Volume 30, No 3, May / June 2009

Incorporated in the State of Michigan October 21, 1963
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Vol. XXX, No. 3
www.lakehuronlore.com
May / June, 2009
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------David Michelson ( Editor )
51805 D. W. Seaton Dr.
New Baltimore, MI 48047-1460
Ph: (586) 725-6276 Email: [email protected]
Membership (annual) - $14.00 (U.S. & Can. funds)
Send to: Lake Huron Lore Marine Society
P. O. Box 99
Marysville, MI 48040-0099
Ph: (810) 982-9832
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President - Fred Miller
Secretary - Gareth McNabb
V. President - John Coulter
Treasurer - Theresa Miller
DIRECTORS
Frank Frisk
David Michelson
Kenneth Niemi
Andrew Severson
Chris Tabor
Gene Buel
(Hon. Advisory Director)
Paul Schmitt (Hon. Advisory Director)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SOCIETY NEWS – ANNOUNCEMENTS
At The dinner meeting held on Saturday, April 4, 2009, at the Museum was attended by 56 members and guests. We were
treated to a fine dinner provided by the Museum Guild. Jim and Pat Stayer presented an excellent program entitled “Shifting
Sands and the Shallow Wrecks of Whitefish Point” which featured some superb, clear video footage of the well-preserved
shipwrecks that can be found in the shallow waters of Lake Superior. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The raffle of
interesting door prizes brought in an amazing $141.00 for our society. Our sincere thanks to the Museum Guild, Jim and Pat,
and all those who contributed to the door prizes.
The Lightship has been in need of a functional toilet since it was placed in its current location. This has made it a sometimes
difficult situation for our volunteers would work there. Although several ideas have been suggested, there is not a practical
means to handle disposal through the municipal sewerage system. Upon some research by members of the Board, it was
found that an affordable incinerator toilet is now available. The Board has approved the purchase of one at about $2,100,
having allocated funds from the Lightship Fund, and it will be installed and available for volunteers this season.
COMING EVENTS - MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Spring 2009 Dinner Meeting
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 6pm at the Museum, your editor, David Michelson will be presenting at program entitled “Our
Changing Lakers - The Evolution of the Great Lakes Fleet in the Past 30 Years” Using photographic images, we will
explore how the ships of 1979 have had to evolve to survive the pressures of competition, economics, regulation and plain
old age. You may be shocked how some of our old friends have changed!
Volunteers are NEEDED! … Tuesday, May 19th, 2009, 6 to 8pm at the Museum for Spring cleaning and maintenance
of the exhibits and artifacts in the Marine Gallery. This is a hands-on opportunity to work with the many items in the
gallery. All tools and cleaning supplies will be supplied.
2009 Annual Marine Mart – Saturday, June 6, 2008, 9am to 4pm at the Port Huron Seaway Terminal, 2336 Military
Street, Port Huron. This event brings vendors in all types of Great Lakes maritime merchandise and memorabilia with
many, many items for sale. Great opportunity to buy gifts or for your own collection!
2009 Annual Steam Whistle Blow - scheduled for August 29th and 30th at the St. Clair County Farm Museum in Goodells, as
part of the “Fall Harvest Days” celebration. Numerous whistles, large and small, will be blown on live steam provided by
the boiler of an antique traction engine. Several whistles from famous Great Lakes ships will be featured. More details will
be upcoming issues.
Saturday. September 12, 2009, 6pm at the Museum, will be the first of the fall dinner meetings. At this time we do not
have a speaker for this evening but should have one soon and will be announced in the next newsletter.
LIGHTSHIP Newsletter Archive of back issues is now available on our website www.lakehuronlore.com. All
issues from 1979 through 2006 are available. If you have access to the internet, we hope you will check it out!
