Fire and Shipwreck

Revealing 19^th Century Ship Losses at Hamilton

Hana Parkin

Hamilton - 2022

The Port of Hamilton was home to many ship losses throughout the 19th century. These ships were often schooners, steamers, and tugs. Harbours can be seen as a safe haven for some vessels, and a place of danger for others. This paper will discuss some of the shipwrecks that occurred at Hamilton Harbour by identifying the nature of ship losses at Hamilton through two common themes: fire and shipwreck. Three different ship losses from the 19th century, including The Queen of West, the Enterprise, and the Shamrock, will be analyzed in correlation to fire. The Napoleon, and the Comet were two shipwrecks that explored throughout this paper. Through the discussion of these ship losses at Hamilton Harbour in the 19th century, one can begin to view the Port of Hamilton through its development as a harbour, a place of trade, and sometimes as a dangerous location for vessels.

The steamer Queen of West was built in 1851 in Oswego, New York.¹ In 1853, while the Queen of West was on route to Toronto Harbour, a fire had begun aboard.² The Queen of West was towed into shore near Hamilton Harbour, where the fire took over the entire ship and resulted in the loss of all the cargo aboard.³ This fire posed danger to the nearby property and people. Whilst the fire was engulfing, the Queen of West crewmembers were still on the ship.⁴ If a tugboat had not come to rescue, the ship would have been burned on the lake along with those aboard.⁵ Not only was the ship and its cargo at risk, but the warehouses at the Port of Hamilton were also in danger.⁶ Since the Queen of West was towed into shore for the people to evacuate, it was close enough that the fire could have spread and possibly destroy the warehouses too.⁷ Although people aboard the Queen of West and the Hamilton Harbour property were in danger, the harbour would have also been seen as a safe haven. For example, due to the rise of commerce which increased shipping in the 19th century, Hamilton Harbour had become more developed.⁸ Through the harbour becoming more “equipped,”⁹ it would have had resources for the crewmembers in danger, such as safety and rescue boats or tugboats. Although the Queen of West was burned to its end, after having been brought to shore, the crew members inside had been saved.¹⁰ Without Hamilton Harbour being nearby, there would not have been available rescue resources or a safe place to evacuate from the burning ship.

By 1860, Hamilton Harbour became more populated after the Burlington Bay Canal underwent construction decades before which allowed ships to travel with ease between Burlington to Hamilton.¹¹ This easy access likely increased the route’s popularity and traffic between the ports, including ships, property, and people.¹² As Hamilton Harbour continued to become an established port city, tugboats and lighthouses were added for incoming ships in response to commerce and the high rates of shipping.¹³ By this period, yacht clubs had also been introduced to the area which increased the numbers of people and boats in Hamilton Harbour. The Shamrock was another ship that was loss to fire.¹⁴ It was a tugboat that was built in Hamilton in 1884.¹⁵ The Shamrock, along with the Enterprise, which was an excursion vessel that was built in 1885, burned on October 1st, 1885.¹⁶ The dangers that these ship losses caused to local people and property, particularly as the port began to experience increased ship traffic due to commerce and yacht clubs, should not be underestimated. Two large vessels burning so close to the harbour could have resulted in a much greater loss than just the Enterprise and the Shamrock burning, but also the nearby people and the property. In contrast to the Queen of West highlighting Hamilton Harbour as a safe haven, the loss of the Shamrock and the Enterprise to the large flame would have posed a threat to the harbour.

To put these three ship losses into perspective, all three ships were constructed using wood which was a material that the shipping industry relied on but could be easily and quickly destroyed in fires. This material ultimately posed more risk for danger in incidents of fire and new material, such as steel and iron, were used during the ladder years of the 19th century to decrease the danger of fast-spreading fires.¹⁷ A larger entrance and more room between the warehouse and shore were also developed to minimize the risk of fires spreading and therefore demonstrating that these ship losses had a significant impact on the development of the port city.¹⁸

Aside from fire, vessels were also lost due to storms and sinking such as the Napoleon which was a steamer that was built in 1853.¹⁹ During a large storm, the Napoleon was wrecked and soon found itself on the shore near the Hamilton Harbour.²⁰ In contrast to the ship losses due to fire, most of the goods on the Napoleon may have been able to be retrieved and the overall damage likely would have been less but still severe.²¹ As we have mentioned as a theme throughout this paper, commerce. Trade was becoming popular and in high demand. It can be believed that eagerness was amongst those ships who would transport the goods, in this case, Since Napoleon was a freight ship.²² Since Napoleon was a freight ship that transported goods, this shipwreck could demonstrate the high demand for goods since vessels would sometimes travel in poor weather conditions. The wreck also occurred during the evening and the lack of daylight, in addition to the poor weather conditions, would have posed even more danger.²³

Aside from physical goods and belongings, another concern was for the lives of those aboard. For example, the schooner Comet, built in 1816, was involved in shipwreck where only three people survived.²⁴ By analyzing a chart that detailed the tonnage aboard, it is evident that there was 478 tonnage on the ship during the wreck which reiterates the importance of trade as also demonstrated by the Napoleon.²⁵ Although some may argue that harbours were always safe havens, the development of harbours in response to the increase of trade, to some degree, encouraged these ships to travel during the night or during storms even when these vessels were not equipped or built reliable enough to endure these dangers to meet the trade demands.

Comparing these two shipwrecks demonstrates the dangers that commercial demands had on property and people. The Napoleon lost some of the goods that were on the vessel and the Comet lost most of the people aboard. By using charts to identify the tonnage aboard the ships, it is evident that these ships were transporting goods to other ports.²⁶ As noted earlier, Hamilton Harbour was developing in response to the 19th-century commerce demands.²⁷ An increase in lighthouses, docks, and wider port entrances were introduced during the nineteenth century, but it did not change the danger that storms posed on the ships and people aboard. Other technological advancements, such as radio systems and weather tracking provided more safety, especially while traveling in dark or low visibility conditions.

In conclusion, the ship losses at Hamilton Harbour connect to the development of Hamilton as a port city. These losses represent the advantages of the harbour, but also how the harbour could be seen as both a safe haven and a danger to nearby shipping and port side communities. The Queen of West needed Hamilton Harbour for safety, as a tugboat was able to dock the ship and allow for people aboard to evacuate before the fire could further endanger their lives. However, ships being brought to shore also caused a threat to the harbour, such as the Shamrock and the Enterprise being destroyed by the same fire close to shore in the midst of heavy 19^th-century commercial traffic and thriving yacht clubs.

The Napoleon and the Comet were examples of ship losses due to shipwrecks caused by storms and showcased the danger that these harbours may have placed on the nearby property and people, as some port cities encouraged ships to meet the trade demands even if it meant traveling through bad weather conditions. These shipwrecks led to multiple death and the loss of property. Through the analysis of these ships and the two main themes of fire and shipwreck being explored, we can understand that these various ship losses were a significant element in the history of Hamilton as a port city. These shipwrecks allowed for more developments within the harbour, encouraged more safety precautions, and allowed for economic gain as ships continued to meet the commercial demands during the 19th century.