| As
Great Lakes vessels increased in size and value toward the
end of the nineteenth century, the need for larger and more
sophisticated
salvage
equipment became apparent. Reid was one of the first
operators on the lakes to branch out into professional wrecking
and salvage operations. The wrecking tug Favorite
was a well-equipped wrecking tug on the lake at the time,
and this description of its salvage gear gives an idea of
how the Boscobel might have been equipped:
[Her
outfit] consists of three 12" rotary pumps of a capacity of
2,200 gallons per minute. One 14" Worthington [pump], 3,200
gallons per minute. One 16"
centrifugal
, 1,200 gallons per minute, which pumps coal, grain, iron
ore or anything that will enter a suction pipe.
She
carries 10,000 ton hydraulic jacks which are used to lift
a boat bodily. She also has two 60 foot steel
derricks
for lifting the loads out of vessels, 20 ore and coal
buckets, 200 shovels and picks, and two 12" manila hawsers,
one 14" hawser 1,500 feet long, ship's carpenters tools of
all descriptions. A blacksmith shop, small machine shop, complete
outfit of
taps and dies
from 3/32" to 1 1/2". Lumber, hay,
oakum
, nails, rod iron, strap iron and miscellaneous material
of all description is carried in abundance, for it is necessary
for her to be ready at all times to handle the most difficult
job. She also has a complete electric plant, including search
light and cable lights. She also has a submarine drill for
use on steel boats to enable divers to secure a patch.
(From Meakin, Alexander C. (1968) Commercial Wrecking on the
Great Lakes, Part One. Inland Seas 24(1):3-15, Great Lakes
Historical Society, Vermillion, Ohio.)
In 1903 the Boscobel
was sold to James Reid & Son of Sarnia, Ontario.
Apparently James' son Tom wanted to get away from burdensome
U.S. regulations and relocate to a better business climate.
Once transferred to Canada, the Boscobel was renamed
Ottawa and reregistered (Canadian registry #116391).
Tom Reid was the Ottawa's captain, and he made quite
a name for the tug in salvage operations on Lake Superior.
Among the Ottawa's salvages were the steamers Mataafa
(refloated in 1906 at Duluth, Minn.), Monarch (salvaged
in 1908 at Isle Royale), and Sevona
(salvaged between 1906 and 1908 at Sand Island).
 Read
the tale of the Ottawa's final
mission.
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