New Members - A warm welcome goes out to Frank Busuttil, East China, MI; Michael Coughlin, Toledo, OH;
Nelson Helm, Toledo, OH; Robert Kluck, Shelby Twp., MI; Patrick Mrozowski, Louisville, IN;
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Annual U.S. Merchant Marine Veterans of W.W.II Memorial Service
The U.S. Merchant Marine Veterans of World War II (John Cromer Chapter of Michigan) cordially invites all our
Society members to attend their Annual Memorial Service which will held on Saturday May 30, 2009 at 11am: at
the Holy Cross Church, South Water Street, Marine City, MI. Following the church service the traditional
riverside ceremony of laying a wreath on the St. Clair River will take place. In attendance will be the Allied
Veteran’s Rifle team, The Knights of Columbus Color guard and the U.S. Naval Cadets Corps of Port Huron. At
the conclusion of the ceremonies, every one in invited by the Lady Mariners for a light lunch in the Church’s
activity center.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Caught Through the Camera Lens of
Louis and Lena Pesha
Having their studio on the shore of the St. Clair River at Marine City gave Mr and Mrs. Pesha opportunity to
capture the image of many rare and famous ships that passed by. One example is this fine rare view of the
steamer HYDRUS (1) of the Interlake Steamship Company down bound loaded with cargo in 1913. Little
did Lena realize when this photo was taken that later in the year, this ship would be lost with all hands in the
Great Storm of 1913 in November 8th to 13th. To this day, her remains have not been found. This is one of
very few images known to exist of this ship. Photo courtesy of Dick Wicklund.
-2-
FINANCIAL STATEMENT SUMMARY
LAKE HURON MARINE SOCIETY
January 1, 2008 – December 31, 2008
Amounts in $ U.S.
General Fund:
Opening Balance: $4,575.95
Deposits:
Dues DinnerRaffle CD SavingsDonations Subtotal -
Disbursements:
1,046.50
2,252.94
209.13
4,150.00
200.00
$7,858.57
Newsletter 2,788.31
Dinner 2,360.40
Xmas Card 217.71
Supplies 469.00
State Papers 20.00
Museum Stove- 1,623.90
Speaker 100.00
Subtotal $7,579.32
Closing Balance: $4,855.20
Special Projects - Investments: Certificates of Deposit
Opening Balance: $28,883.73
CD
CD
CD
5,917.87
11,397.51
7,428.35 (Lightship Fund)
CD Withdraw to General Fund $4,150
Closing Balance: $24,733.73
Total Balance as of December 31, 2009:
$29,588.93
Submitted by Theresa Miller – Treasurer
The Board of Directors is pleased to provide our membership with this summary that shows that we
continue to be on sound financial footing and did not have to increase membership dues for this season.
With the ever increasing costs of printing and postage for the newsletter and other announcements, it it
will probably be necessary to increase membership dues in the next year.
-3-
FOR THE BOOKSHELF: Great Additions to Your Marine Library
KNOW YOUR SHIPS – 50th Anniversary Edition , Roger Lelievre, editor (and member), 2009, ISBN: 9781891849-12-1 $18.95 plus tax and $4.00 s+h. The annual boat watching guide for both the casual interests as
well as the serious minded who follow the activity of the shipping industry. This is a special edition with 182
pages (32 more than last year) and is chocked full of great photography both past and present. The cover this
year honors the Great Lakes’ first 1,000-footer, Stewart J. Cort. It was the advent of the 1,000-footer that
launched some of the most amazing changes in the Great Lakes shipping industry over the past five decades.
Available at many locations including major bookstores or by ordering through Marine Publishing Company,
Box 68, Sault Ste. Marie, MI., 49793. Phone or fax orders may be made at 734-668-4734 or on-line at
[email protected]
SHIPBUILDING IN NIAGARA 1828 – 2008 by Skip Gillham, 2008, Glenaden Press Again our fellow member
and prolific writer has produced a concise yet thorough and well written book on the rich shipbuilding heritage of
the Niagara Region in Canada. This 46 page book is a follow-up to an earlier edition published in 1999. Starting
when Great Lakes shipping was in its infancy and the Welland Canal was hardly more than a ditch with locks,
Skip outlines the development of the various shipyards that were established and highlights some of the fine
examples of the shipbuilding art that were produced. Illustrated with several excellent black and white photos,
this book is a must for those interested in shipbuilding. Available for $16.95 by ordering directly from Skip
Gillham, 3750 King St., Vineland, ON L0R 2C0
INTO OBLIVION by Robert L. Bunting, 2008, Published by Black River Trading Co., Ltd., Oxford, Michigan.
