SOCIETY NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS

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1 Incorporated in the State of Michigan October 21, Vol. XXX, No. 4 July / August, David Michelson ( Editor ) Membership (annual) - $14.00 (U.S. & Can. funds) D. W. Seaton Dr. Send to: Lake Huron Lore Marine Society New Baltimore, MI P. O. Box 99 Ph: (586) micheldr2005@yahoo.com Marysville, MI Ph: (810) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DIRECTORS President - Fred Miller Secretary - Gareth McNabb Frank Frisk David Michelson V. President - John Coulter Treasurer - Theresa Miller Kenneth Niemi Andrew Severson Chris Tabor Gene Buel (Hon. Advisory Director) Paul Schmitt (Hon. Advisory Director) SOCIETY NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS We are pleased to announce that the Lightship Museum toilet project is progressing well. The special toilet has been purchased and delivered. Currently it is being installed in the shower room area in the ships bow and should be available soon. This toilet uses incineration for disposal and does not need a connection to the municipal sewer system. It is intended for use primarily by the volunteer staff and not for the public in general. This will alleviate a frequently difficult situation for our volunteers. Our final dinner meeting for Spring season was held Saturday, May 16, Your editor, David Michelson be presented at program entitled Our Changing Lakers - The Evolution of the Great Lakes Fleet in the Past 30 Years We had 65 members and guests in attendance for dinner prepared by the Museum Guild. Our raffle for many interesting door prizes bought in $216. The evening was entertaining and informative for all. Or sincere thanks to the ladies of the Guild and to all those who generously donated raffle items. The 2009 Annual Marine Mart was held Saturday, June 6, 2008, at the Port Huron Seaway and by all accounts it was outstanding success! Attendance was large and at one point there was difficulty finding a parking place. Vendors and visitors both enjoyed relatively brisk sales throughout the day. The Great Lakes Nautical Society had many fine models on display and in operation in the large pond outside. Acheson Ventures had an informative display on the history of shipbuilding in Port Huron. The day was concluded by a special ship watching cruise on the HURON LADY II for some. Our thanks to Acheson Ventures for providing the venue and to all this vendors and volunteers who made this day possible.

2 COMING EVENTS - MARK YOUR CALENDARS Willis B. Boyer Marine Memorabilia Flea Market - Saturday August 22, 2009, 9am to 5pm, at the Toledo Maritime Center, 170 Front Street, Toledo, Ohio This event is being held with the Toledo Antique and Classic Boat Show. Note that it will not be at the Willis B. Boyer Museum but rather at the air-conditioned confines of the new Maritime Center. For more information or directions, please contact the museum at or Annual Steam Whistle Blow - scheduled for August 29 th and 30 th from noon to 4pm 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. Saturday. September 12, 2009, 6pm at the Museum, will be the first of the fall dinner meetings. Fellow member Bob Campbell will be presenting a new program Steamboating Adventures to Mackinac Island featuring the sights and sounds of a long past era of steamship excursions to the Island. Bob puts on a great show and this one should be no exception. Saturday, October 17, 2009, 6pm at the Museum our featured program will be presented by Ray Bawal and Constance Jerlecki and is entitled Ships of the St. Clair River. New Members - A warm welcome goes out to Helen Wheeler, of Marysville, MI *** NAME THIS SHIP *** *See Answer on Page 11 * -2-

