The schooner Persia (1867)

1. General

Port of Hamilton Registry, Number 2 of 1867

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

NOTATIONS:

2. Schooner PERSIA. [no number] [sic] 99.6 x 22.3 x 10.6 of 196 tons register. Built Hamilton, Ont., 1867. Home port, Hamilton, Ont. Owned by Eliz J. Peters, of Windsor, Ont. List of vessels on the Registry Books of the Dominion of Canada on December 31, 1886.
3. 1888 Rebuilt, 101.5' x 24.8' x 9.66', 160.95 gross; 149.06 net tons, for David W. Allison (see footnote below) of Adolphustown, Ontario and Capt. David O'Hagan of Picton.
4. Schooner PERSIA. Of 213 tons. Built Hamilton 1868 by Robertson. 1888, owned by O'Hagan & Co. of Picton. Inland Lloyds Vessel Register Canadian Hulls, 1892 [year after loss.]

5. History:

Newspaper and other transcriptions

6. Daily British Whig (Kingston, ON), 20 Dec 1867 : The Hamilton Times says:- Apprehensions are entertained for the safety of the new schooner Persia, launched at this port last season, and commanded by Capt. James Hughes. The Persia left Oswego light for Hamilton in the fore part of the week, and was driven into Kingston by stress of weather. The owner, Mr. Dunlop, received a despatch that she sailed again on Wednesday, since which nothing further had been heard of her.
7. British Whig (Kingston, ON), 15 Apr 1891 : The schr. Persia arrived from Charlotte last night with 325 tons of coal, consigned to Swift & Co., for the dry dock. She is commanded by Capt. Dan O'Hagan.
8. Marine Review, September 10, 1891 : Wrecks and Heavy Losses. Two of the boats wrecked in the storm of a week ago, the schooners POMEROY and BRITISH LION, have since been taken into port and will be repaired. The schooner PERSIA, a small Canadian craft, foundered near Picton, Ont., Monday. She was stone laden from Kingston to Toronto, commanded by Capt. David O'Hagan, and owned by D. W. Allison, M. P., and the captain.
9. Buffalo Enquirer, Wednesday, September 9, 1891 : A dispatch from Picton, Ont., says: "The schooner PERSIA foundered last night opposite Point Petre light, about six miles out in 200 feet of water. All hands were saved. She was stone laden from Kingston to Toronto, commanded by Capt. David O'Hagan, and owned by D. W. Allison, M. P., and the captain." [Following is incorrect, not the same vessel. Ed.] The PERSIA is an old schooner of 92 tons register. She was built in 1855 and valued at $800.
10. British Whig (Kingston, ON), 15 Sep 1891 : The steamer Armenia arrived at Portsmouth, on Sunday, with a cargo of grain. On the way down her crew picked up one of the sails of the schr. Persia, which foundered some days ago near Long Point. They saw part of her cabin afloat.
11. British Whig (Kingston, ON), 16 Sep 1891 : The sch. Helen while passing South Bay fouled on the spars of the sunken schooner Persia. The obstacle is dangerous and lies about 4 miles off Point Petre in Lake Ontario.
12. Willis Metcalfe, Canvas and Steam, notes : "The Hamilton built, clipper bowed schooner Persia, was a stone carrier, which was different, loading her cargo in one port and delivering it to another, for a freight rate of so much per ton. The stone hookers got their cargoes by the seat of their backs and sold them by the toise. Freights did not interest them.
    In the winter of 1893-94, the Persia was thougoughly overhauled, all white and green in a new coat of paint.
    On her way up Lake Ontario in the Spring of 1894, with a cargo of stone for Brown and Love's dock at Toronto, she opened up and went down off Point Petre. Her crew escaped in the yawlboat and so did the pet raccoon, which sailed aboard the Persia for many a season.
    She was built 1867 and Robert Baldwin of Toronto was her registered owner in 1874. In length she was 99 feet 6 inches, 22 feet beam and 10 feet 6 inches depth of hold. 196 tons register. She was a two master.
13. Parliament of Canada biography: David Wright Allison (1826-1906) was a Canadian politician, farmer, manufacturer, and speculator. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal in an 1883 by-election representing the riding of Lennox. He was later elected to Lennox as a Liberal in 1891. He also ran for election as an independent for Lennox in the elections of 1882, by-election of 1885, 1887 and by-election of 1892.
14. References to the schooner Persia appear in C.H.J Snider's work, notably:
    The PERSIA and her Pet Coon: Schooner Days CCLII (252)
    Three or four Persias and Dan Sullivan: Schooner Days DC (600)
15. Important note: C.H.J. Snider, Schooner Days CCLII (252), 8 Aug 1936, incorrectly gives the date of sinking off Point Petre as 1894; this same error was repeated, more or less verbatim, by Willis Metcalfe, Canvas and Steam, and Robert Towsend, Tales from the Great Lakes, Based on C.H.J. Snider's 'Schooner Days'. From contemporary press reports (above), the Persia went down on the night of 8-9 September 1891. The register was closed September 15, 1891 (List of vessels on the Registry Books of the Dominion of Canada on December 31, 1892.)

References and source notes

(1) Various registers; Hamilton, Inland Lloyds, Doinion of Canada.
(6-11) Many of the contemporary newspaper cuttings can be found at Maritime History of the Great Lakes, Newspaper Transcriptons
(14) C.H.J. Snider Schooner Days index, Naval Marine Archive.