ISBN No. 978-0-9797492-0-9 This 168 page book is an exhaustively researched glimpse into life and times of
wilderness northern Michigan in 1880, and specifically the circumstances leading up to the tragic shipwreck of the
side-wheel steamer MARINE CITY following her departure from the small town of Alcona. Situated on the shore
of Lake Huron just a few miles north of present-day Harrisville, Michigan, Alcona is now a ghost town with few
features remaining to reveal its very existence. The broken remains of the MARINE CITY lie scattered in shallow
waters near Sturgeon Point and large artifacts are displayed on the lighthouse grounds there as mute testimony
of the tragedy and the power of stormy Lake Huron. Gathering a surprisingly large amount of historical material,
Mr. Bunting uses it to describe in great detail this event. Fellow member Bob McGreevy provides very
appropriate illustrations to support the text. This is a well written book for the serious historian. Available for
$21.95 through major bookstores or on line at www.amazon.com.
-4-
*** NAME THIS SHIP ***
*See Answer on Page 13 *
MEMBER'S PHOTO CORNER
Captain George Haynes provided your editor this great photo of the VOYAGEUR PIONEER passing his ship down
bound on Lake St. Clair in the Fall of 2007. It gives us the captain’s perspective of an approaching ship in a narrow
channel such as the one that traverses this shallow lake.
-5-
From The Files – 15 years Ago……1994
by Cy Hudson
May 1 This was an important day in the marine history of the Detroit and Windsor area when at 12:01 a.m., the
Norfolk and Southern Railroad ceased all tug/rail barge operations across the Detroit River, which was initiated by
the Wabash Railroad in 1898. The final run was made by the tug R.G. CASSIDY with the barge WINDSOR, which
departed the Canadian Pacific slip in Windsor at 11:39 p.m. With the recent enlargement of the Detroit- Windsor
rail tunnel, there was no longer a need for the rail barges which handled double-stack railroad cars which
previously could not clear the tunnel.
May 05 The Algoma Central Marine has sold the ALGOCAPE (1) (a) CAROL LAKE (87) to Parrish &
Heimbecker Shipping Ltd., and they have renamed the ship MAPLEGLEN which took place at the Welland Dock.
She passed up bound on May 8th, at the Soo for the first time in her new fleet colors, bound for Thunder Bay to
load grain.
May 19 The barge CLARKSON CARRIER which is pushed by the Wakeham tug PETITE FORTE has been
renamed ST. MARYS CEMENT III.
May 27 The 79 year old tug STEVEN M. SELVICK formerly named CABOT and owned by Selvick Marine &
Towing of Sturgeon Bay has arrived at St. Ignace, M.I She has been donated to be sunk off Grand Island near
Munising as part of the Alger Underwater Preserve.
May 30 The HENRY STEINBRENNER (4) the 1916 Built Lake Bulk Freighter which had been in lay-up since
December 13, 1989 at Toledo’s Lakefront Dock was towed from there by McKeil tugs ROBERT B. at the bow,
and STORMONT on the stern. The tow was bound for Port Maitland, Ontario to be scrapped by International
Marine Salvage where they arrived 3 days later. Scrapping was completed by September of that year.
June 04 Scrapping of the rail ferry GRAND RAPIDS at Port Maitland is reported complete, and demolition of the
MADISON has been cut down to her car deck.
HENRY STEINBRENNER (4) at Toledo Lakefront on July 30, 1993 awaiting her fate with the scrappers.
-6-
Editor’s Photo
20 Years Ago….1989
May 06 The ONTARIO No 1 arrived in Montreal from Norway on her delivery trip to Owen Sound, ON, she had
been given a temporary name by her new owners, the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission. She was
up bound in the Welland Canal on May 11th. A contest, sponsored by the Ontario government was conducted to
select a new name for the auto and passenger ferry. The winning name was NINDAWAYMA, a name in an Indian
dialect intended to mean ‘Little Sister’ to her running mate the CHI-CHEEMAUN on the Tobermory to South
Baymouth voyage.
May 09 The FUEL MARKETEER (2) the 1944 built Twin Screw canal tanker which had recently been used as a
diver training vessel was sold to International Marine Salvage, Port Colborne for scrapping. She was towed out of
Toronto by the McKeil tugs ARGUE MARTIN and STORMONT and the tow arrived at the scrap yard the next
day. Demolition was completed by November, the FUEL MARKETEER (2) was the last ship to be scrapped at the
old Algoma Steel plant situated at the Lake Erie end of the Welland Ship Canal.
