Jesse Wood (Schooner), 1834

The Niagara Harbour and Dlock Company were incorporated in the year 1830, and have ship-yards at Niagara and Chippewa. The machinery belonging to the establishment is of a very perfect description, worked by a steam-engine, and adapted for work of a superior kind, as the vessels turned out by the Company sufficiently prove; one of which, the steamboat "LONDON" which commenced running in the spring of 1845, is the fastest boat on the upper lakes, and a very beautiful model. The Company usually employ about 150 hands; and, when particulary busy, have employed as many as 350. There is also on the premises a marine railway, large enough for hauling up vessels of the first class.
      The following vessels and engines were built by the Niagara Harbour and Dock Company between the years 1832 and 1839.--
      Steamboats- TRAVELLER,400 tons.
      EXPERIMENT, 200 tons and 25 horse power.
      QUEEN, 250 tons and 25 horse power.
      GORE, 200 tons and 45 horse power.
      Schooners - JESSE WOODS, 150 tons.
      PRINCESS, 150 tons
      FANNY, 150 tons.
      TORONTO, 150 tons.
      SOVEREIGN, 150 tons.
Land engines- 1 Of 12 h. p. - 1 of 14 h. p. - and 1 of 20 h. p.

The following vessels and engines built by the Niagara Harbour and Dock Company, between the years 1839 and 1845.--
      Steamboats- SOVEREIGN, 400 tons and 75 h.p.
      CITY of TORONTO, 400 tons and two engines of 45 h. p. each.
      PRINCESS ROYAL, 440 tons and 80 h. p.
      AMERICA, 320 tons, and 60 h. p.
      CHIEF JUSTICE ROBINSON, 400 tons and 75 h. p.
      ADMIRAL, 400 tons and 68 h. p.
      ECLIPSE, 550 tons and 55 h. p.
      MINOS, 450 tons.
      EMERALD, 250 tons and 50 h. p.
      LONDON, 450 tons and 75 h. p.
      DART, 75 tons and 25 h. p.
      OAK, 75 tons and 32 h. p.
      ANN, 75 tons and 32 h. p.
Propellers - ADVENTURE, BEAGLE, TRAVELLER each 90 tons and
      25 h. p.
Schooners - WILLIAM CAYLEY, SHANNON, CLYDE, and SHAMROCK all of I5O tons.
Barges- Eighteen of 40 tons each.
Engines- Two of 50 h. p. each for steamboat ONTARIO.
      One of 45 h. p. for the PORCUPINE.
      One of 25 h. p. for the BURLINGTON
      One of 15 h. p. for the propeller PRECURSOR
      One of 15 h. p. for the propeller St. THOMAS.
Land Engines- One of 5 h. p.
      One of 8 h. p.
      Four of 12 h. p.
      One of 20 h. p.
Now Building- One steamboat of 800 tons and 150 h. p.
      from Smiths
      Canadian Gazetteer 1846
      (under Niagara)

      . . . . .
     
schooner JESSE WOODS, 100 tons passed through the Welland Canal on June 2Ist. 1834 (Lake Ont. to L. Erie)
      British American Journal
      April 22nd. 1834

     
schooner JESSE WOODS passed through the Welland Canal on I8th. July 1834 (Lake Erie to Lake Ontario)
      British American Journal
      July 22nd. I834


Resolved,that the thanks of the committee are due to Mr. Jesse Wood, for his assiduous attention to the interest of the stock holders in building the WILLIAM the FOURTH, and for the workman like, and in every respect, satisfactory manner in which he has completed the vessel..
      Kingston Chronicle
      Nov. 26, 1851 ( part )
     
     
the WILLIAM IV a new boat, built by Mr. Wood at Gananoque.
      Cobourg Star
      Oct. 2nd. or 9th. 1852


Jesse Wood was a New York shipwright who prior to building the WILLIAM IV, built a small steamboat (in N.Y.) the schooner JESSE WOODS was built by him or possibly named after him
      Landmarks of Canada
      Ross Collection Catalogue
     

schooner JESSE WOODS arived at Kingston from Toronto, April 29th. 1845, with a cargo of 400 bbls. flour, 227 sides, 15 hhds bacon,
      Kingston NEWS
      May 15, 1845
     
     
Schooner JESSE WOODS arrived at Kingston from Oshawa with a cargo of 659 bbls. flour, 90 ashes(bbls?) ,16 whisky on May 21, 1845
      Kingston NEWS
      May 22, 1845

Schooner JESSE WOOD arrived from Oshawa on May 26th. 1845 with 929 bbls flour
      Kingston NEWS
      May 29, 1845

     
      . . . . .
     