3 FOR THE BOOKSHELF: Great Additions to Your Marine Library Buckets and Belts: Evolution of the Great Lakes Self-Unloader, William Lafferty and Valerie van Heest, ISBN , Published by In-depth Editions, Holland, MI 2009 Beginning with the story of the 1927 loss of the barge Hennepin and its discovery in 2006, this 320 page book traces more than a century of innovative technological advancements in the conveying of bulk cargos from the Hennepin s conversion to a self-unloader in 1902 to today s 1,000-foot long lakers. What is surprising is how little the actual design of the unloading equipment has changed over the decades. Enhanced with the most comprehensive collection of 275 self-unloader images ever published and dozens of underwater photographs, the book also explores the lives of the people who designed these vessels, the crewmen who sailed them and the self-unloaders that went to the bottom of the lakes. This book is long overdue. $24.95 plus shipping. Available through Great Lakes Shipping Ports & Cargoes, Patrick D. Lapinski, ISBN Published by Iconografix, Hudson, WI 2009 The mix of black and white and color photographs in this 160 page book show a slice of industrial America rarely seen by the general public. These images, contemporary and historic, take readers to all of the primary loading and unloading ports from Lake Superior to Lake Erie. View how cargoes are loaded at the grain terminals of Thunder Bay, the ore docks of Minnesota s north shore or the Midwest Energy coal dock in Superior. See where the ships and cargoes go on the Cuyahoga River, the Ford plant on Detroit s Rouge River or inside the heart of the U.S. Steel Works in Gary. Photographer and historian Lapinski (and the other photographers represented here) has a good eye for composition, and the accompanying text is well-written and informative. For a behind-the-scenes look at lake boats and the ports they serve, this book gets the job done. $34.95 plus shipping Available from Iconografix, P.O. Box 446, Hudson, WI , or at Purvis Brothers Fisheries: A Family Tradition, G.I. Buck Longhurst, 2009 In this 88 page book, Canadian historian Buck Longhurst offers a look at the five Purvis brothers of Sault Ste, Marie, Ont., the fishing enterprises they created, and the various fishing vessels they employed. Many rare photographs help bring the Purvis story to life in a very personal way, aided by a handy family tree. What a life this must have been, and it is captured very handily here. $25.00 Available from the Gore Bay & Western Manitoulin Museum, P.O. Box 222, Gore Bay, Ont. P0P 1H0 The St. Lawrence Seaway: Fifty Years and Counting, D'Arcy Jenish, 2009 The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation announces the publication of The St. Lawrence Seaway: Fifty Years and Counting, an official history of the waterway s first five decades. The corporation commissioned the 120 page book to commemorate the Seaway s 50 th anniversary in The 120-page book is roughly half text/half photos, with all the images selected to illustrate and enhance the text. Toronto-based writer D Arcy Jenish spent two years on the project. The St. Lawrence Seaway captures every major development and setback of the first 50 years and concludes with a snapshot of the future as seen by shipping company executives, shippers and the SLSMC itself. Order direct from D Arcy Jenish, 15 Dagwell Cres., Ajax, ON, L1T 3M8 $50.00 incl. book, GST, mailer & postage within Canada - 3 -

4 Caught Through the Camera Lens and with the Humor of Louis and Lena Pesha It is evident the Peshas had a sense of humor and showcased this with a set of comical photo postcards. Here we have the Steamer A. A. AUGUSTUS of the Pioneer Steamship Company up bound passing Marine City, MI loaded with corn in the form of a huge cob of corn on the deck! Other post cards showed a whaleback barge being towed by a dirigible or an excursion ship passing down the main street of local town. It is hard to say just how popular these cards were, but they do occasionally show up in collections or at flea-markets. Photo courtesy of Ken Michelson. Extra-Credit Maritime History Question: It is time for all you historians and students of lore to use your skills to answer the following question: There are no less than three ships illustrated in this issue that bore the famous name of SAMUEL MATHER at one time or another during their careers. Only one is shown with the actual name. Can you find the other two? This might take a little research for many of you, and keep in mind that the name has been used seven times on different ships. The answer will be found in the next issue. -4-

5 From The Files 15 years Ago 1994 by Cy Hudson Both July and August saw several ships on voyages to the scrapyard. July Word was received of the total loss of the former Sandrin Bros. tug TUSKER which has been based in Sarnia. The tug departed Sarnia in May, 1992 after being sold to Nigerian owners and renamed BODE. She was lost off the Ivory Coast, West Africa while trying to salvage the African ferry JUMBO which had run aground on July 24, No date was given for the loss of the BODE. July 9 The ROBERT C. NORTON (2) which had been laid up at the Hans Hansen Dock in Toledo since May 9, 1980 was towed out of the port by the tug ROBERT B. No 1 and passed down the Welland Canal with the assistance of the tugs PAUL E. No 1 and JAMES E. McGRATH to begin the scrap tow overseas. She was later joined at Sorel, PQ by her former fleet mate WILLIAM A. REISS (2) and the tandem tow by the tug NEFTEGAZ 56 cleared Sorel on August 5, 1994 bound for Alang, India. They arrived safely there on December 16 to be broken up. ROBERT B. No1 arriving with WILLIAM A REISS (2) July 14 The 1916 Lake Bulk Freighter built by G.L.E.W. HENRY STEINBRENNER (4) was being dismantled at Port Maitland by International Marine Salvage when the pilothouse section was destroyed by fire caused by heat and sparks from the cutting torches. It had been intended to remove the pilothouse intact to be moved to Port Burwell on Lake Erie to be part of the local museum. July 21 While down bound under the Bluewater Bridge at Port Huron, Oglebay Norton s 767-foot RESERVE lost her engine power and while attempting to stop by dragging her stern anchor, she spun a full 180 degrees before her anchor took hold just 20 feet off the seawall behind the municipal office building. The RESERVE was able to restart her engine and had to proceed upbound into Lake Huron to turn around and then continue her voyage to Toledo. Fortunately there was no damage to the vessel or the seawall. -5-