May 16 The deep sea tug FAIRPLAY IX departed Sorel, QC with the ROBERT C. STANLEY along with her
former fleet mate RALPH H. WATSON in a scrap tow bound for Aliaga, Turkey where they arrived on June 19th.
Demolition was completed by Cukurova Celik Endustrisi A.S.
May 24 Only 6 days before the deadline by the Sarnia City Council to leave, the long-idle passenger vessel
AQUARAMA was moved by the Malcolm Marine tugs TUG MALCOLM and BARBARA ANN to the Edison Plant
dock at Marysville. Two of the AQUARAMA crew members were injured when a mooring line snapped when
leaving. Their injuries were not serious, but they required hospital attention. AQUARAMA did not remain very
long in Marysville, for on the evening of June 1st the TUG MALCOLM and BARBARA ANN towed the steamer
into the Russell Street slip in Windsor, just below the Ambassador Bridge.
AQUARAMA during her very brief visit to Marysville on May 28, 1989.
Editor’s Photo
May 29 The Bob-lo steamer STE CLAIRE departed Detroit bound for Port Huron with over 1,000 passengers,
marking the first occasion in 10 years that the STE CLAIRE or the COLUMBIA had cruised the St. Clair River.
The day trip event was sponsored by the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, and the Bluewater Michigan Chapter
of the National Railway Historical Society.
June 03 The USCG MACKINAW was reported towing the USCG BRAMBLE down the Detroit River enroute to
the Merce Shipyards in Toledo to under go an overhaul, which is expected to take about 5 months.
*******************************
-7-
Bluewater Passages
“Yes, Mr. Coulby!”
By Dick Wicklund
Part One
From 1906 to 1989, 83 years, two ships sailed the Great Lakes named for Harry Coulby, a man who
came from poor humble circumstances, to become known as the “Czar of the Great Lakes!” Probably
like most people who had their name on a ship’s bow, the namesake is more then that they were born,
lived, got rich, and died. “Yes, Mr. Coulby, you have a story to tell!”
Harry Coulby was born January 1, 1865, in Claypole, England, and lived on his parent’s farm. As he
grew, the farm life did not hold much interest for him, so at age 14 he left farm and school. However he
was an avid reader and learned quickly about the world, which included the far away Great Lakes. He
learned to be a telegraph operator for a railroad, a job he had for four years. At the age of only 18 in
1883 he sought and got a job for a telegraph company in Cuba. However the job he travelled thousands
of miles for was a miserable experience after two months. He also contracted malaria and became very
sick. When he was well enough he secretly stowed away on a ship headed for New York City.
He landed in New York in March, 1884, and was still very weak with the fever of malaria. Penniless he
was taken in by a Catholic hospital as a charity case, a kindness he never forgot. Being young, and in
the right conditions for help he quickly recovered. Nineteen year old Harry Coulby was well in just two
weeks, and he would set a course for a place he had only read about back in England that held a
fascination for him, the Great Lakes! In later years he would say this: “The name itself, ‘Great Lakes,’
fascinated me. I wanted to see those lakes. If possible I was going to sail them.”
It would be six hundred miles from New York to Cleveland, but that was closer then he had ever been,
so his course was set! How did he get there? He walked! Along the way he did odd jobs to provide for
himself. He went north to Albany, then west toward Buffalo. He followed railroad tracks, and most
likely, the Erie Canal as well. Weeks later, he arrived in Cleveland, a growing city on the shores of the
Great Lakes. He was not disappointed at what he saw. The city was a bustling port, with schooners, or
steamers pouring out smoke on Lake Erie’s horizon!
Shortly after arriving, he headed for the docks where he applied for a deckhand job on the steamer
Onoko. At the time this two year old ship was among the biggest on the lakes, the first one built with an
iron hull, and a prototype of future Great Lakes ships. However, he was rejected for his lack of
experience. The owner of this ship may have missed a chance to hire a man who would capably
manage over one hundred vessels in just twenty years. Also, the course of Harry Coulby’s life would
have placed him in the employ of Philip Minch, and likely working for Minch’s son-in-law Henry
Steinbrenner who started the Kinsman Transit Company in 1901.
The rejected Harry Coulby got a job in a construction project pushing a wheelbarrow. His ambition did
not waver as he took night school for a better job. He added to his experience as a telegraph operator
by learning to use the typewriter, becoming a stenographer, studying shorthand, and became a
secretary. This training landed him a job for the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, and it was
still 1884! This was quite a year for him, from Cuba, New York to Cleveland, and yet another job
awaited!