      Port Of Hamilton Shipping Register 1846-1874
Name.......... JESSE WOODS Register number - 12
Type....... ....Schooner
Port............ Hamilton
Tons........... 82
When Built..... 1843
Where Built.... Niagara
Builders name & date of Certificate:- Niagara Dock Co. Dec. 1, 1847
Description of vessel:-Surveyor, Wm. Pring

Length . . . . . . . . . 72 feet & fve tenths.
Breadth . . . . . . . . 18 feet
Depth of hold.. . . . . 7 feet

Decks . . . . . . . . . . . one
Masts . . . . . . . . . . . Two
Bowsprit . . . . . . . . . Standing
Stern . . . . . . . . . . . Square
Figure-head. . . . . . . With a figure-head
Rigged . . . . . . . . . . Schooner, Carvel built
Masters name. . . . . J. Livingston

Subscribing owners:- Land & Routh of Hamilton, own all 64 shares dated Jan. 20, 1848; sold to J.H. Cameron of Toronto all 64 shares dated April 22, 1850; sold to M.W. Forward, Oswego dated March 26th.1853 all 64 shares.

Registers remarks:- Lost

      from Port Of Hamilton Shipping Register 1846-1874
      Vol 362 microfilm reel #C2465

      . . . . .
     
LAUNCHED. In this River, today, at 1 o'clock a fine new Schooner built by a Company - James Lockhart Esq. of this Town, Agent. Length of the keel 75 feet- beam 22, and the depth of hold 8 feet. She glided beautifully into her destined element, and was christened by miss Louisa Fisher, of Montreal, and received the name of Princess Victoria, the presumptive heiress to the British throne. A very handsome figurehead on the bow, it is said, resembles very much the young Princess. She was taken into the Dock to be rigged being the first vessel that has entered this work. She is nearly rigged and will be ready to go in a week, manned with experienced seamen - and is no doubt the finest model on the lake. The Same Company purpose building two more, nearly of the same dimensions. The Princess was built under the superintendence of Mr. Wood, Architect, favourably known as builder of some of the New York Packets, and the William 4th on this lake &c. This vessel will admit of being pierced for port holes, and calculated to carry 20 guns, if found expedient.
      At the same yard another vessel will shortly be completed of similar dimensions, the property of Alexander McDonnell, Esq. - Mr Barber, is superintendant and master carpenter of the work.
      NIAGARA GLEANER
      Sept. 21st 1833

      . . . . .
     
      John Molotte had command of a company of volunteers, it being the winter of the rebellion in Canada, and the town was full of soldiers. The man-of-war, JESSIE WOODS, was laying at anchor in the stream at the Queen's dock, (at Malden) and the crew of the HERALD could not go ashore at night without a countersign.
      extract of article entitled
      Canadian Rebellion of `37'
      being a letter to the Editor of
      Marine Record, Aug. 20, 1885

      . . . . .
     
      The owner of the schooner Jesse Wood in 1853, Marshall W. Forward of Oswego, was a lumber forwarder. He died on Aug. 15, 1884 of injuries suffered from an accident. He fell from a building and fractured his spine, while repairing the structure in Oswego. He was born in Bath, Ontario in May, 1817. His father was Dr. Lester Forward.
      During the Patriot War in 1837-38 he went to Watertown, N. Y. and in 1845 went to Oswego. He entered the lumber business with W.D. Smith in 1847. The Forward and Smith
lumber forwarding business, on Water Street, continued until 1862 when the partnership was dissolved, as Mr. Smith, a colonel, joined the Army during the Civil War.
The rest of Mr. Forward's life was spent in Oswego except for the years 1864-65 when he was in New Orleans for some unspecified reason. ------ From his obituary, Qswego Palladium, August 15, 1884.
      From Richard F. Palmer
      Syracuse, N. Y.