Minnie, ?, & Otter, 1870

According to the Underwater Diving Society of Ottawa and Scubapedia, there are two ships resting near the base of the Rideau Canal, Locks 1-8. They've identified them as the Otter and the Minie. The Otter makes sense, as it was recorded as having burned and sank near the canal. However, the Minie (also known as the Minnie Bell or the Alva), is officially recorded as having been retired. There is no record of a final accident near the canal, and so this may be another barge.

If it is the Minnie: The Minnie Bell was built in 1887 by Bedard of Ottawa, Ontario. It was 50 feet long and 13 feet wide, and owned by H. E. Shaver of Ottawa. It frequently delivered lumber to New York, bringing back foundry sand and coal.

The Minnie Bell was involved in several accidents over the years, including a train crash and a fire. For a more detailed account, please read this excellent paper by Paul Harrison for the Workers History Museum: https://workershistorymuseum.ca/the-career-of-a-rideau-canal-tug/.

The fire lead to the renaming of the Minnie Bell to the Alva in 1902, named after the deceased son of the Shavers (the owners of the boat). It was sold to new owners by 1910, who sold it again in 1917 to the Dominion Government for use as a dredge tug for the Public Works Department. Records say the Alva was retired, and there is no record of it sinking near the canal.

If the wreck is not the Minnie, then it's hard to say which vessel it is. The New Mills List, a compilation of steamer records from 1809-1930 by John M. Mills, lists many tugboats and barges from the Ottawa area whose ends were not recorded. It is entirely possible that it may be one of them, or that the Minnie Bell's end has been improperly recorded.

Otter, 1870 Built in 1840 near Portsmouth, Ontario, it was used on the Montreal-Ottawa-Kingston triangle. According to the 1846 Bytown Packet, the Otter was known as "a small uncomfortable light boat." It changed ownership several times, going through four owners in its thirty-year span as a tugboat on the Ottawa River. The Otter caught fire and sank at the base of the Rideau Canal near Parliament Hill, on November 5, 1870. It is possible to dive, though there is poor visibility.