6 August 19 The former P & H Shipping Co. vessel CEDARGLEN (1) which had been used for grain storage by the Goderich Elevator Ltd, since 1984 was towed out of the port by the tugs KAY COLE and STORMONT and the tow arrived at Port Maitland to be scrapped which was completed by late Replacing the CEDARGLEN (1) will be the WILLOWGLEN which was bought by Goderich Elevators for use as a grain storage barge. CEDARGLEN (1) down bound in the Welland Canal above Lock 2 on April 20, This was her last year of operation. Editor s photo August 26 Another P & H steamer was in the scrapping news when the BEECHGLEN which had been laid up at Owen Sound for a year was towed out by the tug KAY COLE to be joined the next day by the McKeil tug STORMONT above Port Huron en route to Port Maitland for demolition which was completed in Years Ago August 7 A fire caused by mysterious circumstances destroyed the former Newfoundland fishing vessel CLARENVILLE which had been used as a waterfront restaurant at Owen Sound Ontario. The vessel broke her back and sank at her pier. August 9 The CSL s FORT CHAMBLY and NIPIGON BAY cleared Sorel, PQ in tandem tow by the German tug FAIRPLAY 1X bound for Aliaga, Turkey where they arrived on September 19, to be broken up. August 26 Two more CSL s vessels, the SIR JAMES DUNN and GEORGIAN BAY departed Sorel in tandem tow of the Panamanian tug McTHUNDER also bound for Aliaga, Turkey scrapyard. After many trials and tribulations caused by fierce storms during the tow it was not until November 16 that the tow managed to reach Aliaga. Lloyds of London lists the tug as M.C. THUNDER. -6-

7 SIR JAMES DUNN up bound on the St. Clair River on September 10, Editor s Photo August 26 This was the day when the Bluewater area saw the departure of a long time marine fixture in our area. The 1906 built vessel by Chicago Shipbuilding the NORMAN B. REAM. In 1965 sold to Kinsman Marine Transit and renamed KINSMAN ENTERPRISE (1) until the end of the 1978 shipping season and was sold to the Port Huron Terminal Company. The vessel was towed to Port Huron the following year and was unofficially renamed HULL NO. 1. For the next 10 years, served as a storage barge to hold agricultural products, sugar beet pellets, sunflower seeds etc, to await overseas shipment. Certainly a familiar sight in Port Huron, until July 1989 when she was declared surplus to be purchased by Marine Salvage Ltd., Port Colborne. Later resold for overseas scrapping, and on August 26 was towed by the tugs BARBARA ANN and TUG MALCOLM. Assisted down the Seaway by McAllister Towing s SALVAGE MONARCH and HELEN M. McALLISTER the tow arrived at Sorel on September 1 to await an overseas tow. Five days later on the 6th she left under the tow of the Polish tug JANTAR bound for Aliaga, Turkey arriving there on October 10 to be dismantled. KINSMAN ENTERPRISE (1) shown moored as storage barge at the Port Huron Seaway Terminal on August 3, Editor s Photos Footnote The Polish tug JANTAR 1225/58, 3150 bhp made more than 20 transatlantic scrap voyages, JANTAR (translation AMBER) was herself scrapped in January, 1992 at Karachi, Pakistan. -7-

