The schooner Dominion (1867)

1. General

Port of Picton Registry, Number : 24

See also the entry for the schooner Dominion in our ships Database.

NOTATIONS:

2. CARRIED TO NEW BOOK
3. Subscribing Owners: Horatio Todman & Wm. Clemonson, both of Wellington; sold to David Andrew of Napanee, dated April 8, 1871

History:

1867, August : Registered Picton, ONT.
1868, December 4 : owned by Osterhout and Dorland, Picton, ONT.
1869, June 9 : owned by David Andrews, Napanee, ONT.
1870, September 17 : Capsized & sank following collision with schooner HOWARD on Lake Ontario, 25 miles from Rochester.
1871 : owned by Ross, Wellington, ONT.
1871, November 25 : Sunk by collision with propeller DROMEDARY at Hamilton.
1874, September 28 : owned by J. Flynn, Napanee and Elizabeth A. Sherwood, Mill Point.
1876 : owned by Sherwood, Wellington, ONT.
1879, January 27 : owned by Calvin P. Price and E.A. Sherwood.
1879, August 8 : owned by John Flynn and E.A. Sherwood.
1879, August 18 : owned by Daniel O'Hagan (possibly with part owners David O'Hagan and E.W. Rathbun.)
1879, November 20 : wrecked Lake Ontario.

Newspaper and other transcriptions

4. Toledo Blade, Wednesday, September 21, 1870 Rochester Advertiser, 19th. : There was a calamity on Lake Ontario last night, involving the loss of a schooner. There was a wind bound fleet in the harbor yesterday morning. Eleven of the fleet left the port, some of them light. Among these was the schooner DOMINION and F. HOWARD. When about 25 miles from this port the HOWARD ran into the DOMINION. sinking the latter vessel. This occurred about 11:30 last night. The crew of the DOMINION escaped in the yawl, and were picked up by the schooner GEARING, which arrived here this morning. The vessels which collided were both owned by David Andrews, of Napanee, Ontario. They both left this port yesterday morning. It is presumed that the DOMINION is only waterlogged, and will be found drifting in the lake. The tug MOLLIE SPENCER has gone in quest of the wreck. Of the fleet that left yesterday morning, all but two have returned to this port.
5. Marine Disasters on the Western Lakes during 1871, Capt. J.W. Hall. Schooner DOMINION, cargo peas, run into by the propeller DROMEDARY at Hamilton and sunk; got up.
6. Buffalo Commercial Advertiser Monday, November 27, 1871. Hamilton Times: SUNK. On Saturday morning, about 3 o'clock, while the new schooner DOMINION, laden with 11,500 bushels of peas for Oswego, lay at anchor in the Canal, the propeller DROMEDARY collided with and sunk her, damaging her badly, amidships, at the point of contact. Her cargo was considerably damaged by water, yet portions of it may be saved. A canvas was placed over the hole, and by the free use of pumps she was successfully floated to Brown's Wharf. The freight and vessel were insured in the Montreal Marine Insurance Co.
7. Daily News (Kingston, ON), June 6, 1872. Collision - The schooners Camanche and Dominion, bound up from Kingston to the Welland Canal, collided on the lake on Tuesday with such violence as to knock in the stem of the Camanche. Both vessels were damaged to such an extent that they go on the dock for repairs.
8. Oswego Palladium, Friday, November 21, 1879. Capt. O'Hagan of the schooner Dominion which parted her anchor chains at South Bay yesterday morning and went ashore at Ford's shoal, three miles above this city, returned from the vessel at eight A. M., today. He was looking after his effects and says he was struck by the sea and washed off. He reports the seas very heavy and the schooner pounding hard. She is lying broadside against the beach in four feet of water at the bow and two feet at the stern. Her foremast has gone through the bottom and the rigging is loose. The captain thinks her bottom is pretty well pounded out of her and that she is fast breaking up. The Dominion is registered as follows for 1879: Tonnage, 89; built at Wellington by D. Tait in August, 1867; owned by E. Flynn & S.; hailed from Napanee; valued at $ 2,000; classes B 2; remarks -- flat'; no bilge pumps; repaired in 1876. As stated yesterday, captain O'Hagan says that he with E. W. Rathbun owns the Dominion; that she was valued at $ 1,800, and was insured for $ 1,000 in the Western of Toronto.
9. Daily British Whig, Nov. 24, 1879. [Note: this followed up on the Oswego Palladium article above.] There are over sixty vessels at Oswego windbound. Many have been detained for nine days. The schr. White Oak was the first to venture out. The captain regrets it now. The schooner, loaded with coal for Mr. Jas. Swift, arrived this morning pretty well strained. She left Oswego yesterday morning, and after she had been about fifteen miles out a terrific gale from the west struck her, tearing her sails into shreds, and demolishing the jib-boom. The ruined sails are the standing jib, flying jib, gib topsail. The water was rolling tremendously, and every wave dashed over the deck. The Captain, (Mr. J. Dix) says that it was the worst storm he ever experienced. As soon as the water came over the deck it froze, and had it not been that the crew had a sack of salt on board the sailors could not have moved around. None of the tars could ascend the rigging to take down the sails, and they were consequently allowed to flap themselves into pieces.

References and source notes

(1) Picton Register
(4-9) Many of the contemporary newspaper cuttings can be found at Maritime History of the Great Lakes, Newspaper Transcriptons