At Picton, Ont., Bay of Quinte.
   Lake: Ontario	Type of Loss: fire.
   Loss of life: ?	Carrying: ?
   Details: Burned in harbor, at the “Ways”, Hepburn Shipyard. Part of the large Hepburn fleet.
   Year of loss also given as 1917.	Sources: mmgl, ns2, h, csv, hgl, hcgl

10. PUBLICATION: The Railway & Marine World (Toronto, Ont), Feb 1911, pgs 188-89 Ontario and the Great Lakes. The Ontario and Quebec Navigation Co., Ltd., which was recently incorporated, has been organized to take over the businesses and vessels of the former Ontario & Quebec Navigation Co., Ltd., and the Quinte Navigation Co. The O. and Q.N. Co., owned the steamboats ABERDEEN, ALEXANDRIA, LLOYD S. PORTER, and WATER LILY, and the Q.N. Co., owned the steamboats ALETHA, BROCKVILLE, VARUNA, and WHERE NOW, running on Bay of Quinte waters, between Picton, Belleville, Deseronto, Trenton, and Kingston. An order has been given for the construction of another steamboat which will be operated between Toronto, Charlotte, Montreal, and Quebec, during the coming season. Following are the officers and directors for the current year: President and General Manager, B.R. Hepburn; Vice President J.F. Chapman, General Freight and Passenger Agent Rathbun Lines; General Freight and Passenger Agent; J.D. Hepburn; other directors, W.V. Cooper, A. Leslie, H. Dempsey.
11. John M. Mills Canadian coastal and inland steam vessels, 1809-1930: Record #3, Mills Number 280. Name: ABERDEEN. Propulsion: Screw Propeller. Official Number 94924. Dimensions, 100 x 22, 142 Tons. Built in Picton, Ontario, Canada. CLOSING INFORMATION: Date Closed: 1918/03, Reason Closed: Burnt. Where Closed: Picton, Ontario, Canada.
    ADDENDUM: ABERDEEN, 100 x 22 x 9. Owned by A.W. Hepburn (Ontario & Quebec Navigation Co.) 1894. Canada Steamship Lines 1913. Used in the coal trade, Lake Ontario. Engine 131/2-26 x 18 by Bertram Engineering Works, Toronto. Destroyed by fire 11/03/18 in drydock, Picton.
12. Canadian Registry List, Record 2 of 5: Basic information given, the only difference is the date of the loss by fire as March 1917, registry closed 1920-11-04.
13. C.H.J Snider’s Schooner Days CCLXVII (267), "From grocery scow to GREAT EASTERN: more ships that Jack built – Jack Tait of Prince Edward."

References and source notes

(1) Inland Lloyds Lake Vessel Register, Canadian Hulls; 1897, Page 3., Mr. Ken Crichton, Newcastle, Ontario
(2-8) Online Resoure, Maritime History of the Great Lakes, Newspaper Transcriptions, “Marine Review”
(9) taken from the online resource “The Great Lakes Shipwreck file: Total Losses of Great Lake Ships 1679-1999. By David Swayze. © 1999-2001 – David D. Swayze, Lake Isabella. MI
(10) Online Resource, Maritime History of the Great Lakes, Newspaper Transcriptons.
(11-12) Online Resource, Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston, Ships Lists – Mills List
(13) C.H.J. Snider Schooner Days index, Naval Marine Archive.