AH-WR-1839

John A. Paige

Steam Tug · United States · Lost 1892 · Apostle Islands & Western Lake Superior

Built as P.F. Thrall, this wooden log-rafting tug burned in Siskiwit Bay in 1892; all five aboard survived.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

John A. Paige was built at Green Bay in 1881 as P.F. Thrall. Paige Lumber Company bought and renamed the wooden tug in 1886. On September 6, 1892, fire broke out below the boilers while she lay in Siskiwit Bay. Captain Daniel Cronk ordered abandonment, and all five aboard survived. The tug burned to the water’s edge and was a total loss.

Vessel

Built: 1881
Registry: US registry no. 150215
Builder: P.F. Thrall
Yard: Green Bay, Wisconsin
Material: Wood
Length: 74 ft
Beam: 16 ft
Tonnage: 51.85 gross tons
Propulsion: Steam, screw
Owners: Paige Lumber Company, Duluth, purchased the vessel in 1886; final owners Captain Daniel Cronk and W.H. Singer of the Prentice Brownstone Quarries

Loss

Date: September 6, 1892
Cause: Fire
Location: Anchored in Siskiwit Bay near the mouth of the Siskiwit River, west of the Apostle Islands
Water: Lake Superior
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Engaged in assembling a log raft for towing
Aboard: 5
Lives lost: 0
Master: Daniel Cronk

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Burned to the water’s edge; present remains not established.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Cornucopia, Wisconsin
Region: Apostle Islands & Western Lake Superior

Siskiwit Bay/Cornucopia locality fits existing regional bounds; inventory position not independently established as surveyed and omitted.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (87/100)

A surveyed wreck position, depth, present condition and machinery disposition are not established.

Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Sea Grant — Wisconsin Shipwrecks: John A. Paige
Full construction table and service/final narratives: registry 150215; 1881 Green Bay construction as P.F. Thrall, 1886 renaming; wooden screw tug 74 x 16 ft, 51.85 gross tons; September 6 1892 fire at anchor Siskiwit Bay; five aboard and no deaths or major injuries; no known salvage. Placeholder counters ignored.