8 Bluewater Passages By Dick Wicklund On January 1, 1900, Harry Coulby was just thirty-five years old, and not many could claim what he had accomplished at his young age! At age nineteen in 1884 this young man from England arrived in Cleveland, and two years later began his career with Pickands Mather in He started as a secretary but quickly advanced because of his drive and his passion for the Great Lakes, finding innovative ways to improve ships and shipping. Until 1893 an economic depression had gripped the country and the Great Lakes. As prosperity returned during the remainder of the 1890 s, those involved in ore mining, shipping, and steel making scrambled to meet the demands of a growing nation in a period of time that became known as the Industrial Revolution. Harry Coulby was a minor personality in this time period compared with such men as James H. Hoyt, Samuel Mather, Augustus B. Wolvin, Judge Elbert H. Gary, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and J. P. Morgan. These were the individuals that engineered major changes for the Great Lakes region that would make it America s industrial heartland. At the beginning of the new century the Rockefeller steel making interests combined with financier J. P. Morgan to buy its rival, headed by Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie had decided to retire and wanted to sell his ore mining, shipping, and steel producing operations to them. The estimated worth of this transaction including stocks and bonds amounted to about half a billion dollars in 1900 money! Thus almost overnight in early 1901 the huge United States Steel Corporation was formed. The various shipping companies of the Rockefeller and the Carnegie interests were merged to form the Pittsburgh Steamship Company of U. S. Steel. One hundred twelve ships in one fleet made it the largest fleet of ships in the world in one company. This merger affected Pickands Mather not as much in its mining operations, as it did in its shipping it was devastated! Major fleets it had managed for the Rockefeller steel makers were now part of this new fleet, such as the American Steel Barge Company, and the Minnesota Steamship Company. About 50 ships were no longer managed by Pickands Mather, leaving Harry Coulby to manage only five of its own vessels. From 1901 to 1904 Pickands Mather s fleets were the Huron Barge Company and the Interlake Transportation Company. The Huron fleet consisted of the whaleback steamer PATHFINDER (1), and its whaleback consort barge SAGAMORE (1). The Interlake fleet had two steamers of conventional design, the KEARSARGE, and the VICTORY, along with a consort barge named CONSTITUTION. However during this time the barge SAGAMORE (1) was lost by collision with the steamer NORTHERN QUEEN on July 29, 1901 in Whitefish Bay Lake Superior just east of Point Iroquois. In 1904 it was replaced by an 1898 built barge named the DAVID Z. NORTON (1) which was purchased from the Wilson fleet, and Huron Barge renamed it SAGAMORE (2). It should be added that a minor fleet was managed by Pickands Mather about this time, the Boston Coal Dock & Warf Company. They only had two ships, the wood hulled steamer APPOMATTOX, and its schooner barge SANTIAGO. They were designs of a bygone era in Great Lakes shipping, although neither was old in years. The 330 foot APPOMATTOX was built by James Davidson at West Bay City, Michigan in The schooner barge SANTIAGO was built by the same builder in 1899 at 336 feet long. It is unclear how long this management continued but the APPOMATTOX ended its days when it wrecked in a storm November 2, 1905, near Milwaukee in Lake Michigan. The SANTIAGO ended its days in another fleet when it foundered in a storm while being towed off Point Aux Barques Lake Huron September 10,

