The Amboy was a single-decked, wooden-hulled, full-rigged 205-foot three-masted schooner. Originally named the Helena, the Amboy was most often towed by steamers such as the George Spencer. It was built in 1874 for the Cleveland Transportation Company. The Helena was fully rigged out as a schooner, but was used principally as a consort to the steamer Havana in the Cleveland, Ohio, and Marquette, Mich., iron ore trade. The vessel carried 1,500 tons of cargo and towed by the Havana made a round trip every ten days. The Helena sheered off course and sunk the Canadian steamer Asia in the St. Mary's River in July, 1882, suffering minor damage itself. In July, 1891, the Helena was struck by the steel steamer Mariska in the same vicinity, this time sinking with a full load of coal in 30 feet of water. The badly-damaged craft was raised two weeks later and taken to Milwaukee for extensive repairs. Relative to the sinking, the Milwaukee Sentinel of Sept. 18, 1891 states that insurance "underwriters decided to accept the wrecked barge Helena as a total loss and she will be sold to the highest bidder as she lies at the shipyard." The vessel was subsequently sold to the Milwaukee Tug Boat Company early in 1892 and renamed the Amboy. The new owners employed its entirely as a towbarge behind their steamer Veronica, usually carrying iron ore from Escanaba to Lake Erie ports. In April, 1899, the Amboy was sold to the Tonawanda Iron & Steel Company of North Tonawanda, New York, who sailed the vessel between Two Harbors, Ashland, or Duluth and their steel mills in Tonawanda, in tow by the big wooden steamer George Spencer.