Amasa Stone had started the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, and this was just one of his
many business ventures that made him one of the richest men in America. Although he had died in
1883 and never met Harry Coulby, a connection was made with his family that would set this nineteen
year olds course of life! One of the two daughters of Amasa Stone had married John Hay, and Mr. Hay
liked this young man’s abilities as a secretary, and hired him away from the railway to help him on a
most interesting project. Of course, John Hay himself was as well!
-8-
John Hay was 46 years old when Harry Coulby worked for him, but Mr. Hay already had an impressive
career. John Hay was born in Indiana in 1838, and after college in 1858 he lived in Illinois working in his
uncle’s law firm, which was next door to Abraham Lincoln’s office in Springfield. The two became
friends, and when Lincoln became the 16th President of the United States he took young twenty-three
year old John Hay to Washington to be his personal secretary. Hay worked for him throughout the Civil
War, and was with him when Lincoln was assonated and died in 1865. He grew to understand Lincoln
in very personal ways, and he wrote about these recollections after the war. John Hay’s history of
Abraham Lincoln is still a classic and an accurate accounting of Lincoln, the man!
After the Civil War John Hay entered government service, serving various positions, and becoming an
Assistant Secretary of State under President Rutherford B. Hayes, 1879 – 1881. He married Clara
Stone the daughter of Amasa Stone in 1875, and was living in Cleveland when he hired Harry Coulby in
1884. At the time Hay was working on a massive ten volume history of Lincoln, and needed a secretary
to help him research, and organize the piles of materials he was going through. Coulby worked
tirelessly at this, and became an avid admirer of Lincoln. During the rest of his life Lincoln and the Civil
War would be a subject he would use to make a point in business, or just to tell a story. In 1886, Hay
wanted him to move with him to Washington to continue the work, but Coulby turned him down – the
lure of the Great Lakes continued to fascinate him. However if he had gone, one can only imagine the
career he would have had! Hay finished the Lincoln history in 1890, worked in important positions in
government, was named Ambassador to England in 1897 under President McKinley, and then United
States Secretary of State under Theodore Roosevelt in 1898. He was responsible for many policies,
and treaties, including one that paved the way for the Panama Canal. This good man died serving in
this position in 1905 at age 67, leaving quite a legacy!
Harry Coulby would never forget this experience, nor the next connection John Hay made for his friend!
John Hay had married one of the daughters of Amasa Stone, and his brother-in-law the other. Hay
asked him to give Coulby a job in his three year old company, and was hired by Samuel Mather! So
twenty-one year old Harry Coulby began working for Pickands Mather in 1886 as a secretary. His
course was now set on the Great Lakes! His fascination would now turn to a work he had the drive and
desire to accomplish!
One could easily think Pickands Mather and the partners involved in it were much older then they were,
but this was not the case. Harry Coulby was only twenty-one when he started with the company.
Pickands Mather was founded in 1883 and had only been in business for three years. The three original
founders of this mining company were Samuel Mather age 35, Colonel James Pickands age 47, and Jay
C. Morse age 48 in 1886. Also, Pickands and Morse had served in the Civil War which must have
interested Harry Coulby greatly in working for them.
Coulby joined a company that was involved in exploring for and developing iron ore mines in northern
Michigan near Marquette. Although these men were associated with Cleveland, they also lived in
Marquette developing the mining properties, and shipping the iron ore to steel mills all over the Great
Lakes. Also involved in the Marquette Range was the Cleveland Iron Company started by Samuel L.
Mather, the father of Samuel. Also here was William G. Mather, the half brother of Samuel, who would
take over his father’s iron company. Jay C. Morse was the man who explored the wilderness around
Lake Superior for ore deposits for Pickands Mather. James Pickands operated a hardware store in
Marquette, then saw the potential for iron ore, and shipping it. His brother, Henry, also a Civil War
veteran, lived in the area and was involved in similar business ventures. In any case, in 1883 the three
original partners of Morse, Mather, and Pickands formed their mining company.
So Harry Coulby joined a young company in 1886. As a secretary he could have just done the job and
gone home each day, but this was not Harry Coulby. He went beyond this to fulfill his intense interest in
the Great Lakes. The company had entered into the shipping of the ore, and this is where he found his
place.
