For years, a ship’s boiler stuck out of the water beneath the Scarborough Bluffs east of Bluffers Park

For years, a ship’s boiler stuck out of the water beneath the Scarborough Bluffs east of Bluffers Park

Dear Urban Decoder: For years, a ship’s boiler stuck out of the water beneath the Scarborough Bluffs east of Bluffers Park. Can you tell me any more about it?—J. Craig Freeman,Etobicoke

The steam ship Alexandria, built in Montreal in 1866, schlepped both passengers and cargo around the Great Lakes for nearly 50 years, until it went down in a storm on August 3, 1915. Carrying loads of pickles, potatoes and sugar, the 173-foot, 863-ton steamer almost made it from Port Hope to the safety of the Toronto Harbour, but it got caught on a sand bar just off the bluffs, and the pounding waves did the rest. Local residents selflessly saved all 22 crew, then, less altruistically, returned to pilfer the food. On a calm day, you can still see the wreck, which has now sunk to just below the lake’s surface.