On Wednesday, November 21, 1883 at 8:00 a.m., the Erie Belle, built 1862, in Cleveland, Ohio, pulled out of the Kincardine harbour, bound for the salvage of the Schooner J.N. Carter which was stranded in shoal waters two miles south along the shoreline. Because of huge boulders that lie on the bottom of the page rising near to the surface the Erie Belle had to heave-to a considerable distance from shore. A news dispatch released in Kincardine give account to what happened.

“About 3:30 this afternoon a loud report like the discharge of a 20 pounder cannon was heard in town, and while conjecturing the cause, word was received the the tug Erie Belle, had blown up. Though the vessel herself was lost, fortunately the lives of eight of the twelve crew had been saved. What caused the accident will never be known. It is supposed the pump which supplied the boiler has become choked in some manner and that the trouble was not noticed by the engineer who was in charge. The water got low and when the pumps did force some water into the boiler it has the same effect as sparks on gunpowder.”

Following the explosion the tug drifted in towards the shoreline where the boiler now lies. The wooden parts of the Erie Belle have long since been broken up and washed away. A plaque and the boiler remain as a lasting memorial to Lake Huron sailors, located approximately two miles south of Kincardine.