Conestoga (ship)
Encyclopedia
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
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
, PA,and launched July 6th, 1878.
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
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
south of Cardinal, Ontario. 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.