-9-
He wanted to know every aspect of shipping: The ships themselves, the docks, the routes, the weather
conditions on the Lakes, and the costs involved in the entire operation. His quick learning and interest
caused him to rise in position in Pickands Mather. He saw the needs often before others and developed
business opportunities more efficiently also. For example, the need for coal docks around the Lakes
proved to be wise to fuel factories, homes, and the ships themselves that carried it from port to port.
Also he travelled on the ships to see every aspect of the vessel: Where they sailed, the problems that
needed attention, the mechanical ability of the boat, while enjoying the passing scenes along the rivers
and Lakes and chatting with the crew to know their work situations.
The early vessels Pickands Mather operated started with the wood hulled steamer V. H. Ketcham, which
was built in 1874 by the Lester shipyard of Marine City, Michigan. This 233 foot boat was owned by the
Pickands Mather partners from 1887 to 1889, then the Interlake Transportation Company until 1893
when it was sold. In any case, the name “Interlake” would have its origin at this time.
V. H. KETCHAM at the ore dock in Marquette, Michigan in early 1890’s.
Editor’s Collection
The first of several steamers to named Samuel Mather was built in 1887 in Cleveland by the Thomas
Quayle shipyard. Samuel Mather (1) was a 246 foot wood hulled vessel. It would also be the first boat
sunk while in the fleet. It went down after a collision with the steamer Brazil November 22, 1891 with no
lives lost, in Whitefish Bay Lake Superior.
The first steel hulled vessels in the Pickands Mather fleet were of the famous whaleback design of
Alexander McDougall. The first of the only two whalebacks built for the company was the barge
Sagamore (1) in 1892. McDougall’s American Steel Barge Company built this 320 foot barge in
Superior, Wisconsin. The company created to own this barge and the whaleback steamer to tow it was
the Huron Barge Company under Pickands Mather management. A few weeks after this barge went
into service its 340 foot whaleback towing steamer was ready, the Pathfinder (1).
-10-
PATHFINDER (1) down bound at Mission Point on the St. Mary’s River in 1917.
Photo by A. E. Young / Author’s Collection
The 1890’s was a decade of tremendous change on the Great Lakes as major steel companies
developed which included ever improving ships that made each vessel after it obsolete. The
conventional designed steel hulled boats, not the whaleback proved it could be made bigger and better.
The cargo these vessels hauled was provided by the ever increasing iron ore mines of northern
Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Pickands Mather was in competition to develop these rich ore
deposits. With its alignment with the Rockefeller steel making interests, its mining and marine
transportation grew, and Harry Coulby was in the right position.
Pickands Mather became involved in the transport of iron ore helping to build fleets on the Great Lakes,
including the management of ships owned by others. One major fleet the company managed was the
Minnesota Steamship Company of the Minnesota Iron Mining Company. The Minnesota fleet had ships
named in a unique manner seen in these examples: Mariska, Maruba, Manola, Masaba, Mariposa, and
Maritana. By 1899 this fleet had twelve steamers and ten barges. In one way or another Pickands
Mather was also involved with McDougall’s American Steel Barge Company, and Rockefeller’s
Bessemer Steamship Company during the 1890’s.
Even though the company was involved in mining and the transportation of the ore, it had only two
whalebacks it operated under its own ownership in 1893. This however would change, with the building
of three vessels. Harry Coulby by this time was a major player in the company, and Lake shipping as
well. When Coulby was only twenty-nine years old, the steamer Kearsarge was built in 1894. This 340
foot ship was built in Chicago by the Chicago Shipbuilding Company, and was owned by the Interlake
Transportation Company of Pickands Mather.
-11-
KEARSARGE down bound approaching the ice-clogged Soo Locks in 1922.
Photo by A. E. Young / Author’s Collection
In 1895 the first ships built at 400 feet were launched. One of these was the Victory built by the Chicago
Shipbuilding Company. A copy of this vessel was launched a month and a half after and was named the Zenith
City. The Victory was placed in Pickands Mather’s Interlake fleet joining the Kearsarge. The Zenith City would be
operated by Augustus Wolvin’s shipping interests. These two ships held the title of the largest on the Lakes, but
only for a short time as technology created longer vessels.
