Built in 1882 as the A. Weston, the Congercoal, served 27 years on the Great Lakes. During the last years of her life she was a member of an eight boat fleet, operating between Toronto, ON., Charlotte, NY, and Oswego, NY. 1 Over her lifetime she experienced extensive damage, many repairs, and multiple changes in ownership.
The A. Weston (US 106066) was built in Mt. Clemens, MI by William Dulac. Designed to carry cargo and passengers, she weighed 511.19 gross tons and held an 850 ton capacity.2 While Dulac served as the ship's master, he shared ownership with the Chicago Lumbering Co. (½ ownership) and Charles Weston (¼ ownership). The wooden steam barge, painted black, was powered by screw propulsion. Her 28”x32,” 300 HP, 90 RPM engine was constructed by dry dock engine works of Detroit, MI. The 163.9’ barge had a 31.3’ beam and was 13.3’ depth. On May 6, 1882 the A. Weston was enrolled in Detroit, MI as a propeller vessel with one deck, three masts, a plain head, and a round stern. Upon her launch, the Buffalo Daily Courier noted her “top-heavy” appearance.3 The Mt. Clemens' build site had lacked the area to increase her length to meet capacity, so the vessel’s height was increased in order to meet capacity requirements.4
In February 16, 1888 she was refitted with inside steel arches, steel sleeve wings for her rudder, refastened, and recaulked by R. Mills & CO. of Buffalo, NY.5 On September 7, 1893 while docked in Duluth, MN, the A. Weston caught fire, reportedly due to spontaneous combustion. Her cabin was completely burned away and she received $8,000 - $10,000 worth of damage, as $500 in lost cargo. Captained by Manville Hyde, she was forced to run the rest of the season with a makeshift cabin.6 On June 17, 1897, Captain Hyde ran into a reef near Cedar River enroute from Tonawanda to Menominee while towing the schooner Eleanor. While neither boat carried cargo, the A. Weston received a tear in her hull.7 In June of 1904 the Chicago Lumbering Co. purchased William DuLac’s shares, thus reallocating ownership and giving the Chicago Lumbering Co. a 3/4 stake.8 In early 1909, the A. Weston was purchased by Conger Lehigh Coal Co. of Toronto and renamed Congercoal (CA MV 126268). In December of 1909 it was noted that her gross tonnage approximated 672 and her net tonnage approximated 333.9
On May 11, 1917, the Congercoal, captained by Charles Wakely and laden with coal, burned while docked in Little Sodus Bay, NY along with the steamer Lloyd S. Porter.10 While the remains of the Congercoal can still be seen, the Lloyd S. Porter appears to have been recovered.
Works Cited
1. Vessel file on A. Weston, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University Library, Bowling Green, OH,https://greatlakes.bgsu.edu/item/440682.;“Ontario and the Great Lakes,”The Railway & Marine World, Apr. 1909, 293-94.https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.8_06958_40/57.
2. "A. Weston Ship Information and Data Record," Herman G. Runge Collection, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, WI.
3. Newspaper clippings in J.W. Hall Great Lakes Marine Scrapbook, March, 1882, C. Patrick Labadie Collection, Thunder Bay Research Collection, George R. and Edith Angell Cook Special Collections, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Alpena, MI.
4. “Launch of the A. Weston,” Port Huron Daily Times(Port Huron, MI), May 16, 1882; Newspaper clippings in J.W. Hall Great Lakes Marine Scrapbook.
5. Newspaper clipping fromMarine Record, Feb. 16, 1888. C. Patrick Labadie Collection, Thunder Bay Research Collection, George R. and Edith Angell Cook Special Collections, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Alpena, MI.
6.Duluth News Tribune, Mar. 26, 1894, C. Patrick Labadie Collection, Thunder Bay Research Collection, George R. and Edith Angell Cook Special Collections, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Alpena, MI.;Duluth Daily Commonwealth, Sep. 8, 1893. C. Patrick Labadie Collection, Thunder Bay Research Collection, George R. and Edith Angell Cook Special Collections, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Alpena, MI.;Duluth Daily Commonwealth, Sep. 9, 1893, C. Patrick Labadie Collection, Thunder Bay Research Collection, George R. and Edith Angell Cook Special Collections, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Alpena, MI.;Duluth Daily Commonwealth, Sep. 11, 1893, C. Patrick Labadie Collection, Thunder Bay Research Collection, George R. and Edith Angell Cook Special Collections, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Alpena, MI;Duluth Weekly Herald, Sep. 13, 1893, C. Patrick Labadie Collection, Thunder Bay Research Collection, George R. and Edith Angell Cook Special Collections, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Alpena, MI.; Newspaper clipping in Duluth Daily Commonwealth, Sep. 7, 1893, C. Patrick Labadie Collection, Thunder Bay Research Collection, George R. and Edith Angell Cook Special Collections, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Alpena, MI.
7.“Steamer A. Weston on a Reef,”Buffalo Inquisito, Jun. 18, 1897,https://www.newspapers.com/image/363148780/?match=1&terms=Weston.; “Steamer Weston in Danger,”Buffalo Inquisitor, Jun. 17, 1897,https://www.newspapers.com/image/344914555/?match=1&terms=weston.
8. Vessel file of "A. Weston/Congercoal," C. Patrick Labadie Collection, Thunder Bay Research Collection, George R. and Edith Angell Cook Special Collections, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Alpena, MI.
9. "A. Weston Ship Information and Data Record";Vessel file on A. Weston. Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University Library, Bowling Green, OH.https://greatlakes.bgsu.edu/item/440682.
10. Vessel file of "A. Weston/Congercoal."
Footage from the Shipwreck:
