Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping News Archive

Today in Great Lakes History - September 30

On 30 September 1920, the HENRY G DALTON (steel propeller bulk freighter, 580 foot, 7,810 gross tons, built in 1916, at Lorain, Ohio) took on a load of 14,614 net tons of anthracite coal at Lackawanna, New York for delivery to Duluth, Minnesota. This was a Great Lakes record that probably still stands. Anthracite or 'hard' coal was always expensive and was never used in large commercial operations. It was usually reserved for the old living room coal stove since it was a clean handling and burning coal.

On 30 September 1896, SUMATRA (wooden schooner-barge, 204 foot, 845 gross tons, built in 1874, at Black River, Ohio) was loaded with rail road rails in tow of the steamer B W ARNOLD in a storm on Lake Huron. The SUMATRA was "blown down" and foundered off the Government Pier at Milwaukee. Three of the crew were lost. The four survivors were rescued by the ARNOLD and the U.S. Lifesaving Service. The SUMATRA was owned by the Mills Transportation Company.

The 660 foot forward section of the BELLE RIVER (Hull#716) was side launched on September 30, 1976, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin by Bay Shipbuilding Co. Renamed b.) WALTER J McCARTHY, JR in 1977.

The ARTHUR SIMARD entered service on September 30, 1973, sailing to Montreal, Quebec to load gasoline.

The GOVERNOR MILLER was towed down the Welland Canal on September 30, 1980, in tow of the tugs MALCOLM, STORMONT and ARGUE MARTIN on her way to Quebec City.

The ROBERT C STANLEY departed light on her maiden voyage from River Rouge, Michigan on September 30, 1943, bound for Two Harbors, Minnesota to load iron ore.

On September 30, 1986, the Canadian Coast Guard vessel CARIBOU ISLE struck a rock in Lake Huron's North Channel and began taking on water. C.C.G.S. SAMUEL RISLEY arrived and helped patch the ship. The pair the departed for Parry Sound, Ontario.

On 30 September 1888, AUSTRALIA (wooden schooner, 109 foot, 159 gross tons, built in 1862, at Vermilion, Ohio) was carrying cedar posts from Beaver Island to Chicago when she encountered a gale. She was laid on beam ends and sprung a leak. She headed for shelter at Holland, Michigan, but struck a bar and foundered in the mouth of the harbor. The wreck blocked the harbor until it was removed on 5 October. Her crew was rescued by the U.S. Lifesaving Service.

On 30 September 1875, AMERICAN CHAMPION (wooden scow-schooner, 156 tons, built in 1866, at Trenton, Michigan) dropped anchor to ride out a gale near Leamington, Ontario on Lake Erie. The chains gave way and she struck a bar and sank to the gunwales. The crew of 8 spent the night in the rigging and the next day a local woman and her two sons heroically rescued each one.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Jody Aho, Ahoy & Farewell II, Father Dowling Collection, and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books include many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

Droughts bolster wheat demand

9/29 - Superior, WI - You wouldn’t think good might emerge from global drought conditions and the weak U.S. dollar. But the combination is proving a boon for Superior.

Weather and economics have combined to heighten European demand for grain. Spring wheat, which is used to make bread, and durum, the ingredient in pasta, is rapidly flowing from local elevators into a long line of salties. Already this season, the number of salties and Canadian lakers through the Port of Duluth-Superior exceeds last year by almost 50. Traffic was so heavy this week that some vessels waited at anchor to load shipments.

“It’s quite a show right now — it’s hard to keep up with it,” said Chuck Hilleren, president of the Guthrie-Hubner Inc. shipping agency. “It’s certainly looking good,” agreed Dan Sydow, manager at Fedmar International.

The scenario unfolded this spring in Europe. “They had all that rain,” Hilleren said, followed by drought. “France, the UK and Ukraine all look pretty bad, supply-wise,” he said. Also lacking rain, Australia, also experienced a disappointing harvest. It’s typically the world’s second-largest grain exporter.

Worldwide, grain inventories are at the lowest level in 26 years, Bloomberg.com reported today. That supply dearth has pushed prices to record highs. “The price has doubled in the last four years,” Hilleren said. Meanwhile, in the United States, where ample grain is available, the devalued dollar has made it an excellent buy for countries that pay with Euros.

A third factor also is in play, Sydow explained. Compared with other commodities, grain is a low-value cargo. With freight rates running high, grain movements haven’t proven profitable. But with near-record prices now being paid for grain, it’s value has overcome the transportation handicap.

Taconite and coal shipments also have been high through the Port of Duluth-Superior, but those commodities don’t support nearly as many local jobs as grain, Sydow said. Saltwater vessels not only fuel grain elevator employment, but also require services from Great Lakes pilots, tugs, longshoremen and stevedores. “Grains provide a lot of jobs. It’s a big shot in the arm,” he said.

Those in the bulk commodity business, however, are unsure how long the boon will last. “We’re in the midst of something that we’re not quite sure of,” said Ron Johnson, Duluth Seaway Port Authority trade development director. “We don’t know if it will continue like this until the end of the season, but it’s a welcome turnaround.”

Unfortunately, it was unexpected. In recent years, Wisconsin and Minnesota officials have cooperated to downsize Twin Ports grain inspection services, closing an office in Duluth. With grain now on the rebound, “it’s been a disaster,” Hilleren said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has provided assistance, loaning inspectors from points as far away as New Orleans and New York City. But even that hasn’t gone smoothly.

“We’re in the peak of the tourist season,” he said. “They can’t find local hotel rooms. We’re sending them as far away as Grand Rapids.”

From the Superior Daily Telegram

Port Reports - September 29

Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer
American Mariner delivered coal to the WE Energies dock at Greenfield Avenue in Milwaukee's inner harbor Friday morning, and was gone by mid-day.

Goderich - Dale Baechler
Canadian Enterprise, an overnight arrival, was under the spout and loading early Saturday morning.

Toronto - Charlie Gibbons
English River was in overnight and departed at 4:40 this afternoon for Bath. CCG Griffin arrived Thursday afternoon and docked at Pier 27 (the foot of Yonge Street). Today she put up colored bunting. As well, a U.S. Coast guard patrol boat (of the numbered class) was in port today with other police and auxiliary coast guard vessels, conducting exercises.
Malyovitza remains at Redpath unloading sugar, and Evans McKeil and Metis remain at Essroc awaiting cargo.

Green Bay sees signs of 'harbor prosperity'
Increasing awareness of port businesses goal of waterfront signs

9/29 - Green Bay, WI - A series of new signs identifying terminal operators in the Port of Green Bay started going up this week along the Fox River as part of an ongoing effort to raise the profile of port businesses and the impact it has on the community and region.

The waterfront signs, which face the Fox River, feature the name of the business, its logo, and facts about that business. The thrust of the move — and a longer three-year effort — is increasing public awareness of the port. "It's to increase awareness and exposure of the port to all users of the Fox River," said Port Director Dean Haen. "It's one piece of a multi-faceted public outreach effort."

That includes billboards that have gone up around the area, school curriculum, a new Web site www.harborprosperity.com and speaking engagements for Haen with various groups over the past few months under the banner Harbor Prosperity, which is being covered by terminal operators.

"It's almost like making a snowball, you have to get it rolling, and every time I do presentations I get more hands of people that have seen Harbor Prosperity," Haen said. "We're getting a few more people each time, but it takes a long time to build that brand and recognition."

More than 225 ships move through the port each year, supporting 13 businesses — and about 725 jobs — along a three-mile stretch of the river. Among the key goods moving through the port are coal, limestone, cement, salt and fuel oil.
Last year, 213 ships used the port, which handled 2.5 million metric tons of cargo, the third consecutive year of increases in that area. Looking back, the port handled about 3 million tons in 1970, 1.9 million tons in 1981 and 1.8 million tons in 1999, according to numbers from the port.

For LaFarge North America in Green Bay, which brings in 30 to 35 vessels each year loaded with powdered cement, Great Lakes shipping is the lifeblood of the company. A Ship by water "actually keeps some of the costs down. That's the cheapest freight you can get, from a ship," he said. "If we had to truck and rail everything in, I'm sure our prices would go up, which would filter down to everyone."

From the Green Bay Press-Gazette

New book explores Crystal Beach ships

9/29 - William Kae has fond memories of visiting Crystal Beach as a child.

He remembers riding the Giant roller coaster, even though as a child the sight of the ride scared him. He remembers gazing out onto Lake Erie and watching the big steam ships dock and hundreds of families scatter down the pier to spend time on the beach.

Kae was always fascinated with the steamers and 10 years ago his interest led him to dive into a decade of research. The end result is his newly published book, Steamers of the Crystal Beach Line. "I started researching to satisfy my own curiosity and as I began researching more and more, it snowballed," said Kae.

The book is a history of steam-powered passenger boats that plied the waters of Lake Erie between Buffalo and Crystal Beach. Kae explains newspaper articles, dives into statistics and displays an array of more then 200 photographs.

The chapters uncover a forgotten -- and at times turbulent -- history while revealing the facts behind the traditional, "romantic" history of 75 steamers, yachts and tugboats, former summer fixtures of the Niagara Frontier, said Kae.

Kae received the pictures and illustrations from private collections from residents like Rick Doan, Cathy Herbert and Harvey Holvsworth, as well as museum archives. Most of the photos detail Buffalo and Crystal Beach in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Kae said some have never been seen outside of private collections. "It was some of the rare ones that added the wow factor," he said.

The Buffalo area native spent countless hours at his local library, and in Canada at the Ridgeway Historical Museum. "I was surprised to find as much as I did, even though it took me a long time. I literally flipped through hundreds of feet of microfilm. I could go for hours and hours and hours and not find one iota of information -- then all of a sudden, bang, you find something."

Kae said his book clarifies information he heard of before he began to research. "Certainly there are some instances that are kind of glossed over in traditional history that are greater detailed in the book because I actually found the newspaper articles that referred to the events," he said. Kae has collected enough information to produce "at least a couple more" books which he said will cover different aspects of Crystal Beach.

"I wish that it was still there. I always liked it even in the declining era. My question now is, given the level of security after 9-11 and traffic tie-ups at the bridge, would it have even survived in to 21st century? I don't know."

The soft cover, 224-page book retails for $26.99 and so far is only available in Canada at the Ridgeway Historical Museum. Visit the Ridgeway Historical Museum at http://www.museum.forterie.ca/index.html

From Niagara This Week

Updates - September 29

News Photo Gallery updated

Special Reserve Conversion Gallery updated

Today in Great Lakes History - September 29

On 29 September 1891, the FRANK PEREW (wooden schooner-barge, 174 foot, 525 gross tons, built in 1867, at Cleveland, Ohio as a schooner) was carrying coal to Marquette, Michigan in tow of the N K FAIRBANKS (wooden propeller freighter, 205 foot, 980 gross tons, built in 1874, at Marine City, Michigan) in a gale on Lake Superior. Off Vermilion Point, the PEREW broke away from the tow. The waves stove in her hatches and she filled with water. The crew abandoned her before she sank and they rowed 13 miles east. They passed within two miles of Whitefish Point and made for Isle Parisienne. Their boat capsized in the surf and six were drowned. There was only one survivor.

September 29, 1930, for the first time in the history of Pittsburgh Steamship Company, the boats of the fleet loaded more than one million tons in a 7 day period. The 64 Pittsburgh boats loaded 1,002,092 tons of cargo between 9/23 and 9/29.

The J H SHEADLE (Hull#22) of the Great Lakes Engineering Works, was launched September 29, 1906 , for the Grand Island Steamship Co. (Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., Cleveland, Ohio, mgr.) Renamed b.) F A BAILEY in 1924, c.) LA SALLE in 1930. Sold Canadian in 1965, renamed d.) MEAFORD, and e.) PIERSON INDEPENDENT in 1979. She was scrapped at Santander, Spain in 1980.

Henry Ford II, 70, of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, passed away on September 29, 1987. Mr Ford's namesake was the Ford Motor Company self-unloader.

On September 29, 1986, the Polish tug KORAL left Lauzon, Quebec with the JOHN E F MISENER and GOLDEN HIND enroute to Cartagena / Mamonal, Columbia for scrapping.

September 29, 1892 - The ANN ARBOR NO 1 was launched.

On 29 September 1872, ADRIATIC (3 mast wooden schooner-barge, 139 foot, 129 net tons, built in 1865, at Clayton, New York as a bark) was in tow of the tug MOORE along with three other barges in Lake Erie in a heavy gale. She became separated from the tow and foundered. The entire crew of 7 was lost. The wooden schooner DERRICK was used in salvage operations. On 29 September 1854, she had just positioned herself above the wreck of the steamer ERIE off Silver Creek, New York on Lake Erie when she went down in a gale. She had spent the summer trying to salvage valuables from the wreck of the steamer ATLANTIC.

On 29 September 1900, the steamer SAKIE SHEPARD was re-launched at Anderson's shipyard in Marine City. She had been thoroughly rebuilt there during the summer.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books include many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

Clure Marine Terminal nears cargo record

9/28 - Duluth - Fueled largely by shipments of wind power equipment, Duluth’s Clure Marine Terminal appears on pace to handle a record volume of cargo this year.

The terminal, which unlike other Twin Ports terminals that handle commodities, will move about 300,000 tons of cargo this year, said Gary Nicholson, president of Lake Superior Warehousing Co., the facility’s operator. That is more than triple the 82,000 tons of cargo the terminal moved in 2006 and an all-time high.

“We’ve had a ramp-up of activity we never envisioned,” said Adolph Ojard, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, which owns Clure Marine Terminal. “This is a shipping frenzy right now with wind power,” Ojard said.

Not only is the terminal receiving inbound components for Midwestern wind farms but it also has begun to handle outbound equipment, as well. Ron Johnson, the Port Authority’s trade development director, said Lake Superior Warehousing expects to ship 162 wind turbine blades to Spain this year, for example.

Nicholson compared the recent surge in wind power shipments to “a tsunami” and said his company has almost maxed out the terminal. To accommodate growing demand, Lake Superior Warehousing recently fenced in a few additional acres of land to provide additional space for cargo.

Besides wind power equipment, Nicholson said Lake Superior Warehousing expects to see additional shipments of equipment destined for oil-sand developments in Alberta.

He told members of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority on Wednesday that, based on work already scheduled, he anticipates the tonnage handled by the terminal could grow by another 25 percent in 2008.
“There’s huge potential out there,” Nicholson said.

From the Duluth News Tribune

Port Reports - September 28

Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski
The Rebecca Lynn and barge A-410 departed Buffalo at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
The H. Lee White departed Lackawanna at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

Lorain - C. Mackin
The Michipicoten passed through the Charles Berry Bridge at 9 a.m. Thursday morning on its way upriver to R.E.P.

Marquette - Rod Burdick
Thursday at the Upper Harbor ore dock, American Valor made her first visit to Marquette since changing ownership and renaming last season. She loaded taconite.

Goderich - Dale Baechler
Algomarine arrived early Friday morning and is now loading at the Sifto Salt dock.

Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
Traffic on the Saginaw River was pretty steady on Wednesday & Thursday with six vessels calling on her docks. On Wednesday, the tug Undaunted and barge Pere Marquette 41 called on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City and the CSL Tadoussac called on the Essroc dock in Essexville. Both vessels were outbound later in the day. The Manistee was the next inbound vessel, lightering at the Bay City Wirt dock before continuing upriver to finish at the Saginaw Wirt dock. She was outbound Thursday morning.
The tug Invincible & barge McKee Sons were inbound Thursday morning going all the way upriver to the GM dock in Saginaw to unload. The pair was outbound during the afternoon hours. The tug Mohawk along with a dredge and workboat arrived on the Saginaw River Thursday morning, tying up at the Essroc dock in Essexville. They will begin dredging operations near the mouth of the Saginaw River. Finally, the tug Victory and barge Lewis J. Kuber were inbound late Thursday night calling on the Bay Aggregates dock in Bay City. The pair was expected to be outbound early on Friday.

Alpena & Stoneport - Ben & Chanda McClain
The Manistee departed the Stoneport dock Wednesday morning after taking on cargo overnight. The Great Lakes Trader arrived Wednesday evening to load.
On Thursday morning the American Republic backed into the Lafarge slip to unload coal. Around 5pm the Republic was heading out into the lake while the dredging work was finishing up for the day.
The Alpena and the tug G.L Ostrander and barge Integrity are both expected in port on Friday.

Agency to test ballast treatment in Superior

9/28 - Duluth - A chemical treatment system that is designed to kill living organisms in a ship’s ballast water and then is rendered nontoxic will be the subject of the first test conducted at the fledgling Great Ships Initiative in Superior.

The chemical treatment, called Seakleen, is manufactured by Cleveland-based Hyde Marine Inc. Tests will begin next month at the Superior facility that was built earlier this year to test methods to kill invasive species in ballast water.

A committee of the Great Ships Initiative — a collaboration of shipping industry, research, state and federal government and non-government agencies — picked the Seakleen treatment because it has been tested in saltwater and is being considered for approval by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Seakleen has been tested for more than nine years, including on passenger ocean liners and large freighters. Company literature claims the treatment is a “natural biocide’’ that has been 100 percent effective at removing all organisms larger than 50 micrometers. That’s enough to kill zebra mussel larvae, cholera and E. coli, the company claims.

The Great Ships Initiative facility is a land-based test system of tanks and pumps designed to simulate a ship’s ballast water system. The University of Minnesota Duluth and University of Wisconsin-Superior will oversee the tests. Ships use water as weight, or ballast, to balance during loading and unloading and for maneuverability.

The issue of invasive species in ballast water has lurched into the limelight over the past year with the discovery of a fish-killing virus in the Great Lakes called VHS.

The issue also has gained headlines with recent lawsuits by environmental groups demanding that state and federal governments enact immediate controls to keep additional species from entering the lakes.

Earlier this month, a federal judge upheld a Michigan state law requiring ships to empty and treat their ballast water before entering Michigan waters. And a federal judge in California has ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to begin regulating ballast water as pollution under the Clean Water Act, starting one year from now.

While both decisions probably will be appealed, they have buoyed supporters of strict new regulations to require ships to treat ballast water, even tiny amounts left in their tanks.

There are about 150 aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes, including about 45 in the Duluth-Superior harbor, not including land plants. More than one-third of the invasive species are believed to have arrived in the ballast of ships, according to Minnesota Sea Grant.

Critics say that government and industry and have stalled for too long, allowing too many new species into the lakes.

Port and shipping industry officials support a single federal ballast regulation on the Great Lakes and nationally to avoid a patchwork of state laws that could drive shipping to other areas. Industry officials, including the Great Ships Initiative, have been working for years to develop cost-effective methods to treat ballast water aboard ships.

Legislation requiring some treatment on some ships has moved in the U.S. House of Representatives. But critics say it doesn’t go far enough to stop problems such as VHS from devastating not only the Great Lakes but also inland waters.

For more information on Seakleen Click here

From the Duluth News Tribune

New exhibit sails the Great Lakes
Maritime heritage highlighted this fall at Macomb Cultural Center

9/28 -Clinton Township — Mariners’ Church of Detroit became a historic site thanks to a local woman who envisioned a serene place where Great Lakes sailors could gather.

Julia Anderson, who passed away in 1842, left specific instructions in her will that a church to benefit sailors be constructed, a wish that came to fruition and still stands today on Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit.

The Rev. Richard Ingalls Jr. will speak about the city treasure at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 24 at the Macomb Cultural Center. His presentation is one of many planned during the “Great Lakes, Great Stories: Michigan’s Maritime Heritage” exhibit at the center, located on Macomb Community College’s Center Campus on Garfield Road, south of Hall Road, next to the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts.

The center opened last year. The maritime exhibit, which runs Oct. 6 through Dec. 2, will feature guest speakers, music, artifacts, photos and more. Shipwrecks, lighthouses, aquatic life and preservation are among the topic discussions.

Ingalls looks forward to sharing information about the well-known Mariners’ Church, where he has been lector for nearly two years. The church is a congregation of the Anglican Church, but is not attached to any one denomination. Services are held every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., and at 12:10 p.m. every Thursday — a service designed for those working in the city, but all are welcome. The church seats about 400 people.

The church once stood on Woodward Avenue and was moved in the 1950s to its current location. Workers used cables, rollers and other equipment to transfer the building. The church, transported a few yards at a time, was not taken apart and was moved whole.

Ingalls also will talk about the late Anderson, who lived in Detroit when it was considered a port city. “She married Col. John Anderson in New York in 1818. She was 18 years old,” said Ingalls, adding the couple had no children. “They came to Detroit from Buffalo on the maiden voyage of the Walk-In-The-Water steamboat. He was sent here to open the first office of the U.S. Army Topographical Engineers, now known as the Army Corps of Engineers.”

Because sailors at the time were regarded as a “pretty rough lot,” they weren’t allowed in the local churches, Ingalls said. So, Anderson invited them to her home for Bible study and hymn singing.

Ingalls said John Anderson was responsible for mapping out the Great Lakes and opening up roadways. He passed away in 1830. Upon Julia Anderson’s death in 1842, plans for Mariners’ Church were in progress. “Her entire estate went to build the church,” Ingalls said.

Keeping with tradition, a blessing of the fleet for those going to sea is held every March, and a Great Lakes memorial service is held every November for those who have lost their lives at sea.

The Great Lakes have always intrigued author Jerry Dennis, so he penned the book “The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas,” which he will discuss at noon Oct. 11 as part of the maritime exhibit. “I’ll talk about my observations while writing this book,” the Traverse City resident said.

Over the years, Dennis has traveled the Great Lakes on a variety of boats, with commercial fishermen, biologists and environmentalists. His longest voyage was a 30-day trip on a schooner boat that sailed from Lake Michigan to Bar Harbor, Maine. “It was fantastic,” Dennis said. “The captain of the schooner was a salt water captain. He couldn’t get over our lakes and how beautiful they are. He kept talking about what a challenge they are to sail.”

In his travels, Dennis came across shipwrecks, including a wooden steamer he saw when snorkeling with his sons and their friend. “I believe they are haunting,” he said of the shipwrecks. “They get into your heart and soul, and they change you.”

Dennis also encourages everyone to preserve the Great Lakes. “Most of the important work is being done by citizens that are out there working every day,” Dennis said. “They’re really getting people involved and making our lawmakers pay attention.”

Dennis’ second book, “A Watcher On The Shore,” is scheduled for release in 2009.

Pre-registration is required for the cultural center maritime events, excluding exhibits and video showings. For a full schedule of events, more information or to register, visit www.macombculturalcenter.com or call (586) 445-7348.

From the C & G Newspapers

Updates - September 28

News Photo Gallery updated

Special Reserve Conversion Gallery updated

Today in Great Lakes History - September 28

On 28 September 1895, the ELMA (2-mast wooden schooner-barge, 165 foot, 401 gross tons, built in 1873, at Marine City, Michigan) was carrying lumber in tow of the P H BIRCKHEAD (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 378 gross tons, built in 1870, at Marine City, Michigan) along with two other barges on Lake Superior. However, the tow was broken up in a storm. The ELMA's steering failed and she beached under Miner's Castle near Munising, Michigan. One crewman died trying to take a rope ashore. Another finally made it to shore and sat shivering all night on the rocks while holding the rescue line. The rest of the crew came ashore in the morning.

On September 28, 1980, the BURNS HARBOR entered service, departing Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin bound for Superior, Wisconsin to load pellets.

THOMAS WILSON left Toledo on September 28, 1987, in tow of the tug TUSKER for overseas scrapping. WILSON has been laid up since December 16, 1979.

On 28 September 1891, THOMAS PARSONS (2 mast wooden schooner, 135 foot, 350 tons, built in 1868, at Charlotte, New York) was carrying coal out of Ashtabula, Ohio when she foundered in a storm a few miles off Fairport in Lake Erie.

On 28 September 1849, W G BUCKNER (wooden schooner, 75 foot, 107 tons, built in 1837, at Irving, New York) was carrying lumber in a storm on Lake Michigan when she sprang a leak, then capsized. The man to whom the cargo belonged was aboard with his wife and five children. One child was washed overboard while the wife and three children died of exposure. The schooner ERWIN took off the survivors plus the bodies.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Mike Nicholls, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series This is a small sample, the books include many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

Steel imports declined in August

9/27 - Duluth - Steel imports into the United States in August were 2.5 million net tons, a 22 percent decrease compared to July, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

The total includes 2 million net tons of finished steel, an 18 percent decline compared to July.

In August, the five largest suppliers of steel to the United States were China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Germany.

Over the first eight months of 2007, 23.6 million net tons of steel were imported into the United States. That compares to 31 million net tons imported over the first eight months of 2006.

On an annualized basis, total steel imports in 2007 would be 35.5 million net tons, according to the institute.

From the Duluth News Tribune

Port Reports - September 27

Grand Haven - Dick Fox
The Maumee returned light Wednesday evening and took another load out of the Construction Aggregates dock in Ferrysburg.

Twin Ports - Al Miller
It isn’t as busy as it was 20 years ago, but the Twin Ports’ fall grain rush is in full swing, with long lines of grain hoppers arriving at local rail yards and a steady stream of salties and a few lakers pulling into local elevators. On Wednesday morning, Canadian Miner was making a rare call at Cargill B1 in Duluth. After several slow seasons, the Cargill elevator has seemed a little busier this year.
In Superior, Pilica was the latest in a parade of salties to load at CHS elevator. Several more salties are expected in port over the new few days.
Also Wednesday, the Edwin H. Gott was at the port terminal before continuing on to load the CN/DMIR ore dock.

South Chicago - Steve B.
The tug Samuel de Champlain/barge Innovation was at Lafarge at 130th Street on the Calumet River on Wednesday afternoon.
The Sam Laud was taking on a load over at KCBX, while the St. Marys Challenger arrived at Calumet Harbor at about 1:30 p.m., destined for St. Marys Cement on Lake Calumet.

Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer
Amalia, a small Dutch ocean freighter, brought steel Wednesday morning to the general cargo piers along Milwaukee's outer harbor.
Ziemia Cieszynska unloaded steel products nearby, for a second day. By Wednesday evening, both Amalia and Ziemia Cieszynska had departed.
Wilfred Sykes delivered cement clinker Wednesday evening into a hopper at the St. Marys plant at the inner harbor basin's south end.

Updates - September 27

News Photo Gallery updated

Diamond Belle Color Tour set for Sunday October 14

9/27 - Detroit - The last Diamond Jack's public tour for the 2007 season is set for Sunday October 14.

The Diamond Belle will depart Wyandotte at 11 a.m. travel up the Detroit River into Nicholson's slip, then continue upbound to downtown Detroit. The trip then turns downbound, all the way to Lake Erie via the Livingston Channel.

At light "D 33" the mini ship will turn upbound via the Amherstburg Channel, returning to Wyandotte at 4 pm. A chicken and pasta luncheon buffet with desert is included.

Tickets are by reservation only. Call 313-843-9376 to receive an information flyer or to make credit card reservations.

Today in Great Lakes History - September 27

When the CITY OF TORONTO (wooden side-wheel passenger-package freight steamer, 207 foot, 898 gross tons, built in 1864, at Niagara, Ontario) tied up to her dock at the foot of Younge Street in Toronto, Ontario on 27 September 1882, an officer of the customs house came aboard with four engineers and disabled her engine. The vessel had her certification revoked earlier and her owners had been warned that the vessel would be seized if she entered port.

September 27, 1959 The West Neebish Channel, through which downbound traffic normally passes, was temporarily closed to permit dredging to the maximum Seaway depth of 27 feet. Two way traffic was instituted in the Middle Neebish Channel until dredging was completed.

On 27 September 1877, the HIPPOGRIFFE (wooden schooner, 295 tons, built in 1864, at Buffalo, New York) had just left Chicago for Buffalo, loaded with oats, on a fine day with clear weather. The crew saw EMMA A COYNE (wooden schooner, 155 foot, 497 tons, built in 1867, at Detroit, Michigan) approaching from a long way off loaded with lumber. The two vessels' skippers were brothers. The two schooners collided about 20 miles off Kenosha, Wisconsin. The COYNE came along side and picked up the HIPPOGRIFFE's crew a few minutes before that vessel rolled over and dove for the bottom.

The CITY OF GENOA arrived with the first cargo of iron ore for the new factory at Zug Island. Reported in the The Detroit Free Press on September 28, 1903.

The H M GRIFFITH experienced a smoky conveyor belt fire at Port Colborne, Ontario on September 27, 1989. Repairs were completed there.

The ROGER M KYES proceeded to Chicago for dry-docking, survey and repairs on September 27, 1976. She had struck bottom in Buffalo Harbor September 22, 1976 sustaining holes in two double bottom tanks and damage to three others.

The GEORGE M HUMPHREY under tow, locked through the Panama Canal from September 27, 1986, to the 30th on her way to the cutters torch at Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

The tanker IMPERIAL COLLINGWOOD (Hull#137) was launched September 27, 1947, at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd. for Imperial Oil Ltd., Toronto, Ontario. Renamed b.) SEAWAY TRADER in 1979, sold off the Lakes in 1984, renamed c.) PATRICIA II, d.) BALBOA TRADER in 1992.

September 27, 1909 - The ANN ARBOR NO 4 entered service after being repaired from her capsizing at Manistique, Michigan the previous May.

On 27 September 1884, WALDO A AVERY (wooden propeller, 204 foot, 1,294 gross tons) was launched at West Bay City, Michigan. Her construction had been subcontracted by F. W. Wheeler & Co. to Thomas F. Murphy.

On 27-29 September 1872, a big storm swept the lower Lakes. Here are the Lake Huron tragedies. The barges HUNTER and DETROIT were destroyed. The tug SANDUSKY rescued the 21 survivors for them. The schooner CORSAIR foundered off Sturgeon Point on Saginaw Bay at 4 p.m. on Sunday the 29th and only 2 of the crew survived. The barge A LINCOLN was ashore one mile below Au Sable with no loss of life. The barge TABLE ROCK went ashore off Tawas Point and went to pieces. All but one of her crew was lost. The schooner WHITE SQUALL was sunk ten miles off Fish Point -- only one crewman was saved. The schooner SUMMIT went ashore at Fish Point, 7 miles north of Tawas with two lives lost.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, Russ Plumb, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series, Detroit Free Press. This is a small sample, the books include many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

Federal Danube runs into arresting cable at lock 7 Welland Canal

9/26 - Thorold - Monday around 8:15 p.m. the Federal Danube came into contact with the ship arrestor cable while down bound entering Lock Seven at the Welland Canal.

When contact was made, the cable was dragged up over the lower portion of the bulbous bow about 2 or 3 meters out of the water. The arrestor did its job and stopped the ship. At that point the exhaust stacks on Federal Danube were pouring out the smoke as she backed up and then tied down.

There was no visual signs of damage to the ship, but the arresting cable receptacle was damaged. This caused about a 5-hour delay. There were several ships tied up above and below lock 7.

A work crew arrived to begin working to free the cable. Around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, the cable and boom were raised to clear the chamber and the work crew began clearing the area. At 1:35 a.m. the Federal Danube was lowered in the chamber and normal operations resumed. The cable and boom were not being used and extra precaution was used while ships entered the chamber.

At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, a work crew arrived to finish the repairs on the arresting cable receptacle, while ships were still coming through.

Report from Dan Syrcher

Port Reports - September 26

Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer
Ziemia Cieszynska, from the Polsteam line, unloaded steel while backed into a slip at one of the general cargo piers in Milwaukee's outer harbor on Tuesday.
Looking ahead, ocean carrier Amalia is due in Milwaukee with steel on Wednesday, and BBC Italy is expected with wind turbines on Friday of this week.

Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
The Cuyahoga was in bound the Saginaw River Monday morning, calling on the Sargent dock in Zilwaukee. She completed her unload an was out bound late Monday night. In bound early Tuesday morning was the tug Joe Thompson, Jr. and barge Joseph H. Thompson. The pair called on the Sargent dock in Essexville to unload. Once finished, the Thompsons turned and were out bound for the lake Tuesday afternoon.

DECC's tug will go back to work in Duluth Harbor

9/26 - Duluth - The tug Lake Superior soon will bid adieu to its days as a floating ice cream shop and tourist attraction, returning instead to service as a working vessel serving marine traffic in the Twin Ports.

The Duluth Entertainment Convention Center received three bids for the 114-foot long vessel and accepted the most generous one: Bob Billington of Billington Construction Co. will pay a little more than $56,000 to buy the tugboat. This isn’t the first time the 64-year-old tug has been on the auction block. The Lake Superior was offered for sale last year, but no one stepped forward to meet the minimum $130,000 bid established by the DECC.

Dan Russell, the DECC’s executive director, said that in retrospect, it was clear the DECC had vastly overestimated the market for used tugs on the Great Lakes. It didn’t repeat the mistake this year and ended up selling the tugboat for less than half the original asking price. Russell said the lower cost, combined with the loss last year of the Duluth-based tug Seneca off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, caused the stars to align this year.

The Seneca, which was owned and operated by Zenith Tugboat Co., grounded while being towed to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. “There was suddenly a need for another tug in the harbor,” he said. Russell considers Billington’s winning bid a welcome outcome. “It’s a great vessel, and we’ll be excited to see it back at work in our harbor,” he said.

The Lake Superior first went on display at Minnesota Slip, behind the DECC, in 1996, opening its deck and holds for tours alongside the William A. Irvin, a retired 611-foot laker.

But Russell said the DECC’s acquisition of the 180-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter Sundew in 2004 displaced the Lake Superior. While there was room for all three vessels in the slip during fair weather, the DECC had to move the tug to a berth in Superior each year to protect it from November’s battering gales and the scouring force of winter ice. Russell said a Superior marina that previously provided the DECC with a free berth for the Lake Superior was recently sold. Consequently, the DECC would have faced rising costs to keep the tug.

Russell said that with the Lake Superior returning to service, there should be room in the Minnesota Slip to accommodate other smaller tour vessels, such as restored fishing boats or other small vessels on a seasonal basis. “We want to keep things fresh,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Lake Superior will begin another chapter in a rich history which has included years of service on the Great Lakes, busting ice, assisting in the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway and even serving a tour of duty in salt water during World War II.

From the Duluth News Tribune

Cruise ship will not be returning

9/26 - Thunder Bay, Ont. - City and Port officials celebrated an important anniversary on the waterfront Monday, but it may signal the end of an era of luxury Great Lakes cruising.

The celebration was sparked by the arrival of the luxury cruise liner MS c. Columbus. The docking marked the 10th anniversary of the vessel's first stop in the city which was seen as an important achievement for local tourist operators. Monday's festivities were tempered by the fact that this visit may be the last time the city sees the ship.

The Columbus has sailed the Great Lakes for the last decade and is the only cruise ship that makes a call at the Port of Thunder Bay. Even though the last three cruises had a full complement of the 423-capacity passenger ship, the captain announced Monday that the vessel will not be returning. Captain Daniel Beissel said Thunder Bay won't be the only city taken off their itinerary, the entire Great Lakes tour is cancelled.

The local Port Authority says water levels are partly to blame even though its not a problem here. Water levels in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are down three to four feet since the late 1990s

The Columbus may return to the Great Lakes in the future, if water levels rise, but in the meantime CEO Tim Heney says they will continue to work with the tourism department to try and bring another cruise ship to the city.

From the Thunder Bay Source

Updates - September 26

News Photo Gallery updated

Today in Great Lakes History - September 26

On 26 September 1895, the EVALINE (wooden schooner, 118 foot, 236 gross tons, built in 1861, at Blendon's Landing, Michigan) sprang a leak in a foggy gale on Lake Michigan and foundered off Kewaunee, Wisconsin. No lives were lost.

September 26, 1930, the schooner OUR SON, originally launched in 1875, sank during a storm on Lake Michigan. Seventy-three year old Captain Fred Nelson the crew of OUR SON were rescued by the self unloader WILLIAM NELSON.

September 26, 1937, the Canadian Seaman's Union signed a tentative wage contract. Sailors would continue a two watch system (working 12 hours every 24 hours) and be paid the following monthly wages: Wheelsmen and Oilers - $72.50, Watchmen and firemen - $67.50, Second Cooks - $52.50, deckhands and coalpassers - $50.00, porters - $45.00, Chief Cooks on the Upper Lakes - $115.00, and Chief Cooks on Canal boats $105.00.

September 26, 1957, Taconite Harbor, Minnesota loaded its first cargo of 10,909 tons of taconite pellets into the holds of the Interlake steamer J A CAMPBELL.

On 26 September 1892, JOHN BURT (3-mast wooden schooner, 138 foot, 348 gross tons, built in 1871, at Detroit, Michigan) was carrying grain in a strong northwest gale. Her rudder broke and she was blown past the mouth of Oswego harbor and was driven hard aground. Two died when the vessel struck. The U.S. Lifesaving Service rescued the remaining five crew members. The vessel quickly broke up in the waves.

The CHI-CHEEMAUN cleared the shipyard on September 26, 1974.

The H M GRIFFITH was christened on September 26, 1973 at Collingwood for Canada Steamship Lines.

The C.C.G.S. GRIFFON (Hull#664) was launched September 26, 1969 by Davie Shipbuilding Ltd., Lauzon, Quebec for the Canadian Coast Guard.

ROGER M KYES returned to service on September 26, 1984, she had grounded off McLouth Steel and ended crosswise in the Detroit River's Trenton Channel a month before. She was renamed b.) ADAM E. CORNELIUS in 1989.

The BELLE RIVER was side swiped by the Liberian FEDERAL RHINE, of 1977, at Duluth on September 26, 1985. Both vessels received minor damage.

On 26 September 1914, MARY N BOURKE (wooden schooner-barge, 219 foot, 920 gross tons, built in 1889, at Baraga, Michigan) was docked at Peter's Lumber Dock in St. Mary's Bay, 15 miles north of St. Ignace, Michigan. The crew was awakened at 9:30-10:00 p.m. by smoke coming from her hold and they escaped. The BOURKE burned to the waterline and the fire spread ashore, destroying the dock and a pile of lumber.

At 3:00 a.m., 26 September 1876, the steam barge LADY FRANKLIN burned while moored near Clark's dock, about three miles from Amherstburg, Ontario in the Detroit River. One life was lost. This vessel had been built in 1861, as a passenger steamer and ran between Cleveland, Ohio and Port Stanley, Ontario. In 1874, she was converted into a lumber freighter, running primarily between Saginaw, Michigan and Cleveland. The burned hull was rebuilt in 1882.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Mike Nicholls, Ahoy & Farewell II, Father Dowling Collection, and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books include many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

Dongeborg hits ship arrestor at Iroquois Lock

9/25 - The Wagenborg ship Dongeborg hit the ship arrestor at Iroquois lock around 5 a.m. Monday morning.

She was down bound with a cereal cargo, loaded at Thunder Bay for Dunkirk, France, and failed to stop while entering the lock. The ship arrestor boom collapsed into the lock. The accident resulted in shipping coming to a stop for 13 hours in this sector.

The Algocape and Sichem Defiance were secured at the tie walls below the lock. Other vessels were expected Monday and had to anchor while crews were at work replacing the ship arrestor.

Just before 6 p.m. Monday evening, Dongeborg was released from the lock, and Algocape and Sichem Defiance were allowed to go up bound before the lock was closed for additional work.

Canadian Olympic came up from the Wilson Hill anchorage to tie up below the lock and waited for the lock to reopen. This occurred at about 9 p.m., when Algoisle was allowed to proceed downbound. Redhead and Voyageur Independent were also called out of their anchorages.

Reported by Ron Beaupre, Walt Statham and Kent Malo

Pictures in the News Photo Gallery

Port Reports - September 25

Grand Haven - Dick Fox
The Maumee arrived light late Monday afternoon. It was loading at the Construction Aggregates dock in Ferrysburg.

Fairport Harbor - Herb Hubbel
Sunday afternoon the barge Pathfinder and tug Dorothy Ann came in with a load of aggregate for the Osborne Fairport dock.

Marquette - Rod Burdick
Michipicoten and Kaye E. Barker arrived to load taconite Monday morning at the Upper Harbor ore dock.

Alpena - Ben & Chanda McClain
The tug Samuel de Champlain and barge Innovation arrived at Lafarge around 5 a.m. on Monday morning. The tugboat Manitou assisted the Innovation into port because its bow thruster was not working. Later in the morning the Manitou helped the Innovation depart the dock and then tied up in the river.
Also tied up in the river was the MCM Marine tugboat Mohawk, workboat Tammy and another barge with equipment. They are expected to go to Saginaw when the weather is more favorable.
The Alpena was loading at Lafarge Monday night.

Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer
Algorail departed north bound onto Lake Michigan Sunday morning after unloading salt overnight at the bulk cargo dock on Jones Island in Milwaukee's inner harbor.
Maumee departed at about 7:30 Monday morning after also delivering salt at the bulk cargo dock.

Experts tour 'Taj Mahal of the lighthouse world'

9/25 - Fort Erie, Ont. - A powerful ally joined the fight to preserve the Point Abino Lighthouse Saturday, after an international association of lighthouse experts toured the historic site on Fort Erie's lakeshore.

"This is the Taj Mahal of the lighthouse world and it needs to be taken care of," said Dick Moehl, president of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, a group of self-proclaimed "fanatics" about preserving the icons of marine commerce. Approximately 50 of the group's members toured the national historic site Saturday. They recommended several ways the Point Abino Lightstation Preservation Society could raise money to preserve the site and make it an attraction for history buffs and tourists.

"We have a whole new group of lighthouse friends," said Charlene Nigh, president of the Fort Erie group dedicated to seeing the lighthouse, the keeper's home and surrounding property preserved. Ventilation is the first improvement the lighthouse's owners, the Town of Fort Erie, should make immediately, said Moehl, who helped restore the 1873 St. Helena lighthouse on Lake Michigan. The town should also quickly fix cracks in the lighthouse because of the water damage that will occur to the concrete, he said.

The Point Abino lighthouse was built in 1917. Its construction was hastened because of the now-famous sinking of the lightship LV 82 during a storm in 1913. When it was built, it was much different from other Canadian lighthouses, said Moehl, who called it "a humdinger."

The Canadian custom had been to build towers of white clapboard. But the well-to-do population along Lake Erie's shore wanted something more befitting of their community, Moehl said. That's why Point Abino has the concrete structure that overlooked the lake's eastern end for 90 years.

There are about 370 lighthouses in the Great Lakes area. About 35 per cent of them are in Canada. Most of them were built in the 1800s when shipping was the most prevalent form of travel, before rail and roads.

If Point Abino is restored and promoted properly, it could create a new tourist attraction in Fort Erie, said Judy Hofmann, who traveled from Gaylord, Mich., to see it. "It just needs to be worked on, rebuilt to its former self," she said.

Some Michigan lighthouses generate revenue by hosting guest lighthouse-keepers - vacationers who pay to stay there, but are expected to do some chores during their stay. The keeper's house at Point Abino would an ideal setting for that arrangement, which could generate the money to preserve that home, the lighthouse and the property around it, Hofmann said.

From the Niagara Falls Review

Updates - September 25

News Photo Gallery updated

Today in Great Lakes History - September 25

On 25 September 1883, the ONTONAGON (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 176 foot, 377 tons, built in 1856, at Buffalo, New York) caught fire and was run aground off Stag Island on the St. Clair River abreast of the Star Island House on the Canadian side. The vessel burned to a total loss. There were no injuries or loss of life.

In tandem tow, the MENIHEK LAKE and LEON FALK JR arrived at Vigo, Spain on September 25, 1985. The MENIHEK LAKE was scrapped at Vigo, and the FALK was towed to Gijon, Spain for scrapping.

The HENRY C FRICK departed Bay City on her maiden voyage on September 25, 1905 and rammed and damaged the Michigan Central Railroad Bridge at Bay City.

On 25 September 1869, COMMENCEMENT (2-mast wooden schooner, 75 foot, 73 tons, built in 1853, at Holland, Michigan) was carrying wood in her hold and telegraph poles on deck from Pentwater, Michigan for Milwaukee when she sprang a leak 20 miles off Little Sable Point on Lake Michigan. The incoming water quickly overtook her pump capacity. As the crew was getting aboard the lifeboat, she turned turtle. The crew clung to the upturned hull for 30 hours until the passing steamer ALLEGHENY finally rescued them. COMMENCEMENT later washed ashore, a total wreck.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books include many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

Port Reports - September 24

Alpena/Stoneport - Ben & Chanda McClain
On Friday afternoon the tall ship Highlander Sea arrived in Alpena and tied up in the river. It was sailing out in the bay throughout the weekend.
Dredging by MCM Marine continues in the shipping channel.
The tug G. L. Ostrander and barge Integrity were at Lafarge in the early morning hours on Sunday.
At Stoneport on Sunday the Arthur M. Anderson was first to load, followed by the Herbert C. Jackson in the afternoon.
The tug Joe Thompson, Jr. and barge Joseph H. Thompson were at anchor as nightfall approached and will load after the Jackson departs.

Port of Indiana - Sheldon Rody
Sunday afternoon found the Birchglen with the hatch covers open at the Port Of Indiana.

Updates - September 24

News Photo Gallery updated

Today in Great Lakes History - September 24

On 24 September 1914, the ARCTIC towed the SHEBOYGAN (wooden side-wheel passenger-package freight steamer, 208 foot, 623 tons, built in 1869, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) out of Manitowoc to be burned. Her engines and machinery had been removed. The fire was set at 1625 hours about two miles north of the harbor. The old vessel burned throughout the night.

On September 24th, the A H FERBERT went hard aground at the Cut-Off Channel's southeast bend of the St. Clair River. Six tugs, GLENADA, ELMORE M MISNER, BARBARA ANN, GLENSIDE, SHANNON and WM A WHITNEY, worked until late on the 26th to free her.

The EDMUND FITZGERALD's first cargo of taconite pellets was loaded September 24, 1958 at Silver Bay, Minnesota for Toledo, Ohio.

The PERE MARQUETTE 22 entered service September 24, 1924.

In early morning fog on the St. Clair River on September 24, 1962, the J L REISS was hit three glancing blows by U.S. Steel's SEWELL AVERY. The AVERY had lost control just below Robert's Landing and crossed the channel from the Canadian side and struck the J L REISS which was proceeding slowly by radar on the U.S. side.

On September 24, 1952, the CHARLES L HUTCHINSON entered service. This vessel was renamed b.) ERNEST R BREECH when it was sold to the Ford Motor Company in 1962, and it was given its present name, c.) KINSMAN INDEPENDENT, when it was sold to Kinsman Lines in 1988. She was sold Canadian converted to a motorship and renamed d.) VOYAGEUR INDEPENDENT in 2005.

On September 23, 1991, J W McGIFFIN rescued several people in a 24 foot pleasure craft off Presque Ile State Park. The group had been disabled since the day before. They were taken aboard the McGIFFIN and their boat taken under tow. The McGIFFIN was rebuilt with a new forward section and renamed b.) CSL NIAGARA in 1999.

September 24, 1924 - The PERE MARQUETTE 22 arrived at Ludington, Michigan on her maiden voyage.

On 24 September 1902, H. A. BARR (3 mast wooden schooner, 217 foot, 1,119 gross tons, built in 1893, at W. Bay City, Michigan) was in tow of the 'saltie' THEANO with a load of iron ore in a storm 30 miles off Port Stanley in Lake Erie. She broke her tow line in giant waves and foundered. THEANO rescued her crew.

On 24 September 1879, the tug URANIA was towing the schooner S V R WATSON into Sand Beach at about noon when the schooner struck the tug amidships, cutting a hole in the hull and sinking her in three fathoms of water. No lives were lost.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, James Neumiller, Jody Aho, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books include many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

Port Report - September 23

Toronto - Clive Reddin
The saltie Malyovitza is at the Redpath sugar refinery dock. No sign of any off loading activity taking place as of Saturday evening.

Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
The tug Joe Thompson, Jr. and her barge, Joseph H. Thompson called on the Saginaw River Saturday with a split load. The pair lightered at the Sargent dock in Essexville and then continued upriver to finish unloading at the upper end Burroughs dock in Zilwaukee.
Early Saturday evening, the Manistee was inbound, also headed upriver to unload at the lower end of the Burroughs dock. Both vessels were expected to depart the Burroughs dock late Saturday or early Sunday.

Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer
Cinnamon, an ocean bulker (reg. Limassol, Cyprus) was backed into a berth at terminal #2 in Milwaukee's outer harbor on Saturday, unloading steel products.
Algowood departed northbound onto Lake Michigan at about 2:00 p.m. Saturday.

St. Joseph's Island - Teresa Parker
Cruise ship c. Columbus visited Hilton Beach Marina on St. Joseph Island Ontario on Saturday. Venders and musicians were on hand as the cruise visitors arrived. Some visitors traveled to Sault Ste Marie to tour and shop the various businesses. Two more visits are planned for October 2007.

Updates - September 23

News Photo Gallery updated

Today in Great Lakes History - September 23

On 23 September 1896, the GEORGE STEPHENSON (steel propeller bulk freighter, 407 foot, 4,563 gross tons) was launched by F. W. Wheeler & Company (Hull #116) at W. Bay City, Michigan for the Bessemer Steamship Company. In 1959, she was converted to a barge and in 1963-64 she was scrapped at Hamilton, Ontario.

September 23, 1922, the 306 foot NEPTUNE loaded the first Head-of-the-Lakes cargo of pig iron at Zenith Furnace, Duluth, Minnesota. The 5,000 tons of malleable pig iron was delivered to Buffalo, New York.

September 23, 1975, the HERBERT C JACKSON lost power while upbound on Lake Superior. She was towed back to the Soo by the USS straight decker D G KERR.

September 23, 1952, the steamer CHARLES L HUTCHINSON became the first boat christened at Cleveland since the early years of World War II. The 644 foot HUTCHINSON, Captain T. A. Johnson, is the new flagship of the Pioneer fleet and one of 35 boats in the three fleets operated by Hutchinson & Co. Renamed b.) ERNEST R BREECH in 1962, c.) KINSMAN INDEPENDENT in 1988. Sold Canadian in 2005, and sails today as the motorship d.) VOYAGEUR INDEPENDENT.

On 23 September 1910, the BETHLEHEM (steel propeller package freighter, 290 foot, 2,633 gross tons, built in 1888, at Cleveland, Ohio) was carrying general merchandise when she went ashore in a gale on the SW side of S. Manitou Island in Lake Michigan. Lifesavers and the crew unloaded her over several days. Although battered by several storms while ashore, she was eventually pulled free and repaired. She lasted until 1925, when she was scrapped.

The scow WAUBONSIE was launched at the Curtis yard in Fort Gratiot, Michigan on 23 September 1873.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Russ Plumb, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books include many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

World's first commercial nugget plant anchors Iron Range rebound

9/22 - Eveleth — There were times in the past few years when Hoyt Lakes Mayor Marlene Pospeck wondered where the world’s first commercial iron nugget plant would be built. But she never doubted it would be built somewhere. In the end, it landed right where Pospeck and hundreds of other Iron Rangers had hoped: in the backyard of her small Iron Range community.

After years of ups and downs, deals and no deals, full-scale construction of the $235 million Mesabi Nugget Delaware LLC iron nugget plant will begin this fall at the former LTV Steel Mining Co. site near Aurora and Hoyt Lakes, officials from Steel Dynamics Inc. and Kobe Steel announced Thursday at Iron Range Resources headquarters near Eveleth.

Construction of the plant marks a new age in iron mining. “I don’t know that I’ve ever been involved in a project that has taken this long to take hold, but we’re finally here,” said Keith Busse, Steel Dynamics chairman and CEO. “I know a lot of people thought the Range was dead, but it’s not. I think this project is really going to change the face of the Iron Range and change the face of steelmaking.”

The plant would produce about 500,000 metric tons of iron nuggets a year. Although the production of iron nuggets has been proven in pilot projects, it’s never been done on a large scale. The nuggets, containing about 96 percent iron, would be the first new product developed from Iron Range ore since the production of taconite pellets started in the 1950s. Iron nuggets produced at the 6,000-acre facility would be fed into Steel Dynamics’ electric arc furnaces at its Butler, Ind., mini-mill plant and turned into steel.

Nugget production won’t replace the jobs or millions of tons of iron ore pellets produced at six Northeastern Minnesota taconite plants. But it kicks off the production of a new, higher-value product expected to be highly sought by the steel industry’s most modern mills. “It’s a transformational moment for the Iron Range, Northeastern Minnesota and the state,” Gov. Tim Pawlenty said at Thursday’s Iron Range Resources news conference. “I really think it is the beginning of a new future.”

