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Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online
Buffalo, New York
          By Brian Wroblewski

10-10 Charlie says the AEC is on her way to Buffalo, prob. show on Sunday, late.

10-10 The Luedtke #16 dredge rig was working in the Buffalo River off the Lake
 & Rail Elevator this morning. The tug Kurt Luedtke was shuffling the scows
 between the dredge site and the pump out barge on the Outer Harbor. The
 discharge crew was reporting some trouble clearing out the scows due to heavy
 wooden debris that was slowing down the process at 8:30AM. 

10-1   The Adam E Cornelius was Eastbound on the lake through Long Point for
 General Mills in Buffalo at 10:13 PM on the night of October 1st. She'll be
 docked & unloading by the morning of the 2nd.

10-1 Charlie says the Adam E Cornelius should be here with grain for General
 Mills any time now and the American Mariner is also coming with stone for
 Lackawanna.

9-30 The Army Corp. tug Cheraw took the derrick boat McCauly up the Buffalo
 River to the foot of Smith St. for some quick dredge work on the 29th. They
 removed a small amount of debris to allow the police department to retrieve
 some abandoned vehicles from the bottom. As far as I know it was the first
 time that this particular pair have been up the river and it was also the
 first time that the CSX River Bridge was lifted for vessel traffic in a few
 months.

  Luedtke's dredge equipment showed up last night at the Cargil Pool Elevator
 Pier on the Outer Harbor. 

9-28 After such a busy day, my mind is boggling with all the info I got while down there. The Captain on the Jackson mentioned 2 more trips with grain but he wasn't sure when. The Captain on the English River said they have a few more trips, but scheduling for the boat was worked out yet and that they were very busy. 
  Charlie says the Cornelius is also on the way down here with grain. The "Fall Rush" is on, no doubt about it. 

Canada Steamship’s HALIFAX was loading coal at the Gateway Metroport Terminal
 in Lackawanna on the morning of the 28th. 
  LaFarge’s ENGLISH RIVER arrived off Buffalo around 9 AM on the 28th and went
 to anchor near the Traffic Buoy. The Captain had made an arrangement with the
 Captain on the HERBERT C JACKSON to wait until the grain boat departed so they
 would have a little bit of an easier time getting through the turn at Ohio St.
 The tug WASHINGTON took the JACKSON downriver to the North Entrance at 1PM.
 She then helped the JACKSON turn around as the ENGLISH RIVER made her way into
 the North Entrance. The two vessels made contact by radio and decided to
 pass “on the one whistle”. Once inside the breakwall, the ENGLISH RIVER turned
 to Starboard and stuck her nose just inside the Outer Harbor where the
 WASHINGTON was waiting. The tug took up the tow line from the cement carrier’s
 stern and brought her up the river to the LaFarge dock. While all this action
 was happening at the North end of the harbor, there was plenty going on at the
 South Entrance. The HALIFAX departed around the time that the ENGLISH RIVER
 was inbound for Buffalo at 2PM. As soon as she was clear, the CSL LAURENTIAN
 came in with more coal for Gateway. All in all it was a busy day for vessel
 passage and I can’t remember the last time that there were three Canadian
 commercial ships here at the same time. While down there watching it happen, I
 had the idea that this must have been what it was like back in the olden days
 and I was really glad to be part of it. Awesome. 

  9-27 10:AM Paul states that the weather at the harbor is pretty clear so the
 English River may be waiting for the Jackson to depart. I don't really know
 why since I've seen bigger boats pass the LaFarge dock when the English River
 was there but who knows, maybe there's some other reason. It's foggy, misty,
 and raining here at home, so I'll take a ride down there later and check it out. 

9-28 The English River arrived off Buffalo at 9:30AM and went to anchor near
 the Fairway/Traffic Buoy. I don't know exactly why, but it might be related to
 the presence of the Herbert C Jackson up the crick, or the fog and misty rain
 around the waterfront. He may be waiting for the Jackson to come out this
 afternoon so as not to pose a problem to their tow, or for the weather to
 improve, or maybe both.

9-27 Paul spotted the Jackson headed up the crick to the Standard Elev. this
 afternoon. She'll prob. go out around 3-4 PM on Sunday.

  I spotted the Paul Martin backed into the Lackawanna Slip at 8AM this morning.
 
  I took a ride past the Buffalo River and had to laugh when the instinct hit
 me to look for my old sight lines to try and spot a boat at the Lake & Rail
 Elevator now that it's open for business again. Over the years I have learned
 that scanning a quick look around the harbor for ship traffic while driving by
 at 55 MPH and dodging traffic is an acquired skill set that many people don't
 possess. I haven't had to glance towards the Lake  & Rail for about 10 years or
 so and I didn't realize how much the tress had grown in all over the city,
 limiting the view from the 190 or Rt. 5. Even though there was nothing there
 today, in my mind's eye, I could easily see the old Kinsman Independent or
 Enterprise up there with both unloading legs in her, glistening in the warm
 summer sun, it all seems like yesterday. Those old girls were fun to watch,
 but they're gone now, so now I'm eagerly anticipating something different to see.

9-24 Charlie's reports:


Update on boats coming to buffalo:

Thunder Bay Canada

    Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin Departed the 23rd with 30,020MT of Coal for Buffalo

Duluth/Superior Schedule

   Herbert C. Jackson was to load 23rd at CHS after morning showers

    Adam E. Cornelius is due to load 28th Sunday at General Mills [Wheat ] due about 0200hrs

that is all I can find

-charlie

Here's an article from the snews on the Lake & Rail
 
http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/445959.html

9-22 The Fortitude arrived this morning with the first ever cargo of wheat
 delivered by self-unloader for the recently re-opened Lake & Rail Elevator on
 the Buffalo River. She is now the largest ship to ever go up past the turn at
 Hamburg & South St. and this was also the first cargo for Lake & Rail in
 roughly 10 years or so. 
 
  I got down there in the early afternoon and got a few half-ass, backlit
 shots, but this was the best I could do considering the time of day and the
 lack of access to private property. There was a heavy guard presence at the
 gate so getting inside the plant for the better light was off limits. She is
 due to depart tonight, sometime before mid-night. 

9-21 I got this in from Paul,

  At 5:55pm the Rebecca Lynn went through the N Entrance pushing her  
 barge A 410. Her course cut off going near the traffic buoy as she  
 veered to the west very quickly. Looks like she didn't go to the pull  
mode.

9-21 Thanks to Charlie's tip off, I was finally able to get a close up look at
 the Rebecca Lynn and her barge A-410 today.  At 10AM the barge was still
 drawing 10 feet at the stern, but riding much higher at the bow. I'd say from
 that time on she probably had another 1/2 of a
 day of pumping to get fully unloaded, but that's a guess. 

 9-21  American Fortitude is on her way down from Owen Sound, I don't know if
 they're stopping for fuel or anything, but if it's a straight run here, figure
 11AM - 12 Noon arrival Monday and supposedly, the Lake & Rail dock.


9-21 I got this in from Charley today:
 
  On my way down the Niagara section by the old Black rock toll the Rebbecca
 Lynn with a loaded barge
 was heading down to the locks at about 9-10 am on the 20th.



  9-18 The Cornelius departed stern first at around 8PM. 

9-18 Here's sighting report from Dan:

The Adam E Cornelius as of 1130am Thursday the 18th was still unloading. The
 boom was still attached to the elevator. The crew was "swabbing" the deck as I passed by. 

The Army Corp of Engineers tug Cheraw and her barge B0-2979 that I reported on
 the 14th as being tied up in Black Rock was out working on the breakwall
 towards the southern entrance. They were stacking new stone blocks. The second
 barge had a large load of stone.  I passed them about 1115am on the 18th.

Dan

9-17 I got a couple of sighting reports today. The Adam E Cornelius arrived for
 the General Mills Frontier Elevator around 7AM this morning.  The American
 Fortitude was towed out of the river at 3:50 AM this morning. 

9-16 The American Fortitude arrived with her first ever cargo of wheat for the
 ADM Standard Elevator at 9AM this morning. 

  The Fortitude may go back to Owen Sound again and load for the Lake & Rail on
 the next trip, but I'm not sure yet. Also: There was no sign of the Cornelius
 today, she had loaded grain a few days ago and may be on the way here. 


PS: My personal thanks go out to the guards that the ADM Standard for giving me
 stress about taking photos while NOT standing on their property for the second
 time now.

9-12   Anyone want to buy an overpriced grain elevator?
 
 
  http://www.buffalonews.com/businesstoday/localbusiness/story/437238.html

9-12 The boat coming for the Lake & Rail may be the American Fortitude out of
 Owen Sound, but I'm not sure yet.

  I got this report in today:

Brian,
  At approximately 2:15 this afternoon, Lower Lakes Transportation Co's Maumee
 chugged on into the inner harbor and up the Buffalo River. -Ken

9-10  No, I'm not asleep, just busy, anyway, I've been able to piece together
 the following information from about 20,000 different reports I've been
 getting over the past few days but unable to report on up 'till now.

  The Rebecca Lynn-A-410 tug-barge was at Noco in Tonawanda on the morning of
 the 10th.

  The USCGC Alder arrived around 9PM on the 8th for the Visiting Ship's Dock.
 She apparently hit something under water on her way in that required repair
 and she did not depart until the evening of the 9th. The ship left the dock
 and moved into the Inner Harbor Turning Basin, spun around, and departed at
 about 6PM. She then passed the inbound EDWARD M COTTER near the Entrance
 Channel. She is one of the few ships to still use the turning basin to wind. 

  The Adam E Cornelius was seen unloading at the General Mills Frontier
 Elevator on the 8th. She departed at 6PM on the 9th.

  The English River was seen unloading at LaFarge on the 8th. She left some
 time that evening. 

Thanks to everyone for the excellent reports, I missed the whole thing.

9-15 9PM The mystery Coast Guard Cutter off the North Entrance this afternoon
 turned out to be the Samuel Risley. She was sitting on the hook until about
 6PM when they pulled up anchor and headed to Port Colburne. On their way out
 from Buffalo they passed the inbound Rebecca Lynn towing her barge A-410 for
 the North Entrance. The Lynn came inside the Outer Harbor and then switched
 out of pulling gear and went into the notch. She then headed down the Black
 Rock Canal around 7PM bound for the lock and on to the Marathon Asphalt
 Terminal. The captain told the Ferry St. Bridge operator that he would be
 coming out either late on the morning of the 6th or possibly in the early
 afternoon depending on the weather. 

9-5 I spotted the Army Corps tug Cheraw and her derrick barge McCauly tied up
 at the Buffalo Port Terminal "A" dock this morning. She also had a scow
 nearby, tied up to the old Freezer Queen pier and loaded with a bunch of
 driftwood. 
  There was also a Canadian Coast Guard Cutter sitting in the middle of the
 North Entrance Channel pointed out towards the lake, no idea what he was up
 to, looked weird to see him out there with no ice around.
  The Rebecca Lynn and her barge were on theor way on the South Shore Course
 for Buffalo at 2PM. 

  I found a great web site that shows the new JAK Coupler system being
 installed on the tug Karen Andrie at Erie PA, and also a new barge being built
 for her in Indiana. The photos are fantastic!

http://www.andrie.com/equipment/index.html

  It would seem that the new barge is being built for the Asphalt trade and
 should be able to fit into the Black rock Canal. She's got a hundred feet on
 the A-397 that the Karen is pushing now, Awesome. 

  I forgot to mention that the Andrie was headed to Toledo with her barge. I 
 didn't catch the whole name of the dock but it was the "Something" - Oil Dock. 

9-1  Dan spotted the Karen Andrie-A-397 unloading at the Noco Oil Product
 Terminal in Tonawanda on the evening of August 31st.
  
  I got down there just in time this morning to see them heading out for the
 lake around 10AM. The water was perfect calm and the tug stayed in the notch
 right out of the Harbor and up the lake. I also noticed a new articulation
 system has been installed in the tug. I have no idea what it's for since their
 barges don't seem to have one yet. 

  I got a chance at redemption for yesterday's blunder with loosing the camera
 and missing out on all the Samuel D Champlain pics that went with it. Like
 they say, always better to get right back on the horse and try again, so we
 went out today and got to see the Andrie. 

  I would also like to thank the captain on the Samuel D Champlain-Innovation
 for blowing 3 quick toots on the whistle for Jr. yesterday, he loved that !


8-31  I got this in from Paul today:

  At 1 pm La Farge's Innovation, powered by the Samuel de Champlain  
 backed herself out of the Creek, did a 270 degree pivot and headed out  
 the North Entrance. It seems so much easier to swing the bow to  
 starboard  to line up with the N.E. and there is enough room and depth  
 to do it.

-BW

 PS:  Jr. took some kick ass shots of it from the DL&W Terminal but,
  unfortunately, we accidentally left his digital camera on the dock along the
 Union Ship Canal later in the afternoon while fishing and someone must have
 come by and picked it up because by the time I got back there to look for it,
 it was gone. There's fisherman out there somewhere with about 25 great shots
 of the Champ and I bet he's pressing the delete button right now................

8-29 More info just arrived:
 
  
The English River is at LaFarge this morning, she appears to be partially
 unloaded at this point.
 
Charles D. Halvorsen

8-28  Got this report in today:
 
Just noticed a boat (red hull) at gateway. Can't read the name.
 
-Charles D. Halvorsen

  Story on the South Side Lighthouse:

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/423446.html

8-25 I forgot to mention the Jackson departed for Toledo at 10PM on the night
 of the 24th.

8-25 I got this in today:

  Brian, I saw the tug Karen A. Andrie and her barge A-387 heading southbound
 out of the Black Rock Canal and out onto the Lake at approximately 9:30 this
 morning, Aug. 25th.

  9-24 I got these reports in this afternoon: 

  At 3:30 pm the Karen Andrie is pushing her barge A-397 thru the North  
 Entrance heading for the Black Rock Canal.

 The Grande Mariner just came in the North Entrance and is docked at the Erie
 Basin.  I was sailing in and had to change my course due to his course and
 fast speed. -Paul

8-23 The Herbert C Jackson should be here overnight or by tomorrow morning for
 the ADM Standard Elevator.

08-20 Everybody and their brother (except for me) spotted the American
 Fortitude at General Mills and the H. Lee. White at the Gateway Metroport
 today. Thanks to everyone for the excellent reports.

  I posted some nice shots of Edward L Ryerson from the ditch yesterday: 

 http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs/newsthumbs_681.htm

8-16 The large private yacht ITASCA was tied up at the Visiting Ship’s Dock
 near the Erie Basin on the morning of the 16th having just arrived from the
 Port Dalhousie anchorage.  At first glance she looks to be a similar size and
 shape to an off shore supply vessel or a large fishing boat. 
  The Outer Harbor Greenway Trail opened to the public for the first time
 during mid-August. The bike and walking path starts near the seaway Piers and
 ends at the Port Terminal as it meanders along the waterfront. The property
 required a year long clean up of waste and debris to complete the
 transformation from an industrial brownfield to a useable space. 

8-14 I noticed a derrick barge tied up at the Army Corps of Engineer's disposal
 pond in Lackawanna on the afternoon of the 13th. I'm guessing that Leutdke is
 starting to bring in their dredge equipment and they may be starting to work
 in the river soon.
  The Lake & Rail Elevator construction work seems to be continuing with the
 recent addition of dust abatement equipment along the dock.  

  The new Summer '08 issue of Western New York Heritage magazine has a few nice
 air photos showing rare pics of the Erie Canal in Tonawanda and the Buffalo
 River with lots of boats, industry & lift bridges.

8-10 The English River departed around 3PM.

 8-9 The English River arrived at 10PM on the 9th and was towed up the crick
 stern first for LaFarge Cement, breaking a two week Summer Slump. 

  The link below is regarding a barge wreck on the Niagara River wayyyyy back in 1918.

  Lots of people have asked me about this over the years, and finally there's a
 on-line story to answer the questions of how it came to be.

http://www.buffalonews.com/102/story/409736.html

  8-9 The Summer Slump appears to be on as I have not heard a boat on the radio
 in 2 weeks around here........

7-29 The Barbara Andrie-A-390 tug-barge made a rare appearance in Tonawanda
 around 8PM yesterday the 28th. The G-tug Washington was down at the Noco Pier
 waiting to pic her up for a tow to the Black Rock Lock at 7PM this evening. 

7-26 The Rebecca Lynn came through the N Entrance around 5pm on the 24th   
 heading towards the Black Rock Canal. She departed at 8:25am on the 26th
  pushing her barge. -Paul

  Charles H spotted the Adam E Cornelius unloading stone at the Gateway
 Metroport on the afternoon of the 26th. 

7-18 English River is at Lafarge this morning. -Charles H.

  Last night around 11:30 I noticed what turned out to be the English  
 River slowly heading toward the Buffalo River. I determined that it  
 mwas backing in, but not easily due to darkness and the trees that were  
 in the way. I eventually was able to spot one of the tugs pulling her  
 but only after I saw, for only the first time in my 7 summers on the  
 Basin, the ship come to a complete stop and reverse her way back out!!  
 Obviously she determined that her course was off line. I could notice  
 the angle change taking place and then she was pulled in. -Paul

7-15 The Grande Mariner is back on the inside wall of the basin.


7-14 I got these reports today:


  The Karen Andrie /A397 departed the North Entrance at 7am. She is still  
 in the push mode out in the lake. -Paul

  Brian, I spotted a blue tug and  barge combo at Noco today. From a distance
 it looked like the Karen Andrie,but i could not be possitive. -Dave R

7-13 Paul says the American Fortitude left around 11:30PM on the 12th.


  For some reason that didn't work, try this:
 
  http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/390375.html

7-13 The Fortitude was still unloading and down by the stern at 8PM on the
 night of the 12th.

  There's a change of command coming up for the Coast Guard Base:

  http://buffalo.planetdiscover.com/sp?keywords=change+of+command&aff=

7-12 I heard the American Fortitude give a security call at about 20:30 on the
 11th, inbound Buffalo, up the creek to unload at General Mills.
 I could see her unloading boom from the 190 as I drove past at about
23:00.  -Andy

 
  Last evening around 6:30 I was crossing the Peace Bridge and looking  
 to the north and saw what looked like a big orange whale in the Niagara
   River.  -Paul

  (Sounds like the William J Moore-McCleary's Spirit on her way out.) -BW

  Just some further thoughts on the tug-barge to Noco today:

  The Canadian tug-barge combination WILLIAM J MOORE - McCLEARY’s SPIRIT  was
 on her way down the Black Rock Canal to the Noco Product Terminal at 9:30AM.
 The angular lines and bright orange paint job of the two vessels make them
 really noticeable, even from a distance. The pair make a combo that is roughly
 400 feet long giving them the status of being the largest seen in the Black
 Rock Canal-Tonawanda Channel since the Huntley Plant stopped getting coal by
 laker a few years ago. As far as I know they were the first Canadian
 commercial traffic to Tonawanda in a long time. I believe this was also the
 first time that a tug-barge with the Bludworth Articulation System was in the
 Niagara River. -BW

-10 I got these reports in today, as far as I know it's the first time for the
 Moore-Spirit tug barge. 

Brian,

At ~9:30 a.m. this morning, the K-Sea Canada Corp's barge McCleary's Spirit
 entered the inner harbor. She was being pushed along by her escort tug,
 William J. Moore.

The tug & barged passed us by at the Erie Basin Marina and continued down the canal.

http://www.wellandcanal.ca/shiparc/tugbarge/moorespirit/spirit.htm

Have a good day,

-Ken

  Brian, At 3:30 this afternoon i saw the tug William j Moore and barge
 McClearys Spirit at NOCO. -Matt

  A boat (red hull) is unloading stone at Gateway. It came in late this morning.

-Charles

7-9  Today's Buffalo News had a small article about the dredging of the Buffalo
 River. It states that Luedtke Engineering got the contract for $742,000 and
 that they are supposed to start in mid-August. 

7-8 The Karen Andrie was Eastbound on the lake for Buffalo and passing Long
 Point at 11:30PM on the night of the 8th.

 I forgot to mention the Alpena was headed out of Buffalo on the 7th for Bath,
 Ontario, to load again for Cleveland.

7-7 My sources report the Alpena arriving at 9:30AM this morning for the
 LaFarge dock. I was able to hustle down there and catch her departing tonight
 between 6 & 7PM. The captain told the tug Washington's captain that the only
 reason they were here on this rare trip was because of engine trouble on the
 tug-barge Samuel D Champlain-Innovation.

Correction: The English River arrived around 7PM on the evening of July 5th.
 She departed at 5PM on the 6th. 

7-6 Ken from Detroit states the Alpena is on her way to the Buff. By my
 calculations she should arrived here sometime around 7 to 8 AM on the morning
 of the 7th. A rare trip indeed, and she never hangs out for long. Probably
 going to discharge a partial load of mortar and get out of town quickie
 style. -BW

7-6 I pieced this together from about 10 different boat siting reports for my
 sources and myself:

  The English River arrived around 7PM on the evening of July 6th. She departed
 at 5PM on the 7th.

  The Maumee arrived for the Sand Supply Landing at 2:30 PM on the 5th. She
 departed at 6:15 AM on the 6th.

  The Karen Andrie - A-397 tug-barge arrived at 3PM on the 4th.  She was
 upbound in the Tonawanda Channel at 5PM on the 5th and clear of the harbor by 7PM. 

7-5 The Maumee was due with sand for the City Ship Canal this morning.


7-3 The John J Boland just gave a security call for the Gateway Metroport. He's
 heading past the Traffic Buoy at 6:05 PM and should be here within the hour. 


7-2 The Buffalo News reported a (somewhat) funny story today. It told the tale
 of a wannabe stunt driver. In a scene right out of the movie “The Blues
 Brothers” a St. Catharine’s, Ont. driver named Phil Boucher decided to try and
 jump the Homer Lift Bridge over the Welland Canal on July 1st. After crashing
 through the warning gates and accelerating up the Eastbound side of the bridge
 he made it about half way across the lift span while it was being raised for a
 passing ship. At that point he must have lost his nerve and backed off the
 pedal because his car then came to a stop as he bailed out onto the bridge.
 The vehicle then rolled backwards and fell off the bottom end of the span into
 the canal below. Mr. Boucher was then charged with dangerous operation of a
 motor vehicle after the police found him to be uncooperative. Shipping traffic
 was then tied up for hours due to the accident. Best to leave the stunt
 driving to Jake and Elwood next time. -BW

7-1 Charley & Paul both said they saw the Halifax & the Capt. Henry Jackson
 tied up in the Lackawanna Ship Canal this morning. Paul spotted the C.H.J.
 departing Westbound on the lake around 11:00AM. When I drove by at 8PM the
 Halifax was still there, taking on coal.

6-30 The English River departed  LaFarge at 10PM.

6-29 The English River came into Buffalo 11pm on Sunday June 29.

Here's the missing link for the DL&W Terminal article:

  http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/378690.html

6-27 I got this from Paul today:

      The Grande Mariner is coming into port at 7:15am.

Interesting article on the Lake & Rail:

  http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/379659.html

  The August issue of Trains Magazine has a nice map of the Buffalo area from
 1942 showing the relationship between the railroads and the Buffalo waterfront.

  There was more talk in the local news media during late June regarding the
 possible reuse of the upper floor train shed of the DL&W Terminal along the
 Buffalo River. Reports indicate an interest between the NFTA and the Erie
 Canal Harbor Development Agency to locate several museums and art galleries
 there. The building was built in 1917 as the city’s one and only true “Multi-
 mode” transportation center with marine, rail, streetcar, bus, and walk in
 service. The NFTA maintains their fleet of subway trains on the lower floor
 but the upper level trainshed is empty and sealed up. The original passenger
 platforms remain in place with a long open area separated only by the columns
 that hold up the roof. This building was the only one of Buffalo’s three large
 rail terminals that had trains arrive and depart from the upper level.
 Passenger ships once docked alongside this section of the structure for lake
 service. The original passenger station was torn down in 1980 to make room for
 the electrical lines and interlocking plant of the new Buffalo Metrorail
 system coming into the building from Main St. 

  See link below for the story:

6-26 I got this from Paul regarding the AEC on the 25th of June:

  At 5:15pm the AEC backed out the Crick, pivoted her stern into the
  
outer harbor, brought the bow around and departed.

Dan's B-17 air pics including a boat at the Gateway Metroport in sunny LA:

http://www.railfan.net/railpix/submit/dansyrcher/B-17/

6-24 I heard the Adam E Cornelius give a Security Call while inbound for
 General Mills last night at about 10PM. Paul & Dan saw her there this morning
 & afternoon (24th). 
 
  Jeff says the mystery boat from Gateway (as seen in Dan's B-17 pics) was the
 Rt. Hon. Paul J Martin taking on coal for a trip down the ditch to the Hammer. 

6-22 The Karen Andrie is just now coming thru the North Entrance pulling  
 the A-397. She is turning to go into the outer harbor where she will  
 go to the push mode. The Lake is full of whitecaps; probably too rough  
 to make the switch on the "outside".

My daughter tells me that a ship left Gateway last night around 9pm.-Paul


Here's an interesting article about a proposal for a Pet-Coke Gasification
 plant on the Lackawanna Canal:

  http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/southernsuburbs/story/371290.html

Kevin had this report today:

    The ENGLISH RIVER was towed stern first up to the LaFarge plant on Ganson
 St. at 3:30 PM on the 15th. 

  Tom confirmed the Calumet with stone on the 13th, & also mentioned that she
 was in once back in May, making this her 2nd appearance since being re-named.


6-15 The Calumet was probably the boat from the Gateway Metroport on Friday due
 to the fact that there's a fresh pile of stone that looked to be just about
 her size on the North-East end of their dock and I couldn't think of another
 spot that she might have unloaded at since the sand piles off Furhmann Blvd.
 still look pretty low at this time.
  On a related note, we're just about overdue to get a sand cargo for that
 spot. There should be a load coming in at any time. 

6-13 I heard the M/V Calumet give a security call while departing Buffalo at
 about 6:15PM this evening. I'm not sure if this was the mystery boat from
 Lackawanna or not, but as far as I know, this would have been her first trip
 to the Buffalo area with her new name.


6-13 There was an unknown black hulled freighter at the Gateway Metroport in
 Lackawanna this morning/afternoon.


  Here's more info on the Lake & Rail:

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2008/06/09/daily32.html?page=1

  I almost fell off the couch when I read this one:

  ‘Lake & Rail’ grain elevator purchased by Minnesota firm : Business : The Buffalo News 

or: 

http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/369129.html

-BW

5-28 The Karen Andrie was seen departing Buffalo Harbor with her barge behind
 her on the wire this evening. She arrived around 10PM on the 27th.

  Matt spotted the Adam E Cornelius at the Gateway Metroport on the 27th with
 stone out of Calcite. 

5-23 The English River came through the North Entrance at 6:45 am, pivoted  
 around with the assistance of the Washington and went stern-first up  
 the Crick. I think she spent the night on the hook near the turning  
 buoy. I don't know when she arrived, but the Grande Mariner is docked in the  
 Basin, just down from the gas pumps. -Paul

5-22 5-22 Hon. Paul Martin came into the Metroport again today around 1:30-
 2:00 - I think she came from the Welland Canal after delivering coal in
 Hamilton.  Paul Martin departed on the afternoon of 5-23. -Matt

5-20 Paul spotted the Adam E Cornelius at the General Mills Docks around 1AM this morning. 

