A Canadian vessel, the Prussia was a wooden propeller constructed in 1873 for the passenger and freight trade between Montreal and the upper Great Lakes ports. She was a canaller, and could carry 70 passengers and 400 tons of freight, one account states 50 passengers and 18,000 bushels. She was built at St. Catharines, Ontario by Louis Shickluna and was operated by the Western Express Line, carrying a variety of cargo over her lifetime.
The Candian propeller Prussia, left port on Friday September 11, 1885 bound light from Port Arthur to Duluth to load grain, and onto Montreal to deliver it. During the course of the trip, the winds picked up and Captain William Anderson decided to seek shelter on the lee side of Sand Island, part of the Apostle Islands. The captain discovered the Prussiato be on fire at about 7 am, 9/12/1885. The fire, which apparently started under the boilers, spread rapidly up near the smokestack because of the high winds blowing at the time. The crew, after attempting to suppress the fire, abandoned the Prussia about ten miles off the Sand Island Lighthouse in two lifeboats. All of the 11 crew were picked up by the Sand Island light keeper, Charles Lederlee, under perilous wind and sea conditions and returned to safety at the lighthouse.
The Prussia finally burned to her waterline and sank as a total loss.