A global resurgence in iron demand and pricing that began in 2003 is now allowing companies to invest in major projects, said Peter Kakela, a Michigan State University taconite industry analyst. “I think this is very important,” Kakela said of the nugget project. “This and projects like Minnesota Steel are different, but they’re both new technologies. It’s new stuff.”

In addition to the nugget plant, Steel Dynamics plans to develop a $165 million mine at the former LTV facility that would produce taconite concentrate — a purer, powdery form of taconite, Busse said. A deal with Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. to acquire mining property has been finalized, he said. Plans are to open the mine in late 2009 or early 2010.

Until the mine is permitted and developed, Steel Dynamics would buy taconite concentrate on the open market from Canada or U.S. Steel, Busse said. U.S. Steel’s Keewatin Taconite makes more concentrate than it can consume at its own plant. If the first production module proves successful, three more modules, each costing about $175 million, would be built at the site, Busse said.

Property owned or leased by Steel Dynamics at the site has enough ore to supply four iron nugget modules for about 100 years, Busse said. If four modules were built, some of the nuggets would be sold on the open market to other steel producers, he said. “We are excited about launching this project,” Busse said. “You will find that others will follow, just as they did when we developed thin-slab casting in 1987.”

The nugget plant and a base and precious-metals mine proposed by PolyMet Mining Corp. both would use property or assets of the former LTV taconite plant. LTV closed in 2001, putting 1,400 miners out of work after the bankruptcy of its parent company. The closure left workers, families, communities and businesses reeling.

Larry Lehtinen, an Iron Range native and former taconite plant manager, has shepherded development of a value-added iron plant on the Iron Range for decades. Lehtinen led an effort to develop a nugget pilot plant at Northshore Mining Co. in Silver Bay, which proved the process. He will serve as a consultant on the commercial facility. “There were periods of time when I wondered where it was going to happen,” Pospeck said of the nugget plant. “But I had confidence since day one that it was going to happen. I knew of Larry’s determination and, when the pilot plant proved it, I was confident.”

Steel Dynamics, Kobe Steel, Cleveland-Cliffs and Lehtinen’s company, Ferrometrics of Two Harbors, had been partners in the proposed plant. At one time, there was serious discussion about the plant being built in Indiana. However, Iron Range lawmakers led an effort to streamline the permitting process to keep the plant in Minnesota. But when business terms couldn’t be reached, Steel Dynamics and Kobe assumed control.

Cleveland-Cliffs is working with Kobe to develop a nugget plant at the Empire Mine in Upper Michigan.

In addition to the nugget project, others large projects proposed for the Iron Range include a $1.6 billion Minnesota Steel slab facility near Nashwauk, PolyMet’s mine and a $2 billion coal-gasification electrical generating plant. Several other mineral exploration firms are studying copper, nickel, platinum, palladium, cobalt and gold deposits.

Sandy Layman, Iron Range Resources Commissioner, said construction of the plant sends a signal to other companies looking to invest in Northeastern Minnesota. The state provided “patient money” and worked closely with the companies to advance the project, she said. “Psychologically, it’s a boost to have the first one move ahead,” Layman said. “The region has a large number of projects under way, and it’s important to see a project like this move ahead.”

Bill Ojala, mayor of Aurora, said the nugget and PolyMet projects, combined with construction of a new school, are creating renewed interest in his community. “We are getting inquiries daily about business space due to this and PolyMet,” Ojala said. “This is going to be a boost to the whole East Range.”

State Rep. Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, was the only Iron Range lawmaker at Thursday’s new conference. Other lawmakers, Sertich said, had scheduling conflicts. The project will provide construction workers with much-needed work, Sertich said. “It took resolve not to let this project die,” he said. “Through it all, the folks within the agency [IRR] and the private sector moved forward to bridge the gaps. It was kind of that never-give-up attitude.”

From the Duluth News Tribune

Port Reports - September 22

Goderich - Dale Baechler
Algoway made her way over from the new harbour dock after arriving early Friday morning. She was on the Sifto Salt dock at 9 a.m. loading.
Agawa Canyon arrived at 12:30 p.m. Friday, headed into the new harbour dock to wait her turn and then will proceed to Sifto Salt to load.

Holland - Bob Vande Vusse
The Wolverine delivered a load of coal to the James DeYoung power plant in Holland, arriving before dawn Friday and departing just before noon.

Grand Haven - Dick Fox
About 5 p.m. on Friday the Wilfred Sykes came in bow first with a load of material for Verplank's Dock in Ferrysburg. It was still unloading as darkness fell, but she should back out later Friday evening.

Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
The tug Rebecca Lynn and her tank barge were in bound the Saginaw River early on Friday, calling on the Bit-Mat dock in Bay City. The pair had finished their unload and were out bound for the lake around 9:30 p.m. Friday night.
The Calumet was also inbound Friday morning. She traveled all the way upriver to unload at the Saginaw Rock Products dock in Saginaw. Calumet had turned and was back out bound by early in the evening.
The last arrival was the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. who arrived at the Consumers Energy dock in Essexville to unload coal. She was expected to be outbound late Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer
St. Marys Challenger arrived in Milwaukee Thursday afternoon, and continued unloading powdered cement through the day Friday at its terminal on the Kinnickinnic River.
Cement barge Integrity and its tug G. L. Ostrander made a delivery at the LaFarge silo on Jones Island in Milwaukee's inner harbor on Friday.
Also Friday, Algowood continued loading at the Nidera elevator in the inner harbor.

August Coal Total Comes Up Short by 8 Percent

9/22 - Cleveland—With the largest U.S.-Flag Lakers losing more than 6,000 tons of coal each trip because of lack of adequate dredging and falling water levels, shipments on the Great Lakes only totaled 4.4 million net tons in August, a decrease of 8 percent compared to both a year ago and the month’s 5-year average.

August is usually one of the strongest months for the coal trade. The peak summer heat increases demand for electricity to cool homes and businesses, yet this August’s total is the lowest this decade.

While demand for coal from Lake Erie ports was down in August, the dredging crisis played a major role in the weak Lakes-wide total. The largest coal cargo carried during the month totaled 64,504 tons. Turn the calendar back to 1997, a period of high water levels, and the top coal cargo was approaching 71,000 tons.

For the year, the Lakes coal trade stands at 23.6 million tons, a decrease of 6.6 percent compared to the same point in 2006. Compared to the 5-year average, shipments are nearly 5 percent off the pace.

Source: Lake Carriers’ Association

Iron range rebound

9/22 - Duluth - The $235 million Mesabi Nugget Delaware iron nugget plant should have an economic impact on the region of about $587 million, according to a Northeastern Minnesota economist. “This is really good news,” said Tony Barrett, a College of St. Scholastica economics professor. “It’s going to be quite an era for the Iron Range.”

Steel Dynamics Inc. and Kobe Steel officials said Thursday the companies also would seek to develop a $165 million taconite concentrate production mine at the facility. Together, the two projects would have a $1 billion impact on the regional economy, according to a standard 2.5-to-1 formula that economists use, Barrett said. With several other major economic development projects ready for permit approval or startup, Minnesota’s Iron Range could be on the cusp of its biggest economic surge in decades.

“We’re not going to replace 1,400 jobs all at once,” said Curt Antilla, economic development coordinator with the East Range Joint Powers Board in Aurora, referring to jobs lost when LTV Steel Mining Co. closed in 2001. “We don’t know what the total impact yet of Mesabi Nugget and PolyMet is yet on the horizon. But Steel Dynamics and Kobe Steel are nationally known companies. This is going to be a tremendous boost for the whole region.”

At a news conference Thursday at Iron Range Resources headquarters in Eveleth, Gov. Tim Pawlenty said he remembered the day when LTV closed. “All of us pledged we would try to bring jobs back to the Iron Range, and things are now changing in positive and energetic directions,” he said.

Estimates are that 500 construction workers would be needed over two years to build the nugget plant. Construction of a $1.6 billion Minnesota Steel direct-reduced iron and slab steel plant near Nashwauk would require about 2,000 workers. About 1,000 construction workers would be needed to build a $380 million PolyMet Mining Corp. base and precious-metals mine proposed south of Babbitt.

“This is like an Iron Range fantasy,” Barrett said of the proposed projects. “When we see all these construction jobs happen, it’s going to be great, but we’re going to have to import construction workers. When that happens, it’s going to be a culture change for the Iron Range in dealing with people with different values, and that’s going to have an impact.”

With an influx of construction workers, rental rates would rise for housing, existing home values would increase and small businesses would be in for a boom, Barrett said. “Now, the kids on the Range who have been leaving can think about staying, have a job and earn a good middle-income wage,” Barrett said.

However, the construction boom would be short-lived, he said. Within about four years, work on most of the projects would end and construction workers would leave the region for other jobs, he said.

In about seven years, rental rates, home values and small business activity would decline, Barrett said. “You could start a new business,” he said, “but you’d have to sell it in three years.”

From the Duluth News Tribune

U.S. Coast Guard Announces Launch of Electronic CG-719 Applications

9/22- Last month’s National Maritime Center (NMC) senior staff offsite meeting saw the discussion of various initiatives to improve mariner licensing and documentation. One of these projects was an effort to make available CG-719 application forms that can be downloaded from the Internet and filled out on a computer. The test version of CG-719 is now available. Industry representatives have been asked to assist in "testing" this form to ensure that it works.

The Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center is managing a project to centralize and restructure the Mariner Licensing and Documentation program. Our goals are to decrease credential processing time, improve customer service, and ensure consistency across the nation. In an effort to decrease credential processing time, we have made available an improved CG-719B Credential Application forms that can be downloaded from the Internet and filled out on a computer. This is the first step in our drive toward on-line applications.

A new version of the application form is available on USCG Homeport website, http://homeport.uscg.mil/ and http://www.uscg.mil/stcw/downloads.htm.

This version is the current application form with simple business rules embedded into it. The business rules will ensure that the application is completed with the required information before it is printed and submitted to the REC. Please note that the “check form” button (on the bottom of pages two and four) forces the form to check business rules and should prompt the user to add, correct or change information based on basic business rules.

From David C. Stalfort, Captain, U. S. Coast Guard, Commanding Officer, National Maritime Center

Cleanup of polluted Upper Peninsula bay completed, officials say

9/22 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. - An $8 million cleanup of chromium and mercury from a section of the St. Marys River is complete, officials said Thursday.

About 44,000 cubic yards of sediment were dredged over the past year from Tannery Bay, north of town. The pollution came primarily from a leather tannery that operated by the river during the first half of the 20th century. The river links Lakes Huron and Superior.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, provided $4.8 million for the project under the Great Lakes Legacy Act, a 2002 program to cleanse severely degraded sediments across the region. Phelps Dodge Corp., which owns the former tannery property, contributed $2.6 million. Michigan Department of Environmental Quality added $600,000 through the Clean Michigan Initiative.

