Historic Boblo Boat St. Clair Gutted by Fire
By James Donahue
When fire was first noticed on the moored old Boblo steam boat at Detroit on July 6, 2018, it was already too late to save the century-old wooden vessel. The call came in shortly before midnight and by the time fire fighters arrived the fire was already consuming the upper decks and fire fighters spokesman Mike Nevin said it was unsafe for anyone to board.
They battled the fire with hoses from the dock and from a local fire boat.
The vessel was recently brought to Riverside Marina where owners Ron Kattoo and Saqib Nakadar were in the process of having it restored for use as a historic dockside tourist attraction. Long range plans were to offer pleasure boat rides up the river to the City of St.Clair.
The origin of the fire was still under investigation when this report was made. It was theorized that a welder’s spark may have ignited the wooden steamer.
The St. Clair and its sister ship, the Columbia, carried passengers on an 18-mile trip on the Detroit River to a popular amusement park on Boblo Island from 1910 to the time the park was closed in 1993. The amusement rides have since been sold and the island now is an expensive gated housing community.
The Columbia, launched in 1902, was moved to Buffalo, New York where plans are being made for it to carry passengers on pleasure trips up and down the Hudson River.
This writer fondly remembers riding the Boblo Boats with his parents on at least two occasions when he was a young lad. While the amusement park was fun, I best remember the excitement of riding the boat. I made use of my time on the vessel, exploring every inch, including a brief visit to a landing where we could look down over the engine room. Everything was painted and clean, even at the coal bunkers. I think those rides sparked my interest in steamships.
The loss of the St. Clair is obviously a blow to the history of the Detroit area. The Boblo boats were among the last coal fire ships still afloat on the Great Lakes.
By James Donahue
When fire was first noticed on the moored old Boblo steam boat at Detroit on July 6, 2018, it was already too late to save the century-old wooden vessel. The call came in shortly before midnight and by the time fire fighters arrived the fire was already consuming the upper decks and fire fighters spokesman Mike Nevin said it was unsafe for anyone to board.
They battled the fire with hoses from the dock and from a local fire boat.
The vessel was recently brought to Riverside Marina where owners Ron Kattoo and Saqib Nakadar were in the process of having it restored for use as a historic dockside tourist attraction. Long range plans were to offer pleasure boat rides up the river to the City of St.Clair.
The origin of the fire was still under investigation when this report was made. It was theorized that a welder’s spark may have ignited the wooden steamer.
The St. Clair and its sister ship, the Columbia, carried passengers on an 18-mile trip on the Detroit River to a popular amusement park on Boblo Island from 1910 to the time the park was closed in 1993. The amusement rides have since been sold and the island now is an expensive gated housing community.
The Columbia, launched in 1902, was moved to Buffalo, New York where plans are being made for it to carry passengers on pleasure trips up and down the Hudson River.
This writer fondly remembers riding the Boblo Boats with his parents on at least two occasions when he was a young lad. While the amusement park was fun, I best remember the excitement of riding the boat. I made use of my time on the vessel, exploring every inch, including a brief visit to a landing where we could look down over the engine room. Everything was painted and clean, even at the coal bunkers. I think those rides sparked my interest in steamships.
The loss of the St. Clair is obviously a blow to the history of the Detroit area. The Boblo boats were among the last coal fire ships still afloat on the Great Lakes.