The schooner HEATHER BELLE (1868)

General

Port of Picton Registry, Number 28 :

NOTATIONS:

See also the entry for the schooner Heather Belle in our ships Database..

2. ALMEDA 164 tons built St. Catherines, 1844 by Schickluna, owned by Cook & Co. registered at Toronto. [Research by Mr. Bill McNeil of Toronto.] [See: schooner ALMEDA in our Ships Database.]
3. HEATHER BELL 168 American Tonnage; Rebuilt at Picton in 1868: Owner – Ross: Port Belonging to – Picton: Approximate Value - $7250.00: Class A2: General Remarks – Rigging to be re-fitted. [Research by Mr. Bill McNeil of Toronto.]
4. HEATHER BELL Description, sch: 168 American Tonnage: Built – Picton: 1868: Supposed Owners, Mathews: Port of Registry, Picton: Approximate Value, $6,500.00 : CLASS A2: Date of Last Survey, 3/73 : Association of Canadian Lake Underwriters, 1869 Lake Vessel Register, Toronto Page 13.
5. HEATHER BELL Where Built, Picton: By Whom, Tate: When, 68: Owners, Mathews & Sons: Port of Hail, Picton: Estimated Value, $7,000.00: Class A2: Remarks, Rebuilt in ’68. : 1871 Classification of Lake Vessel and Barges, Adopted by a Board of Marine Inspectors, Buffalo, April 1, 1871, Page 50.
6. HEATHER BELL Description, sch: 168 American Tonnage: Built – Picton: 1868: Supposed Owners, Mathews: Port of Registry, Picton: Approximate Value, $6,500.00 CLASS A2: Date of Last Survey, 3/73: Association of Canadian Lake Underwriters, 1873 Lake Vessel Registry, Toronto, Page 14.
7. HEATHER BELL Description, Schr: Tonnage, 168: Built, Picton, 1870: Supposed Owners, Mathews: Port of Hail, Picton: Value, $6,500.00: Class A2: Date of Survey 2/74: General Remarks, Built on bottom of “ALMEDA”. : Association of Canadian Lake Underwriters, 1874, The Marine Register. Toronto, Page 23.
8. OFFICIAL NUMBER 71145 HEATHER BELLE: Port of Registry, Goderich: Rig Schr: How Propelled, Sails: 99.0 22.1 8.8: Registered Tonnage 144: Owner, D.C. Strachan, Goderich, Ont. : Sessional Papers; Department of Marine, Ottawa, 1887

