Erie Belle
The Erie Belle was a Great Lakes steam ship which exploded in 1883 along the eastern shore of Lake Huron. Built in 1864 as the Hector, she initially served the east coast of the USA during the Civil War era. She sailed for many years as a packet steamer on Lake Erie, until sinking and being re-built as a tug.
Demise
During monumental storms in November 1883 she was sent to an area south of Kincardine, Ontario, Canada to rescue the schooner J. M. Carter which had been blown ashore. While maneuvering offshore it is thought that the water supply to the boiler was cut off, and when restored, superheated steam blew up the boiler and the ship. Four crewmen died. Interestingly, and ironically, the remains of the boiler are today on shore and still visible, as the naming feature of "Boiler Beach" two miles south of Kincardine.
The Boiler Artifact Today
The Erie Belle's boiler is one of the most visible and accessible relics of a ship wreck along the shores of the Great Lakes. The boiler does not rest in the precise location of the explosion, which would have taken place further out from shore. Following the 1883 explosion the remains of the ship were dragged toward shore and disassembled. The boiler itself remained in the lake until it was pushed onto the shore by winter ice in the late 1990s.
Today the boiler rests partly buried in the sands of Boiler Beach. The largest visible part of the boiler is the outer casing of the fire box, the lower end of the boiler, which is oriented toward the south. The boiler is resting on what was originally the side through which fuel would have been stoked into the firebox. The base of the flue, which would have carried smoke and exhaust gasses to the ship's funnel, is now nearly buried in the sand and points to the north. Between the flue and the firebox is a tangled, broken area that would have originally held steam tubes.
The boiler can be found from Boiler Beach Rd at the Huronville Rd beach access at the south end of Kincardine. The boiler lies on the beach a few hundred metres north of this access.
Interesting facts
A sea food restaurant in near-by Kincardine is named in honor of the famous ship wreck, and serves a variety of dishes straight from the waters which destroyed the ship.
External links
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