The
steamer Conestoga was built by Quale & Son of Cleveland for
Anchor Line and launched July 6, 1878. A considerable amount of
money, technical design and skill went into construction as
evidenced by the description in the Cleveland Daily Plain Dealer on
July 8, 1878: "Fitted out in all proportions with a care to
strength, durability and beauty...it is estimated that her cost
will be near $90,000.00
Two
hundred fifty-two feet long, sixteen feet deep with a gross tonnage
of 1,226, Conestoga was powered by a steeple compound engine
capable of a speed of 8 knots. The upper portion of the steeple
engine protrudes above the river, marking the
site.
She sank
on May 22, 1922 outside Lock 28 of the Old Galop Canal, one mile
east of Cardinal, Ontario. A fire broke out in the engine room
while awaiting passage at the lock. The ship was flushed from the
Lock and allowed to ground and sink in her present position. Loss
was estimated at $200,000.00. She was carrying 30,000 bushels of
wheat, much of which was salvaged.
The other day the kids, their neighbour friend and I
decided to do some snorkling on the wreck, it was a first for
the kids and they really enjoyed it. This wreck was also my first
wreck dive, so it brought back some memories as well. The
visability was good and the better part of the wreck is generally
visable from the surface (with a mask of course). The current is
very swift in the area, but the kids are strong swimmers. They
enjoyed swimming the length of the wreck, but like most, enjoyed
checking out the remnants of the engine that protrudes out of the
water at the stern.
When we got out of the water and dried off, I thought "what a great
place for a cache...and to celebrate what a great day I had with
the kids". So I checked the van and sure enough, I had a film
cannister with me (don't we all). I put in a piece of paper and put
it in a nice comfortable spot with a great view of the wreck.
As previously mentioned, the cache is a black film cannister. I
placed it close to the water (no you don't have to get wet for
this one) by a rock, but not on the ground (that would be
just mean). When you see a rock in a tree, you'll be very close.
Please return the cache as placed so it doesn't go floating down
the St Lawrence. The rock will hold it in place nicely.
This location is also a hotspot for divers, so on any given
weekend, there may be plenty of them around, so please use stealth.
You can access this cache by taking a vehicle down the point by the
Cardinal Legion. There is parking at the site, but again, if there
are a lot of divers around, parking may be sparse.
I would also encourage those with some sense of adventure to try a
swim, snorkle or dive on this wreck. As it's over 250 feet long,
entrance from upriver is suggested. You can just drift down after
that. When you hit the engine, do some exploring and swim back to
shore.
As with all Canadianzombie caches, the goal here is to have some
fun and be safe. So please do both.
Cheers
CZ