9 After 1901 with ore mines busy, and the prospect of millions of tons of iron ore to be shipped, Harry Coulby and Henry G. Dalton were determined to build whole new fleets with new vessels for Pickands Mather. With shipyards booked with orders it would take time to bring this to fruition for their company. They were right to plan ahead because on the Lakes in 1905 fifty-eight million tons of bulk cargos were shipped, and it would grow to seventy-five million in However, Harry Coulby was given an opportunity that could have led him away form Pickands Mather. Judge Elbert H. Gary, chairman of U. S. Steel, was disappointed in Augustus B. Wolvin and his management of the giant Pittsburgh Steamship Company. Wolvin was more of an engineer and a designer of ships, then a manager, and wanted to depart. Gary looked no further than Harry Coulby who had proven himself in past positions. Gary asked, and Coulby took days to decide, but accepted under these conditions: He would remain as a partner in Pickands Mather, continue to manage its shipping, and he even set his own pay for doing it. Elbert Gary was not the kind of man who would even consider such conditions, but one could imagine him agreeing and saying, Yes, Mr. Coulby! So in January, 1904 thirty-nine year old Harry Coulby became president of the Pittsburgh fleet of well over one hundred ships, and the general manager of Pickands Mather s shipping operations. Reorganization was quickly put in place for Pittsburgh along with the planning of new and bigger ships. Older vessels in this fleet needed replacing, and the new Pickands Mather ships simply needed to be built. But, a new innovative vessel was on the ways in 1904 that would revolutionize ship size and capacity. Augustus B. Wolvin after he left Pittsburgh Steamship had a new giant ore carrier built for his Acme Steamship Company, the 560 foot steamer AUGUSTUS B. WOLVIN. This was the largest ship on the Lakes when launched on April 9, Among the major design changes was the introduction of the arch frame designed cargo hold and side ballast tanks. This new innovative giant and true prototype vessel nicknamed the Yellow Kid because of its hull color was quickly accepted by shippers. It meant future ships could be built wider and longer. This basic design is still used in Great Lakes ships sailing today regardless of age or size. AMASA STONE down bound loaded in the St. Clair Flats late in her career. Author s Collection Harry Coulby certainly took notice along with others, and new vessels were on the order books at shipbuilders for delivery in Based on this design the Pittsburgh fleet took delivery of four 569 foot vessels in 1905 known as the Gary Class. The first, the ELBERT H. GARY was launched on April 8, 1905 almost exactly a year after the steamer Augustus B. Wolvin. The other Gary Class ships were the WILLIAM E. COREY (fleet flagship), GEORGE W. PERKINS, and HENRY C. FRICK. A mere two weeks before the ELBERT H. GARY was launched Pickands Mather launched the 545 foot AMASA STONE on March 25,

10 This was the first of the new ships to rebuild the company s shipping operations. It was named for the late father-in-law of Samuel Mather and John Hay (noted in the part one). It would be operated by Pickands Mather s Mesaba Steamship Company, along with three more vessels on order: The 1906 built SAMUEL MATHER (3), and two in 1907, the JAY C. MORSE and the D. O. MILLS. To add a note on the use of the name Samuel Mather, this third one actually sailed at the same time as the second, which was the whaleback steamer SAMUEL MATHER (2) of the Pittsburgh fleet. SAMUEL MATHER (3) up bound loaded in the ice-clogged Soo Locks in the early spring of A.E. Young Photo / Author s Collection Harry Coulby, also managing the Pittsburgh fleet added their first of a long series of six hundred foot ships beginning in 1906 and The first was the 601 foot J. PIERPONT MORGAN. In both these years, eight of these new giants entered service, and this fleet was not done building and adding these thousand footers of their day. In fact between 1906 and 1917 a whopping twenty-seven six hundred foot ships were built or added to the Pittsburgh fleet! Harry Coulby was a very hands on manager, involved in every aspect of cargo movement by ships of either Pickands Mather or Pittsburgh. He could be tough or genial in nature. With managing well over one hundred ships he gained the nickname, Czar of the Great Lakes! He dealt with the many labor unions as well as captains in a forthright manner, sometimes not pleasing everyone. However it was often the right direction more often then not. He saw that bigger ships meant better working conditions for sailors. He knew the captains that were good and the ones making excuses. During the aftermath of the 1905 storm, he was criticized for sending ships into the storm regardless of the danger. However he defended this unjust charge saying the captains were sailing in a developing storm, and were valiantly trying to save their crews. He added that it was never his policy to make such a demand or to undercut the knowledge and experience of captain and crew they knew best in such situations. -10-