Matt Says I missed about 2 trips of the English River to Lafarge and an
 American steamship delivery to Gateway in Lackawanna last week.

-BW

5-19, Well, now I'm not so sure of anything. Paul just told me he saw a boat at
 Gateway last week and now I just heard the Rt. Hon. Paul J Martin give a
 security call for Lackawanna. I'm not sure if this was what I heard earlier on
 the radio, or if the Cornelius is also coming in. It's very confusal.

5-19 What I *think* may be the 1st boat in Buffalo in two weeks may be on her
 way in soon. I heard the Seaway Dispatcher talking to someone this afternoon
 around 6PM and  I'm pretty sure he said the Adam E Cornelius was on her way
 through Long Point for Buffalo. 


5-5 Two of my guys on the scene spotted the Adam E Cornelius backing down the
 crick from General Mills late this morning. 

5-2 Dave R spotted the English River unloading at the LaFarge plant this morning.

5-1 Ken reports the Samuel D Champlain-Innovation arriving for LaFarge Cement
 this morning around 10AM. This would be the Champ's 3rd trip to Buffalo so far.

  Angie from Detroit states that the H. Lee White was my mystery boat from last
 night in Lackawanna.

4-30 I heard a boat give a Security Call heading into the Gateway Terminal in
 Lackawanna at 6PM this evening and now Charlie has spotted the Pine Glenn on
 the Seaway Tracking page showing that she's off Buffalo. The odd thing is that
 the map shows the Pine Glenn off the North Entrance, not the South Entrance.
 Does anyone know what's going on out there? 

4-25 The Adam E Cornelius was unloading at the General Mills Frontier Elevator
 at 9AM this morning. It looked as if she had just arrived since the radars
 were still turning when I got there. This is the 1st boatload of grain through
 the Port Of Buffalo for the year.

  The Lansdowne was towed from the Cargil Pool Elevator Pier on the Outer
 Harbor to some unseen location off the ISG Steel (Bethlehem) Plant on Thursday
 the 24th. There was a nice shot of the G-tug Washington taking her through the
 Outer Harbor on the picture page of the Buffalo News on the 25th. I couldn't
 see her moored anywhere near the South Entrance so I'd have to guess they took
 her around the lake side of the slag piles there and beached her for
 scrapping, but I'm not sure. 

4 harbor related articles from the snews:

  Erie Canal Development http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/330569.html

  Black Rock Canal & Times Beach:
 http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/330571.html

    Peace Bridge :
  http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/330567.html

       Ethanol Plant: http://www.buffalonews.com/businesstoday/businessfinance/story/330599.html

The last cruise of the Lansdowne:

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/328953.html

  Charlie straightened me out on something from yesterday. He recalled the
 Charles West being scrapped here at Advanced Metal. This is now the location
 of Gerardo Amer-steel, located at the old Delwood Elevator dock between Cargil
 Superior and Marine 'A' on the Buffalo River. I wish I had a shot of that ! 


4-20 I noticed a large amount of construction equipment all over the Buffalo
 Harbor area on the morning of the 20th. Crews are starting to move earth on
 the Rt. 5 relocation project, along with new sewer lines near the St. Lawrence
 Cement Plant, and there's also major work going on around the Union Ship Canal.
 Like they say, there's two seasons in Buffalo, Winter, and Construction Season. 

  The new $53 million Erie Canal Harbor development is due to open to the
 public soon. This area will feature a restored Commercial Slip, Central Wharf,
 and Naval Park. Negotiations are currently underway between the city and the
 Buffalo Place organization over who will operate and maintain the attractions there.  

 4-18 I forgot to mention that I heard the New York State Power authority tug
 Breaker on Friday the 18th working log string sections of the Niagara River
 Ice Boom that afternoon. She was towing them back from the boom installation
 area to the NYSPA pier on the Outer Harbor. Negotiations on relocating the
 storage site for the boom somewhere else have been canceled for the time being
 so it has to go back to it's original location at this time. 

  I cannot think of another vessel scrapped here in Buffalo in my time so I’m
 guessing the last one must have been back in the days of some of the old
 shipyards around town, more than likely over 50 years ago. LANSDOWNE is
 probably the only paddle wheel steamer to be worked on in Buffalo since the
 C&B steamers GREATER BUFFALO and SEEANDBEE were converted to Navy aircraft
 carriers at the old City (Seaway) Piers back in WWII by Buffalo Dry Dock Co. 