Victory (1) down bound on the St. Mary’s River
Author’s Collection
-12-
In 1897 Pickands Mather took delivery of a 379 foot barge for their Interlake Transportation affiliate. It
was built in Superior, Wisconsin by the American Steel Barge Company, and it was named Constitution.
It was a conventional consort barge, not a whaleback. It would be mated with the steamer Victory.
CONSTITUTION down bound on the St. Clair River at Marine City
Photo by Pesha / Editor’s Collection
With the company’s marine transportation underway by 1900, Harry Coulby continued his career that
began as a fascination in England, and was now a reality on the Great Lakes. However, major events
would change his course and the company he worked for.
---------------------------------------------- To Be Continued! ------------------------------------------------------------_______________________________________________________________________________________
Answer to Name This Ship (Pg. 4)
WILLIAM H. DONNER (U.S. Bulk freighter) (Off. #212354) Built
in 1914 at Ashtabula, Ohio by Great Lakes Engineering Works as Hull # 134. Hull: Steel, Length: 524
ft. Width: 54 ft. Depth: 30ft. Gross Tonnage 6,311. Net Tonnage 4,843.
Built for the Mahoning
Steamship Company and engaged in the iron ore and coal trades. Merged into the Bethlehem
Transportation Company in 1932. Converted into a crane-equipped bulk freighter in 1956. Sold to Miller
Compressing Company in 1970 for use as a dock side transfer vessel at Milwaukee. Sold in late 1990’s
to K & K Warehousing of Marinette, Wisconsin for further use as transfer vessel. Currently in service
although all cabins have now been removed.
-13-
LOOKING BACK 50 YEARS - A Historical Quiz
Fellow member and frequent contributor Skip Gillham found the article below in the CSL scrapbook file at the
St. Catharines Museum and, with the 50th Anniversary of the Seaway upon us, he thought members might be
interested in a look back at the final grain cargoes of 1958 out of Thunder Bay. This article was in the Skillings
Mining Review for December 1958.
CANADIAN LAKEHEAD LOADS FINAL GRAIN CARGOES OF '58 SEASON
“In the final week of shipping at the Canadian Lakehead ports of Fort William-Port Arthur - December 8-13,
inclusive, a good number of bulk freighters were loaded with grain. Heavy ice conditions in the harbor and
extreme sub-zero cold hampered loading and ship movement activity, but a total of 46 cargoes were loaded
during the week.
On Monday Dec. 8, the SUPERIOR, BURLINGTON, BAYTON, DOUGLASS HOUGHTON, ALGOCEN (1),
C.,A. BENNETT, and FORT WILLDOC cleared. On the 9th it was the JAMES NORRIS, CANADOC (2),
VICTORIOUS, SOODOC (1), R. BRUCE ANGUS, SCOTT MISENER (3), COVERDALE, SIR JAMES DUNN,
GEORGE HINDMAN (2), COLLINGWOOD and RALPH BUDD all clearing with down bound grain cargoes
plus the FORT HENRY loaded with newsprint for Detroit delivery. Wednesday, Dec. 10th, saw the NIPIGON
BAY, E.B. BARBER, ALGOWAY (1), RALPH S. MISENER, ONTADOC (1), RENVOYLE (2), STARELLE,
HOWARD L. SHAW, PATERSON (1) and WINNIPEG (2) complete their loads, and, on the 11th, eight ships
cleared including the HAGARTY, T.R. MCLAGAN, GORDON C. LEITCH (1), A.A. HUDSON, CAPTAIN C.D.
SECORD, ASHCROFT, MOHAWK DEER and FORT YORK. Four ships cleared on Friday the 12th, the
JOHN O. MCKELLAR (2), EVERETTON, GOLDEN HIND, and HOCHELAGA, while on the last day, Saturday
Dec. 13th, the MARTIAN (2) loaded flour while the ALGORAIL (1), LEMOYNE (1), GLENEAGLES, and
SENATOR OF CANADA cleared with the final grain cargoes of 1958”.
Now, 50 years later, five of these ships remain in existence and only one of these ships remains in active
service on the lakes. Can you guess any of them?
Well, the hulls of three of them are used as permanent breakwaters as part of the Ontario Place park in
Toronto Harbor. Those being the DOUGLASS HOUGHTON, HOWARD L. SHAW and the VICTORIOUS.