11 In 1906 a ship was launched on March 24 th named for forty-one year old Harry Coulby. What is interesting is that is was built to the same dimensions as Pittsburgh s Gary class, which may have been its only similarity. However its owner was neither Pickands Mather, nor Pittsburgh Steamship. It was built for the L. C. Smith Transit company. This was a fleet of ships owned by what was a typewriter maker. This fleet was nicknamed the Typewriter Fleet. The question is, why? The Smith Brothers Typewriter Company started in 1883, and became a major manufacturer of them. Harry Coulby was trained as a secretary, so it was likely he used their typewriters. Later, was he on their board in some capacity, so that one of their ships would be named for him? This company would later take the name Smith Corona, and is still known as the SMC Corporation. Nevertheless their fleet was combined to form the Great Lakes Steamship Company in In 1927 HARRY COULBY (1) was renamed FINLAND making way for the second ship named HARRY COULBY (2) of Pickands Mather s Interlake fleet. HARRY COULBY (1) out bound in the Duluth Ship Canal in to rough seas on Lake Superior MacKenzie Photo / Author s Collection Under Harry Coulby s management of ships for Pittsburgh Steamship Company, and those of Pickands Mather, each would grow in size to become the first and the second largest fleets on the Great Lakes. He would manage about one hundred sixty ships combined for each of these fleets. To Be Continued!_ Answer to Name This Ship (Pg. 4) SAMUEL MATHER (2) (U.S. Whaleback bulk freighter) (Off. #116484) Built in 1892 at Superior, WI by American Steel Barge Company as Hull # 120. Hull: Steel, Length: 308 ft. Width: 38 ft. Depth: 24 ft. Gross Tonnage 1,713. Net Tonnage 1,318. Built for the American Steel Barge Company and engaged in the iron ore and coal trades. Sold to the Bessemer Steamship Company in Merged into the Pittsburgh Steamship Company in Sold to the Clifton Steamship Company in Renamed CLIFTON and converted into a self-unloading bulk freighter in Sank in heavy seas of Forty-Mile Point in Lake Huron on September 22, 1924 with the loss of all 24 hands aboard. -11-

12 Sea Stories Recollections of Life on the Great Lakes By Capt. Dick Metz SS JUDITH M. PIERSON was my next ship to sail for the 1982 season. I really wanted SOO RIVER TRADER back, but she was not to come out until later in the season. I joined the Judy in the canal, and my first port of call was Hamilton, Ontario, to deliver a load of beans. Hamilton was a good port for going ashore; it often took three days to discharge a cargo. After unloading, we went light ship to Thunder Bay and loaded grain for Quebec City. Our trip was uneventful. Judy was a very forgiving little ship, and I soon forgot about the SOO RIVER TRADER and paid all of my attention to my new ship. We were up bound in the south shore canal, and I was talking to another of our company s ships, Steamer JOAN M. McCULLOUGH, which was down bound in the same waterway. As we rounded the last corner of the canal, I saw the McCullough right in the center of the canal headed toward us. Surely, the captain would move over to his side to allow us to safely meet. But he never gave me one inch of room, and I had to move over toward the bank to keep from colliding with him. After we passed each other, my stern started to suck the bank, and my bow was protruding out into the center of the canal. I thought, This is where we go aground, but at the last moment, I rang up full astern, hoping the cavitation of the prop would cause the stern to work itself back into the center of the canal - which it did. Judy was a very forgiving ship! The shipping season went along very smoothly with the Judy. JOAN M. McCULLOUGH upbound in the Welland Canal above Lock 7 on July 13, 1981 Editor s Photo -12-

13 One day, while up bound in the St. Mary's River, I received a phone call from my office. It was Captain Ron Dean asking my position. We're just below Nine Mile Point, I responded. Captain Dean ordered, Turn the ship around as soon as you can and proceed directly to Owen Sound. When you get there, lay up the ship and pay off the crew. You can stay aboard as ship keeper until further orders. Not really sure what was up, I phoned the chief with the news. He was as bewildered as I was about the situation. I called Soo Control and asked permission to turn around in the Nine Mile anchorage area and to proceed downstream. Meanwhile, I checked down to dead slow ahead and waited for the Soo to give me permission to turn around. They never answered. But while I was waiting for permission to make the turn, a cranky old skipper called on the radio. How long will it take you to make the turn? About five minutes, I answered. Yeah. sure. He barked into the radio. Where are you? I asked. Coming around Mission Point, he snarled, and I have trouble with my pitch. I never answered the old crab or called Soo Control again. I ordered the wheel hard to port and rang for full ahead. The forgiving Judy came right around, and we were headed downstream in a matter of minutes. Then I called Soo Control. JUDITH M. PIERSON turned and heading down bound, I reported. I will call you at Light 29. Light 29. Roger, JUDITH M. PIERSON. That was all I heard - not even a peep out of the old crab. Once we were headed down bound, a small boat came up to our starboard bow. A guy with a camera and recorder shouted, Hey, Cap! Can you blow me a salute? I told the mate to blow this guy a salute with the Judy s old steam whistle, and I stepped out of the pilothouse to get my picture taken. Send me one, will you? I yelled down to the boat. He did indeed send me that picture. In fact he sent me pictures of the entire Soo River Fleet. Many years later, I finally met Bob Campbell, and we became friends. JUDITH M. PIERSON on her last trip down bound on the St. Mary s River in July, 1982 for lay-up at Owen Sound Photo by Bob Campbell -13-

