| Career | |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Quale & Son, Cleveland |
| Launched: | July 6th, 1878 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Iron clad wooden steam freighter |
| Tonnage: | 1,226 gross tons |
| Length: | 252 feet |
| Beam: | 36 feet |
| Propulsion: | Steam, steeple compound engine |
| Speed: | 8 knots [1] |
The Conestoga was an iron-clad wooden steam freighter, 252 ft by 36 ft with a 16 ft hold, constructed in Cleveland by Quale & Son for the Anchor Line, of Erie, PA,and launched July 6th, 1878.[1][2]
On May 22, 1922, while awaiting passage through the Galup Canal Lock 28 (Old Galop Canal), a fire started in her engine room. The ship was flushed away from the lock and drifted downstream, where it burned to its waterline and sank. There was no loss of life and its cargo of 30,000 bushels of wheat was salvaged.
The Conestoga is now a popular wreck dive where it sank in the Saint Lawrence River south of Cardinal, Ontario.[3] It rests at a depth of 22-25 ft and is about 75 ft from shore. The upper portion of the steeple engine protrudes above the river, marking the site.