Newspaper transcriptions

9. Marine Matters:- Navigation can now be said to be fairly opened. The schooner HEATHER BELL left this port on the 14th. Inst. For Genesee river and returned yesterday with a cargo of stone, thus making the first round trip of the season. The “MAIL”, Friday April 19, 1872
10. Marine Intelligence ; Port of Toronto Friday April 19 ; ARRIVALS:- Schr HEATHER BELL; Charlotte, light:
11. MARINE INTELLIGENCE PORT OF TORONTO FRIDAY APRIL 19. The clearance of grain laden vessels from Toronto for the other side, since the opening of navigation, have been as follows: schooner HEATHER BELL; Charlotte, 7564 bushels wheat:
12. MARINE INTELLIGENCE PORT OF TORONTO APRIL 29 ARRIVED, April 30: HEATHER BELL from Charlotte --- the “MAIL” Wed, May 1, 1872
13. MARINE INTELLIGENCE PORT OF TORONTO MAY 1 ARRIVED – April 30, HEATHER BELL, no cargo, light from Genesee: The “MAIL”, Thursday May 2, 1872.
14. Kingston:-May 3. The schooner HEATHER BELL, grain laden, arrived today from Toronto with 8000 bushels of wheat. The “MAIL”, Saturday, May 4, 1872.
15. MARINE INTELLIGENCE PORT OF TORONTO, MAY 17 CLEARED:- HEATHER BELL: Oswego, wheat, 8150 bushels."MAIL", Saturday, may 18.
16. NAVIGATION Goderich Sept 30, 1875. ARRIVED:- Schr. HEATHER BELL, Sarnia, light. The Daily Globe, Friday October 1875
17. NAVIGATION Goderich Oct 12, 1875. . ARRIVED :- Schr. HEATHER BELL, Midland, lumber. The Daily Globe, Wednesday, October 13, 1875
18. NAVIGATION Goderich Oct 19, 1875. CLEARED:- Schr HEATHER BELL, Kincardine, coal oil.. The Daily Globe, Wednesday, October 20, 1875
19. NAVIGATION Kincardine Oct 20, 1875 ARRIVED:- Schr HEATHER BELLE, Goderich, light. The Daily Globe Thursday, October 21, 1875
20. NAVIGATION Kincardine Oct 21, 1875. CLEARED:- Schr HEATHER BELLE, Cleveland, barley. The Daily Globe, Friday, October 22, 1875
21. Goderich December 11, 1875.:- The following vessels are laid up here, for the season:- Schooners…….HEATHER BELL……..The Daily Globe, Monday December 13, 1875.
22. At Picton, Canada, on the 1st inst. A fine new schooner, called the HEATHERBELL, was launched from the shipyard of Messers. Redman & Tait. Her dimensions are: length of keel, 98 ft,. breadth of beam, 23ft,. depth of hold 81/2 ft,. with a capacity of 9000 bushels. She is owned by Messers. W. Ross & Co.--Buffalo Morning Express Oct 26, 1868.
23. HEATHER BELLE, Schooner, ashore in Wellington Bay: got off: cargo barley damaged. Marine Disasters on the Western Lakes during 1869. Capt. J.W. Hall
24. Picton November 5: The schooner HEATHER BELL went ashore this morning off Wellington loaded with 9000 bushels of barley. The hull is insured in the Western for $6000. Cargo insured for $7000. Meaford Monitor, Friday November 19, 1869
25. Oswego November 8 --- A gale of considerable severity, accompanied with flurries of snow, has prevailed here since Saturday night. Several disasters occurred to shipping. The schooner HEATHER BELL with barley for Toledo, is ashore at Wellington, Ontario.
26. Daily News, 3 May 1872, p2. --- Shipping – Montreal Transportation Company’s Wharf. The schooner HEATHER BELL from Toronto, with 8142 bushels of wheat reached here this morning.
27. Daily News, May 27, 1872, Kingston:- Marine News --- HEATHER BELL (from) Hamilton 8200 bushels of peas.
28. Daily News, 7 August, 1872, Kingston:-p2. Marine News --- Messers. Jones & Miller’s Wharf. Departures – HEATHER BELL – Toronto – 200 tons of rails.
29. Daily News 19 June 1873 p1. P1.Marine News: Port Colborne June 18 DOWN:- HEATHER BELLE -- Rondeau -- Oswego -- wheat
30. Daily News 18 August 1873 p2. Marine News: Holcomb & Stewart’s Wharf HEATHER BELL--- Toronto 8519 bushels of wheat
31. Daily News, 27 October 1875, Kingston. Marine Notes p2. Port Colborne Oct 26 DOWN: HEATHER BELLE Kincardine - Oswego, barley.
32. Goderich Novemeber 29:--- The schooner HEATHER BELL, laden with coal, also had her bowsprit carried away and received other serious damage. ---Toronto Daily Globe Tuesday November 30, 1875.
33. Kingston Whig-Standard, Oct 23, 1880:- The sad intelligence of the loss of the schooner HEATHER BELL of Picton, Ont, has been received here. One of the survivors says the vessel went ashore near Kintail Dock, Ont., and that the Captain was drowned. Capt. Norman McDonald was very wellknown and very highly esteemed. Capt. McDonald had a farm at Paisley. He leaves a wife and family.
34. MARINE RECORD, August 8, 1884:- schooner HEATHER BELLE ashore at Southampton and will likely be abandoned by her owners.
35. MARINE RECORD August 14, 1884:- The HEATHER BELLE has been released from where she was ashore on Lake Huron and towed into Southampton Harbour for repairs. She has been purchased by McLean Bros. of AuSable Mills.
36. Schooner HEATHER BELLE, Official Canadian No. 71145. Built at Picton, Ontario., in 1868. Home Port, Goderich. Of 144 Tons Reg. 99 x 22.1 x 8.8. Owned by D.C. Strachan, of Goderich. List of Vessels on the Registered Books of the Dominion of Canada on Dec 31, 1886

References and source notes

(9, 12-15) Newspaper accounts from the “MAIL” – Research by Mr. Bill McNeil, Toronto.
(22-36) These accounts come from the online database of the Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Contributing researcher is Mr. Bill McNeil of Toronto.