Another is used as a floating dry dock in Norfolk, Virginia. That being the JOHN O. McKELLAR (2) that was
sold and renamed ELMGLEN (2) in 1984 and was later cut down into a barge and converted into a floating dry
dock while keeping her name.
Finally, the
NORRIS.
operation.
Today, she
clinker.
only ship still in active service on the Great Lakes from that list of 46 is the Steamer JAMES
In 1958 was was one of the largest ships on that list. Today, she is one of the smallest in
She remains active largely due to an extensive rebuild that converted her to a self-unloader.
still plies the Seaway but no longer carries grain cargoes but rather limestone, salt and cement
JAMES NORRIS downbound loaded with salt at Algonac on July 15, 2008
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Editor’s photo
H. P. McINTOSH
The steel bulk carrier H.P. MCINTOSH was upbound in the St. Clair River below Port Huron when it was in a
collision with the M.A. HANNA on July 7, 1908. The former was struck on the portside, just forward of the
boilers, and received structural damage.
The Captain of the H.P. MCINTOSH headed his 540 foot (overall) long by 54 foot wide steamer to shore where
it settled in the shallow water averting a major disaster.
The year-old H.P. MCINTOSH, a product of the West Bay City Shipbuilding Co., was patched, pumped out,
refloated and repaired. It joined the Wilson fleet in 1913 and was renamed EDWARD S. KENDRICK in 1934.
While primarily used to carry iron ore, coal and grain, the deck was fitted with filler platforms for the
transportation of new automobiles before and after World War Two.
EDWARD S. KENDRICK tied up at Buffalo in October 1970 and, following a sale for scrap, arrived at
Castellon, Spain, under tow on May 19, 1973, to be broken up.
Please credit: Great Lakes Graphics, Skip Gillham Collection
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*FEDERAL CALUMET (1)*
Down bound in the Welland Canal
Photo courtesy of Jim Hoffman
Built in 1996 by Jiangnan Shipyard, Shanghai, China; as Hull # 2215
Length - 656' 2" Breadth - 77' 3" Depth - 48' 11"
GRT - 20,837 M. Bulk Carrier
Main Engine - 10,476 bhp B&W
This being the 50th anniversary of the St. Lawrence Seaway, I thought it appropriate to write about probably the most
frequent salt-water user of the system. This would be Fednav with their head office in Montreal, which is also the
entrance to the Seaway.
Fednav has taken on a fleet renewal program, investing heavily which transformed the fleet since 1996. They have added
30 new ships to the fleet since that date. One such vessel worth mentioning is the now former Federal Calumet (2). She
was the second of five new builds from China. These handy sized ships were a complete departure from the ships they
were to replace. The new ships were geared bulkers where as the previous ships built in Belgium by Cockerill Yards and
in South Korea at Hyundai Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries, which is where the former Federal Calumet (1) was
built, were gearless.
The new Federal Calumet was owned by Lake Ontario Inc. and her registry was the Barbados. Initially she had be
registered in Liberia. Her first voyage to the seaway was in September 1996 and was a busy first voyage at that. Her
inbound voyage took her to Thorold, Detroit, Chicago and Duluth. Her inbound cargo consisted of bauxite and steel. On
her outbound voyage she took on a cargo of wheat. In all, she made two voyages in her initial sailing year. She returned
again in 1997 completing a total of 3 voyages. The final one was in October and took her to Cleveland, Burns Harbor and
Thunder Bay. After just 5 voyages inland she was sold to Croatian interests and was renamed Orsula while in Antwerp,
Belgium.
Now as Orsula and now owned by Atlantic Adria Corp. she was now registered in Hercegovina. She maintained the
Fednav hull colours and stack markings now under long term charter to Fednav. She had a busy first year in 1998 under
her new name logging in 6 visits to the seaway. Her initial voyage inbound was to Toronto, Hamilton, Thunder Bay and
Duluth with steel inbound and canola seeds outbound. She has maintained a steady presence on the seaway under this
name though she only visited the seaway once in 2008 passing upbound past the Port Huron/Sarnia area en route to
Duluth to load canola seed.
Fednav and the registered manager of the Orsula have had a good reputation for maintaining their vessels and I'm sure
she will be sailing for many years to come. The Orsula is one illustration of the importance of global trading. With
cargoes of steel, fertilizers, bauxite and grain cargoes, she is another important link to the history of the St. Lawrence
Seaway.
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