"One of the last known contaminated hot spots on the U.S. side of St. Marys River has now been cleaned up," said Mary Gade, the EPA's Great Lakes national program manager. "Large amounts of chromium and mercury no longer contaminate the bay and have been prevented from entering the Great Lakes."

Projects under the legacy act "have shown that it's possible to make meaningful progress in a short period of time toward cleaning up and restoring rivers and harbors" in the region, Gade said. Solid material dredged from the bay was hauled to a landfill with a thick clay base in nearby Dafter. Water was treated at the Sault Ste. Marie wastewater plant.

From Booth Newspapers

Program at Vantage Point open to the public

9/21 - Port Huron - The Lake Huron Lore Marine Society and the Algonac Clay Township Historical Society will present a special program, "Gar Wood & The Building of Miss America X: 75 Years Ago," at the Great Lakes Maritime Center at Vantage Point, 51 Water St., Port Huron, Michigan, at 7 pm Saturday, September 22, 2007.

This program is free and open to the public!

Seminar to be presented by Company of Master Mariners of Canada

9/22 - Imagine a dark clear night with a ship proceeding in its normal manner, the Master looking forward to a successful end to the voyage. Suddenly he finds himself and his ship involved in a catastrophic marine incident.

What must he do? – Where can he seek help? As the emergency unfolds – Who is in Charge?

The scene is set for this seminar and participants will begin to identify a number of issues and problems involving the Master in command of his ship and his interactions with the many rescue, emergency response and environmental groups – Who is in Charge?

The seminar will seek answers which will help to prepare Masters who might be involved in future Marine Emergencies.

Objective. An examination of the Incident Response System and relationships which develop during response to a marine emergency between the Master, Owners, Responders and inter-related Government Agencies.
To assist Masters in recognizing and appreciating the authority and responsibilities of government and other Agencies with respect to the response to marine emergencies such as fire, collision, foundering, grounding, oil-spill, ship and port security breaches, etc., and to promote efficient and effective working techniques and information sharing during emergency situations.

The seminar will be held at the Sheraton Hotel Hamilton, Ontario on October 11 & 12. Visit www.mastermariner.ca for more information

Updates - September 22

News Photo Gallery updated

Today in Great Lakes History - September 22

On 22 September 1896, the MUSKEGON (wooden side-wheel passenger-package freight steamer, 193 foot, 620 tons, built in 1871, at Manitowoc, Wisconsin) was in dry dock at the Milwaukee Dry Dock Company when some of the bracing gave way and the vessel slid off the keel blocks and broke her back. She was patched up and towed to Manitowoc for repairs, but she was deemed unrepairable. After a lengthy lawsuit, which the Milwaukee Dry Dock Company lost, the vessel was dismantled.

On September 22, 1958, the EDMUND FITZGERALD entered service, departing River Rouge, Michigan for Silver Bay, Minnesota on its first trip. The FITZGERALD's first load was 20,038 tons of taconite pellets for Toledo. The vessel would, in later years, set several iron ore records during the period from 1965 through 1969.

While in ballast, the ROGER M KYES struck bottom in Buffalo Harbor September 22, 1976, sustaining holes in two double bottom tanks and damage to three others, whereupon she proceeded to Chicago for dry docking on September 27, 1976, for survey and repairs. Renamed b.) ADAM E CORNELIUS in 1989.

While being towed from Duluth, Minnesota by the Canadian tug TUSKER on September 22, 1980, the D G KERR rammed into the breakwater at Duluth causing $200,000 in damages to the breakwater. The tow apparently failed to make the turning buoy leaving Duluth Harbor.

On September 22, 1911 the HENRY PHIPPS collided with and sank her Steel Trust fleet mate, steamer JOLIET, of 1890, which was at anchor on the fog shrouded St. Clair River near Sarnia, Ontario. The JOLIET sank without loss of crew and was declared a total loss. The PHIPPS then continued her downbound journey and collided with the Wyandotte Chemical steamer ALPENA, of 1909, that incurred only minor damage.

The T W ROBINSON and US.265808 (former BENSON FORD departed Quebec City in tow of the Polish tug JANTAR bound for Recife where they arrived on September 22, 1987. Scrapping began the next month in October.

MATHILDA DESGAGNES was freed from polar ice in the Arctic on September 22, 1988, by the West German Icebreaker Research Vessel POLARSTERN.

September 22, 1913 - The ANN ARBOR NO 5 struck bottom in the Sturgeon Bay Canal and damaged her rudder and steering gear. After undergoing repairs at Milwaukee, she was back in service the following October.

On 22 September 1887, ADA E ALLEN (wooden propeller steam barge, 90 foot, 170 gross tons, built in 1872, at Walpole Island, Ontario.) caught fire while moored at Amherstburg, Ontario. She was cut loose and set adrift to prevent the fire from spreading ashore. She drifted to Bois Blanc (Bob-Lo) Island and burned to a total loss.

On 22 September 1882, Mr. H. N. Jex accepted the contract to recover the engine and boiler from the MAYFLOWER, which sank in the Detroit River in 1864. He was to be paid $600 upon delivery of the machinery at Windsor, Ontario. He succeeded in raising the engine on 12 October and the boiler shortly thereafter.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Max Hanley, James Neumiller, Jody Aho, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books include many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

Future of historic Belle Isle boat house becomes murky

9/21 - Detroit -- There was a time when the Detroit Boat Club building provided a grand welcome to Belle Isle.

As the first building to come into view past the Douglas MacArthur Bridge, the striking, three-story Spanish-style structure -- built in 1902 -- epitomized a period in the city's history when the sky seemed to be the limit. Now, years of neglect have taken their toll as the Friends of Detroit Rowing club -- the building's tenant for the past decade -- struggle to find the resources needed to restore the crumbling structure.

The Friends group, which maintains the building in lieu of paying rent to the city of Detroit, says it can't keep up with repairs and is looking to move out. The group has proposed building a boathouse on five acres of adjacent Belle Isle property -- a smaller home that will be for rowing only and far more manageable. The roof on the existing building is full of holes, the ballroom is gathering dust and dirty water fills the pool out back. The organization for which the building was named no longer operates there, but rowers have used the city-owned building since its construction.

"There was a city study a few years back that estimated the price of completely repairing the boat club would be $28 million," said Joe Callanan, a spokesman for Friends of Detroit Rowing and a one-time member of the Detroit Boat Club. "Even at the height of the boat club's membership, with 400 members or so, we couldn't have afforded that."

That puts the Detroit Boat Club building, as well as its only remaining tenant, at something of a crossroads. Should Friends of Detroit Rowing be unable to hammer out a deal with the city, the 200-member group could wind up moving away from Belle Isle altogether. Either way, the Detroit Boat Club building could soon be without a tenant, meaning the cash-strapped city would take back responsibility for repairs.

And according to one city parks official, there are no proposals if that happens. "I'm not aware of what would happen at this point," said Jennifer Robertson, a spokeswoman for the Detroit Department of Recreation, which oversees Belle Isle Park. "That is something that will have to be decided down the road if an agreement is reached."

City resident Joe Hayden remembers the Detroit Boat Club during better days and admits it's no longer the best welcome to the island. "I've always thought Belle Isle was great, particularly with the boat club and the yacht club," he said. "I'd definitely like the boat club to get back up to where the yacht club is now. It's in the ideal place."

For his part, Callanan said members of the rowing group feel trapped by the negotiations for a new building. Officials first approached the city about building on the five-acre plot next to the boat club early in the spring and then again this summer. Negotiations, however, seem to be at a standstill.

Friends of Detroit Rowing want a lease with the city for as long as they can get before agreeing to spend money on a new structure. "There's no sense in us going forward with this is the city won't give us direction," Callanan said. "We'd like to get a 30-year lease with a 30-year option. But right now, we seem to be running into a stone wall." City officials, citing ongoing negotiations, declined to comment.
With approval, Friends of Detroit Rowing would build a 30,000- to 40,000-square-foot structure capable of housing 75 to 80 boats. It's a planned investment of more than $1 million that would be implemented in several phases. Unlike the old boat club building, the new project would strictly be an "athletic operation."

Despite the stripped-down proposal, it may be a hard sell to some with an interest in Belle Isle. Groups such as Friends of Belle Isle have actively opposed new construction on the island in the past. One sticking point, Callanan said, is the question of who will maintain ownership of the new building once a lease runs out.

While you don't have to look hard to see the signs of the Detroit Boat Club's deterioration, it's just as easy to see the signs of what the building used to be.

The second floor features a wood-paneled study area large enough to hold more than 100 people. A high-ceilinged ballroom now provides workout space for rowers, but looks ready to host weddings as it once did. A large kitchen capable of providing for a medium-sized restaurant is still in working order. And on the third floor, the bar looks like a floor-sweeping away from being ready to start serving.

While not on the National Register of Historic Places, the building's history makes it seem like a likely candidate. It is 105 years old, and the former home of the oldest boat club in the nation. The pool is thought to be the first 50-yard pool built in the U.S. In 1928, Johnny Weissmuller -- a five-time Olympic gold medalist who went on to play Tarzan in the movies -- competed in it.

But it has been years since these rooms were used to their potential. And in the meantime, despite roughly $250,000 pumped into the building by Friends of Detroit Rowing, the deterioration has spread. Outer walls are chipped and cracked and in some places sport huge holes. The concrete deck surrounding the 50-yard pool behind the building is crumbling and marked by grass growing through in patches. The maze of docks, once home to all manner of large and small boats, is now deserted and unsafe.

Along with Belle Isle's maintenance building/horse barn, another structure more than a century old, the boat club is at the top of the target lists for preservation groups. "Both of those buildings are so historical and also so in need of saving, it's craziness to just let them go," said Mary Waterstone, president of the Friends of Belle Isle. In 2000, the architecture and engineering firm Hamilton Anderson Associates completed a comprehensive plan for the revitalization and restoration of the whole island.

That $180 million overhaul would have included major improvements for the Detroit Boat Club, including: Renovation, destination restaurant, conference center, new boat slips and a marina club and water taxi service to downtown.

Like most of Hamilton Anderson's recommendations, the improvements for the boat club remain on the back burner while the city deals with its more pressing financial concerns. Yet, the building remains salvageable. "We've had structural engineers in here and, yes, it's salvageable," Callanan said. "But who has the dollars?"

Even those who aren't familiar with its past see something worth saving in the structure. While strolling with a friend Tuesday morning, Detroit resident Luvina Morgan eyed the building from across Riverbank Drive. "I think it has potential," she said. "It looks like it just has to be restored."