14 When JUDITH M. PIERSON arrived at Owen Sound, we found out that the Soo River Company was in receivership. Everyone felt such a sense of loss! After I paid each crew member off and shook their hands good-bye, I was alone on a dead ship. I would be for two months. But life was good ship keeping on the Judy. All that I had to do was pump out the bilge tanks every morning and pull the ladder up to keep inquisitive people from coming aboard. I sat in the sun and tanned all day while receiving full skipper s pay. The only problem was my cooking. It definitely was not like the Twine House! I had a problem with what to do with all the food there was aboard. I could not possibly use it all before it spoiled. I counted over 30 cases of fresh milk, three crates of eggs, all kinds of vegetables, frozen meats, and 25 pounds of butter. It was enough food to feed 30 men for a week. I didn't want to waste any of it, so I called a hospital and an old age home, and offered it to them. But no one would take it off my hands because of bureaucratic nonsense. It was perfectly good, fresh food, and nobody wanted it. That same afternoon, I saw an old couple walking to the A&P store pushing a wheeled cart. I walked up to them, and of course, both eyed me up suspiciously. I told them who I was and why I was there. Do you want some free food? I asked. Bring your friends down to the ship, too, and I'll give you all the food you can carry home. Before I got back to the ship, there was a line of people a block long - people carrying baskets, pulling wagons and carts - waiting for me to lower the ladder. I got rid of all the food, leaving just enough for me to live on while I was ship keeping. In the freezer, I had found a huge, well-wrapped pork roast, so I thought I would make myself a pork feast and use the leftovers for pork sandwiches for lunches for days to come. Being the cook that I am, I remembered that when cooking pork, one should make sure to cook it until well-done, leaving none of the meat red or pink. With this in mind, I turned on the oven, put the meat inside, and figured I would check on it in about three hours. When it was done, I would roast my potatoes and have a hearty meal. I did some chores and came back after three hours. When I peeked at the roast, it was still red, so back into the oven it went. A few hours later, I could smell pork all over the ship. In fact, I figured anyone in the harbor could smell it. So I checked it again, fully expecting it to be golden brown. But it was still red inside, although it had shrunk noticeably. Back into the oven it went. A little later, a fishing buddy showed up with a catch of lake trout for me, and we walked back to the galley to put the fish into the freezer. While there, I went to the oven and checked the roast again. It had shrunk even smaller, but it was still red inside. What do you suppose is wrong with this piece of pork? I asked my friend. I've been roasting it for hours and it s still not done. He took a peek at the meat. Your trouble is, this is not a pork roast. It is a ham! The ham was so tough and salty that I had to feed it to the seagulls. One day, I heard banging against the hull, so I looked down over the ship s side. There was a man standing there, and he asked me, Do you have any black paint? Yes, I do, I replied. Well, you can paint out the Soo River Company on the ship s side and also the name JUDITH M. PIERSON. And who might you be, telling me to paint this entirely out? I yelled down to him. Captain Norm Ball, marine superintendent for P&H Shipping Company. P&H I had heard the name before, and it did not appeal to me at all. Like it or not, the next morning I got out the black paint and painted over the white letters that spelled Soo River Company. I painted out the JUDITH M. PIERSON name on both bows and on the fantail. Under P&H, her new name was FERNGLEN. I was ship keeper on the FERNGLEN in Owen Sound for eight weeks. Then a crew was sent aboard and I received orders to load at the Great Lakes elevator in Owen Sound for delivery to Montreal. When we departed Owen Sound s harbor, I looked back over the stern at the little city that was growing smaller by the minute. Everyone had been so nice to me there; I was going to miss it. On our return trip up bound, my phone rang. The mate said, Gale warnings are up on Superior, Cap! Headed up the St. Mary's River for the Mac Arthur Lock, we passed the museum ship VALLEY CAMP, a sister ship to the FERNGLEN. Here we go again with gales, I thought. And here I am going out into storm-tossed Lake Superior with FERNGLEN, and her sister ship is a museum! But even as FERNGLEN, the forgiving little ship lived up to her reputation. We laid up in Toronto that winter, and I was the last captain to sail the Fernglen. She stayed there tied up alongside PINEGLEN, and a few years later, both ships went to the scrap yard. After P&H bought out the bankrupt Soo River Company, they scrapped their smaller ships such as BIRCHGLEN, CEDARGLEN, FERNGLEN, PINEGLEN, and ELMGLEN, replacing them with OAKGLEN, WILLOWGLEN, BEECHGLEN, and MAPLEGLEN. Reducing the fleet meant that master s jobs were scarce. I became a relieving captain, and then went back to first mate for a while. -14-

