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3 EARLY GREAT LAKES STEAMBOATS WESTWARD HO! AND PLUSH TIMES 1831-1837 by H. A. Musham The first event of 1831 of importance to the shipping interests of Lake Ontario was the incorporation of the Ontario and St. Lawrence Steamboat Company by the New York legislature on 28 January. The company had been organized by Joseph Dennison and associates with a capital of $100,000. Its existence was limited to 1 May 1850; it was to be managed by a board of fifteen directors; and the stockholders were jointly and severally liable for its contracts. Its operations were limited to the Lakes and the St. Lawrence, and Oswego was to be the place of business, ONTARIO and MARTHA OGDEN were taken over, their owners being given an interest equal to the appraised values of the vessels. Both steamers went into service when the season opened, and the directors busied themselves with plans for the construction of a fine new large boat. On the Canadian side, GREAT BRITAIN, Captain Joseph Whitney, went into regular service on 1 May, between Kingston and Niagara with occasional stops at Oswego. She was, with the exception of FRONTENAC, the largest steamer built on the lakes to date. Her large size and fine accommodations elicited admiration from both sides, and the Canadians were particularly proud of her. (1). Across the lake, CHARLES CARROLL, 100 tons, was built at Sacketts Harbor, by Calvin Case for D. Griffith & Co., the owners of BR0WNVILLE. She was 81.67 feet long, 1J+.5 feet wide, and had a depth of hold of 6.25 feet and had a low pressure engine built by J. Dodd. Captain Case was her first master. She ran from Kingston to Rochester. In the summer of 183^4-# she was rebuilt at Sacketts Harbor. She was lengthened, and the engine was changed over to the high pressure type. She was renamed AMERICA, and went into service late in the season on the Ogdensburg Lewiston route, with D. Howe as master. (2). BR0WNVILLE was raised after her burning in 1830, rebuilt and ran until I33kf along with CHARLES CARROLL, when she too was lengthened at Sacketts Harbor, to 131 feet, and fitted with a low pressure condensing engine, by Avery of Syracuse. She was then renamed WILLIAM AVERY. (3). Away to the west, ARGO, 8.07 tons was launched at Detroit, the first steamboat built there. She took the place of OLIVE BRANCH, the old horse ferry that ran across the river to Windsor. She was a catamaran, the hull being formed of two large white wood dugouts joined together, decked over and fitted with a single sharp bow and a square stern. She was l\.2 feet long, 9 feet wide with a depth of hold of 2.5 feet. She was propelled by sidewheels turned by a little, high pressure engine that puffed out of all proportion to its power, and with a peculiar noise that could be heard for miles. She was built by Shadrach Jenkins, and was owned by John Burtis. She was very slow and at the mercy of the current most of the time. Occasional trips were made to Black River, at the head of the St. Clair River, on which it is said that as her fuel capacity was very small, the crew wooded up whenever she came to a rail fence. In 1832, she was taken over by Louis Davenport. (1^)« Another river boat, GENERAL GRATIOT, 63 tons was built at Black River, (5) and used on the St. Clair River for some years, after which she was broken up. (6). OHIO, 187 tons, a new boat, built at Sandusky and commanded by Captain W. Cahoon, replaced WILLIAM PEACOCK on the Detroit^Buffalo run, and that vessel was put in service between Buffalo and Erie. Communication between Lakes Ontario and Erie by the Welland Canal had not proved entirely satisfactory. The canal was too small to pass even the smallest steamboats without dismantling them. Then also, navigation