From the Detroit Free Press

Port Reports - September 21

Toronto - Charlie Gibbons
Wednesday saw the arrival of the tug Evans McKeil and cement barge Metis at the Essroc dock. They are laying in port for maintenance on Thursday.
Also arriving Wednesday afternoon was Beluga Expectation with windmill parts.
Algosteel remains at Redpath Sugar unloading.

Holland - Bob VandeVusse
After a month of inactivity, the tug Undaunted and barge Pere Marquette 41 arrived in Holland Thursday evening to deliver agricultural lime to the Brewer dock.

Updates - September 21

News Photo Gallery updated

Special Reserve Conversion Gallery updated

Today in Great Lakes History - September 21

On 21 September 1942, the WAWINET (steel propeller yacht, 87 foot, 68 gross tons, built in 1904, at Toronto, Ontario as a tug) was on a fishing and party trip when she struck a bar off Beausoliel Island in Georgian Bay and sank in a few moments. One report says she was doing a high-speed maneuver when she hit. The drowned were all employees of a single factory, out celebrating the successful completion of a defense contract. 25 of the 42 aboard were lost. One of those who died was Bert Corbeau, the owner of the yacht; he was a well known professional hockey player.

On 21 September 1892, the whaleback steamer JAMES B COLGATE (steel propeller whaleback freighter, 308 foot, 1,713 gross tons) was launched by the American Steel Barge Co. (Hull #121) at W. Superior, Wisconsin. She only lasted until 1916, when she foundered in the "Black Friday Storm" on Lake Erie with the loss of 26 lives.

ALGOWAY left Collingwood on her maiden voyage in 1972, and loaded salt for Michipicoten, Ontario on Lake Superior.

On 21 September 1844, JOHN JACOB ASTOR (wooden brig, 78 foot, 112 tons, Built in 1835, at Pointe aux Pins, Ontario but precut at Lorain, Ohio) was carrying furs and trade goods when she struck a reef and foundered near Copper Harbor, Michigan. She was owned by Astor's American Fur Company. She was reportedly the first commercial vessel on Lake Superior.

On 21 September 1855, ASIA (2-mast wooden schooner, 108 foot, 204 tons, built in 1848, at Black River, Ohio) was carrying corn from Chicago for Buffalo when she collided with the propeller FOREST CITY off the mouth of Grand Traverse Bay. ASIA went down in deep water in about 10 minutes, but her crew just had enough time to escape in her boat. The schooner HAMLET picked them up.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Ahoy & Farewell II, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, B.G.S.U. and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. This is a small sample, the books include many other vessels with a much more detailed history.

Fewer freighters are traversing the Saginaw River as the economy and water levels keep them at bay

9/20- Bay City - Like the Saginaw River's water levels, the number of freighters bringing cargo to waterway docks is dropping.

As of Monday, only 172 freighters have made their way up the Saginaw River this season, according to BoatNerd.Com reporter Todd Shorkey. That's a considerable drop from numbers recorded in 2005 and 2006: 244 and 198, respectively.

While Bay City commuters might enjoy fewer disruptions at the bridges, area businesses depending on river shipping are worried about an inevitable revenue loss caused by a bad economy and shallow waters, according to observers. ''With those two setbacks, it lowers the amount of ships,'' said William G. Webber, president of the Saginaw River Alliance of dock owners. ''If you have a facility that moves 1 million tons a year, and it moves 500,000 tons, you still have costs.

''We're absorbing some of it, but we can't absorb it all or we'd go out of business.'' To maintain their operations and cover expenses, businesses are forced to charge more for less product. That means higher prices heaped on customers, he said. Dredging the river to remove sediments and other spoils is the long-awaited boost the area needs, Webber said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Friday that Saginaw Bay's shipping channel and the lower section of the river would be dredged starting as early as this week. Two companies - MCM Marine Inc. of Sault Ste. Marie and Luedtke Engineering Co. of Frankfort - were awarded contracts totaling about $2 million for the work.

The area to be dredged has snagged passing freighters already. The 648-foot Algoway ran aground in November near the Hooters restaurant, 966 E. Midland St., by the Liberty Bridge, because of the shallow shipping channel.

The Corps announcement was welcome news for dock owners. ''When that's done, that's going to help out tremendously,'' said Webber, who is president of Sargent Dock and Terminal, a road salt distributor. ''One is the economy and the second is the water levels have really limited our market range.''

But one long-term snap is the dredging spoils confined facility, which straddles Saginaw and Bay counties, that is nearing completion. Officials have said the facility might not be in operation until next year due to building and policy drafting delays. ''A good share of it is solvable,'' Webber said. ''We've got to find what needs to be done with the dredge site and do it.''

For VanEnkevort Tug & Barge of Escanaba, which primarily ships limestone to the area, Saginaw River docks was once a place where freighters had lots of locations to unload. That saved time and money that might have been spent waiting for their turn at some other dock, according to a company spokesman. But with fewer Tug & Barge freighters able to traverse the river now, it makes doing business ''tougher,'' the company said.

Economic woes and sinking demand are some big reasons why shipping traffic has slowed on the Great Lakes, said Glen Nekvasil, vice president of corporate communications for Lake Carriers' Association, which represents U.S. ships on the Great Lakes.

Stone, a major area shipment used for road and home construction, isn't selling well in the region, he said. ''Michigan is kind of leading the charge in that area,'' he said. ''Obviously, if the economy strengthens here, people will buy more homes. It's just a function of the economy.''

For drivers, the bright spot is fewer bridge openings. As of Monday, drivers have only dealt with about 429 openings at the Lafayette Bridge and 405 at the Veterans Memorial Bridge, said Michael Conley, operator supervisor for the two bridges for the city of Bay City. There were, respectively, about 525 and 644 at the same time last year.

''I go across those bridges, so I kind of enjoy it,'' Conley said. ''Eventually, if we don't do something with the dredging in the river and the slowing economy, it's not going to be good for the area.''

From the Bay City Times

Port Reports - September 20

Twin Ports - Al Miller
Vessel action in the Twin Ports early Wednesday focused on fall’s slightly increased grain traffic. In Duluth, Americaborg was at the AGP elevator and Voyageur Independent was at Cargill B1.
In Superior, Voyageur Pioneer was spending its second day at CHS berth 1 while on the other side of the terminal Victoria was in berth 2.

Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer
Algowood loaded grain at the Nidera elevator in Milwaukee's inner harbor on Wednesday.
Across the turning basin, the barge Innovation and tug Samuel de Champlain delivered dry cement to the LaFarge terminal on Jones Island.

Alpena & Stoneport - Ben & Chanda McClain
On Tuesday much needed dredging began in the Alpena shipping channel. MCM Marine is doing the work with the Drummond Islander II, a crane barge with a small tug, along with a barge to load the removed material. Wednesday, they were working at the mouth of the river.
Alpena is due in Wednesday night around 11 p.m.
The Great Lakes Trader loaded at Stoneport on Wednesday.

Goderich - Dale Baechler
Canadian Progress backed in the channel on a cool sunny Thursday morning. She went to the Sifto Salt dock and started loading at 8 a.m.
Following close behind, Algorail also backed in and went to the new harbour dock to wait her turn.

Local historians locate Lake Michigan shipwreck

9/20 - Merrillville - An Illinois-based group named for a local historian thinks it has found the remains of a ship that once carried escaping slaves to freedom before it was destroyed by slave hunters on the shore of Lake Michigan in Ogden Dunes.

Roger Barski, an underwater photographer and ex-Hollywood lighting technician, presented the findings of the Briggs Project to a spellbound audience of two dozen history buffs at a meeting of the Portage Community Historical Society on Tuesday night. Barski is a Project leader and a member of the underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago. He served as official photographer for the Kankakee Valley Historical Association's 2005 excavation at the Collier Lodge near Kouts.

He said his group has found virtually everything in the records that can be found about the ship. "We've traveled everywhere, to other states, we've looked in the National Archives. Everyone is highly interested all the way to Washington, because it's tied to the Underground Railroad," he said.

Barski said the project began more than four years ago when Peg Schoon, who worked at Indiana University Northwest, showed researchers some writings of former Portage Township teacher and ex-high school principal William Briggs, who was also a noted historian.

"He grew up in the years after the Civil War and had access to the people who actually lived through it. We believe his word is truthful," Barski said. For this reason, he said, the search for the boat was named the Briggs Project. "We asked Mr. Barski here because William Briggs was a Portage citizen. What he wrote gave them the information that this ship was there," said Lois Mollick, PCHS president.

For additional details on the Briggs Project, go to www.briggsproject.org

From the Merrillville Post-Tribune

Wheat shipped to Halifax from Port of Churchill

9/20 - The Port of Churchill, enjoying one of its best shipping seasons in years, celebrated a first on Monday when a ship began loading wheat for delivery to the domestic market.

The Kathryn Spirit, an Arctic supply ship, had delivered a cargo of mobile homes, snowmobiles and other goods to communities on the Hudson's Bay coast before weighing anchor at Manitoba's northern port. Instead of returning with an empty hold, the former Great Lakes freighter is being filled with 12,500 tonnes of Prairie wheat for delivery to a flour mill in Halifax -- the first domestic destination ever for the port, the Canadian Wheat Board said Monday.

"This is a creative way to save farmers freight costs and maximize the use of Churchill," CWB president Greg Arason said in a statement. "It is important to identify innovative ways of shipping grain and other commodities through the Port of Churchill since its long-term viability is very important to Prairie farmers."

Bill Drew, director of the Churchill Gateway Development Corp., said in an interview that two-way traffic into the port should eventually reduce Arctic supply costs as well as grain shipping costs. "We certainly hope it's the start of more to come," he said of the domestic grain shipments.

Vessels carrying Arctic supplies normally arrive full and go home empty. Meanwhile, ships carrying grain for shipment overseas tend to arrive empty at Churchill. The port's goal is to develop more two-way traffic.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Wheat Board said Monday that shipment of board grains through Churchill could set a 30-year high this season. Already, the wheat board has sent more than 300,000 tonnes of wheat and durum to Brazil, Europe, South Africa and Morocco, said spokeswoman Maureen Fitzhenry. The Churchill shipping season typically begins in July and runs until early November.

In 1977, during the days of massive sales to the Soviet Union, the wheat board shipped 729,000 tonnes of wheat through Churchill. The highest total since then was the 621,304 tonnes in 1983 followed by 590,540 tonnes in 1986.

"It will for sure be the biggest (CWB shipping season through Churchill) since the mid-1980s," Fitzhenry said in an interview Monday.

From the Winnipeg Free Press

Updates - September 20

News Photo Gallery updated