Vessel Identification & Profile

  • Name: E.W. Cross
  • Year Built: 1856
  • Official Number: [Not listed]
  • Vessel Type: Brigantine (later converted to Barge)
  • Hull Material: Wood
  • Number of Decks: 1
  • Number of Masts: 2
  • Builder: G. M. Rogers
  • Build Location: Oswego, New York
  • Original Owner: Colborne & Keating, Oswego, NY

Dimensions & Capacity

  • Length: 132 ft
  • Beam: 26 ft 2 in
  • Depth: 12 ft
  • Tonnage (Old Style): 406 tons
  • Grain Capacity: 18,500 bushels

Operational History

  • 1856, May 6: Launched; operated for the Eagle Line
  • 1856–1858: Enrolled at Oswego, NY
  • 1858, Apr: Damaged in gale on Lake Huron
  • 1858, Sep: Sprang leak in Lake Michigan gale; sheltered at Milwaukee, cargo was wheat
  • 1860: Owned by Clark of Oswego
  • 1863: Owned by Baldwin & Johnson; major repairs performed
  • 1863, May: Rigging damaged in bridge strike, Chicago
  • 1864: Purchased by J. Prindiville, Chicago
  • 1865, Aug 6: Sunk in collision with Schooner A. Baensch off Chicago; later raised
  • 1865: Converted to Barge; tonnage recorded as 301 gross tons
  • 1866, Sep: Capsized off Chicago; recovered

Final Disposition

Historical Significance
The E.W. Cross had a 12-year operational life marked by repeated mishaps and repairs, indicative of the intense demands placed on grain-carrying vessels in the mid-19th century Great Lakes trade. Her Conversion from Brigantine to Barge after a collision and eventual capsizing off Chicago reflect the transitional phase in lake shipping and the hazards of early commercial marine transportation.

Sources

Keywords and Categories

  • Region: Lake Michigan, Chicago
  • Vessel Type: Brigantine, later Barge
  • Cause of Loss: Capsizing
  • Cargo: Grain (wheat)
  • Construction: Oswego-built
  • Period: 1856–1868
  • Marine Hazards: Collision, leak, gale exposure