15 STELLA DESGAGNES Aground off Sarnia below the Bluewater Bridge on August 10, Photo by Terry Doyon On August 10, 1990, the STELLA DESGAGNES ran aground in the St. Clair River off the old Canada Steamship Lines freight sheds along the Sarnia waterfront. The vessel stranded on a mud bank and the local tug GLENADA came to the rescue and eventually succeeded in releasing the freighter from its grip on the bottom The former STELLA DESGAGNES is still around although it may not have seen any service this century. The vessel is a survivor having previously sailed for the now defunct Beaconsfield Steamships, Mohawk Navigation and the Quebec & Ontario Transportation Co. fleets. This was one of three canal-sized sister ships built for Beaconsfield and was launched as TECUMSEH at Port Weller Dry Docks on April 9, It was the last commercial vessel upbound in the Cornwall Canal in July 1958 before that area was flooded for the new Seaway. Lengthened and deepened in , TECUMSEH joined Q & O as NEW YORK NEWS in 1967 and Desgagnes in 1984 becoming STELLA DESGAGNES two years later. A further sale led to it being renamed BEAM BEGINNER in 1993 and WOLF RIVER in The ship survived a collision with the Danish freighter NORDGLIMT on July 9, 1967, breaking in two at Pugwash, NS on July 18, 1967, a grounding off the mouth of the Detroit River on September 18, 1979 and another off Ogdensburg, NY on August 11, This ship remains at Thunder Bay as WOLF RIVER but likely has not carried a cargo since

16 *KOM* Built in 1997 by Varna Shipyard JSC; Varna, Bulgaria as Hull #711 Length - 437'10" Breadth - 72'10" Depth - 36'6" GRT - 10,220 General Cargo Main Engine - 6,662 bhp B&W One company that has been a frequent visitor to the Great Lakes and has been around for over 100 years now is Navigation Maritime Bulgare. Many of the company's ships have become a familiar sight to ship watchers throughout the lakes. The Varna class of ships being the dominant ship type that sailed on the lakes. In 1998 a new design of ship in Navigation Maritime Bulgare stack colors began to appear on the lakes. The motorship Kom along with a sister ship Perelik both arrived in May of that year but it was the Kom that was the first to venture past the Port Huron/Sarnia area. She only made the one voyage that year bringing in sugar to Toronto to Redpath before heading upbound to Duluth/Superior to load a cargo of wheat. She arrived back down at Montreal on June 1 to top off her holds before venturing overseas. An added note, her sistership and fleet mate Persensk would arrive in 1999 on her first lakes visit. Watch for an article on the Persensk in the future. In comparison to her Varna fleet mates she is a much smaller ship but this would make her more flexible in smaller, shallow draft ports. She has four deck cranes but they are doubled up on one post. She is of a more boxy appearance and admittedly not as attractive has her fleet mates. Kom is owned by Kom Maritime Ltd. and registered in Malta at the time of her first lakes voyage. This is a change since older ships in the fleet are registered in Bulgaria. Unlike her fleet mates she is not a frequent visitor to the Seaway. With her 1998 visit she would not be seen again on the lakes until The only noted change was her registry becoming Bulgaria. On this trip she would only venture as far as Toronto with a load of sugar for Redpath. She left the seaway in ballast. Again after another year of absence she returned to the lakes in Inbound she went to Ashtabula before proceeding to Duluth to load a cargo of grain. After the 2003 shipping season no more of the Varna class Bulgarian ships have ventured back to the lakes. It's seems the three new work horses of the lakes fleet have taken over. Though I would love to see the Varna class back to the lakes I will be looking forward to just seeing the Navigation Maritime Bulgare ship stack pass through the Port Huron/Sarnia area. -16-