Lake Superior Shipwrecks
 Niagara
Historic Description

The Niagara was built in 1872 as Hull No. 21 by the Detroit Dry Dock Company in Detroit, Mich. The Niagara was an early example of a class of large "outside" (outside the harbor) tugs intended for use on the open lakes. Built of wood, the Niagara was 130 feet in length, with a beam of 24 feet 7 inches and drew 8 feet 7 inches. At the time of launching, it was rated at 276 gross tons displacement and 183 net tons displacement. The Niagara was powered by a high-pressure engine with a single cylinder 27 inches in diameter with a 33 inch stroke. Steam was produced by two fire box boilers which were 5 1/2 feet in diameter and 171 inches in length.


Port bow view in Soo Locks, pre-1887; Great Lakes Marine Collection - Milwaukee Public Library


|--Niagara-- |--Historic Description-- |--Construction and Career--|
|--Log Rafting and the Lake Superior Timber Industry-- |--Description of the Wreck Event--|
|--Post-Depositional Impacts-- |--Present Description-- |--Significance-- |--Photographs--|
|--Minnesota Lake Superior Shipwrecks-- |
|--Minnesota Historical Society Homepage--|