4-18 The Canadian Coast Guard Ice Breaker Griffon arrived off Buffalo Harbor
 around 10AM on the morning of April 18th. She proceeded inbound for the South
 Entrance Channel and cut a track through the ice in anticipation of the
 arrival of the Rt. Hon. Paul J Martin that afternoon. The Griffon poked her
 nose inside the Outer Harbor so that the Captain could assess the ice
 situation in the reach between the South Entrance and the Lackawanna Slip.
 Once satisfied, he turned the ship around and headed back out through the
 track he made on the way in so as to flush a clear path for the Martin. The
 Griffon then called in to Seaway Long Point to inform the dispatcher that they
 were done working in the ice off Buffalo and that they were heading to Port
 Colburne to pick up bouys. 
  The Martin then arrived around 3PM and came straight through the cut made
 earlier by the ice breaker. The ship then turned on the left wheel to face up
 the Outer Harbor and then she came to a stop off the St. Lawrence Cement
 Plant. The Martin then backed her engines and she headed into the Lackawanna
 Slip stern first to unload coal.

4-17 Charlie states the Paul J Martin is on her way downbound with coal for
 Lackawanna and will probably be the first boat of the year. The Cornelius is
 now due to load grain on the 18th. 

4-15 Charlie says that the Cornelius is bumped back to the 17th to load grain
 for Buffalo now.

  The Niagara River Ice Boom is now being removed by the New York State Power
 Authority tugs & barges. 

  Looks like the loading of the Cornelius with grain for Buffalo has been
 delayed until the 15th of April.

4-7 Charley may have spotted the first boat of the year so far. He sees the
 Cornelius on a list to load wheat for Buffalo on the 8th in Big D. 

4-4 Major construction work was underway on the property surrounding the Union
 Ship Canal during early April. Excavating equipment was being used to remove
 the old building foundations at the North East end of the canal where Shenango
 Steel once stood. More digging and soil removal was taking place along the
 South side where the Hanna Furnace ore pit was located. A huge new structure
 was going in on the North East section of the property near the CSX railroad
 tracks while Ship Canal Parkway was being extended out to Tift St. 

 Here's story on the scrapping of the Landsdowne

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/314214.html

Interesting article about a little known ice breaker from the local area.
 
  http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/301240.html

2-29 The New York State Power Authority ice breaker, tug, and barge were
 buzzing around the North Entrance on the morning of the 2nd of February. At
 10AM I noticed their tug was out near the Niagara River Ice Boom with her
 crane barge. Around that time the breaker was running track maintenance
 through the ice between the boom area and the Buffalo River. They had made a
 nice clean cut down the center of the Entrance Channel from the old
 Connecting Terminal Elevator dock out to the Buffalo Intake Crib. 

2-3 I caught some TV video a day or two ago that showed what had happened to
 the Lansdowne. Apparently the high winds on Wednesday caused the boat to take
 on pretty substantial list to Port with the deck edge nearly touching the
 surface of the water. I do not know how it happened or what was done to right
 the ship afterward. 
 
  Here's an article on the city's recent interest in the vessel:
 
 http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/266477.html

2-1 1:12 PM I took a ride down to the waterfront to check on the status of the
 Landsdowne and see what was happening there. At 10 AM I saw no evidence of any
 sort of trouble (partially sunk?) as reported by Ch. 2 News so whatever they
 did yesterday to right the ship must have worked out OK. 

2-1 A New York State Power Authority icebreaker was due to open a track between
 Buffalo harbor and the Niagara River Ice Boom today.  Once the channel is cut
 the NYSPA will dispatch their tug-barge to begin working on the boom. After
 Tuesday morning's storm, seiche, and ice flow it was found that two separate
 sections of the boom had parted, requiring repair. Local TV news video of the
 aftermath and clean up from the South Buffalo area flooding was shocking to
 see. Clips from last night's broadcasts showed streets full of ice chunks and
 flopping fish on the pavement hundreds of feet from the river bank. 


01-30 Gale force winds caused massive problems in the Buffalo area on the night
 of the 29th-to-the-30th. High water levels on the East end of Lake Erie caused
 heavy pack ice to overrun the Niagara River Ice Boom and large flows were seen
 racing down the upper Niagara River. The Army Corps of Engineers were unable
 to determine the extent of the damage to the boom itself, since it remained
 partially submerged due to the large volume of ice passing over and high water
 levels. The Black Rock Canal became plugged with ice causing water to back up
 in Scajaquada Creek, flooding the viaduct under the CSX Niagara Branch bridge
 on Niagara St. The Buffalo River then jammed with ice and caused major
 flooding throughout the surrounding neighborhoods from the base of the Skyway
 Bridge all the way upstream to the Ohio St. Lift Bridge area of the old First Ward. 

1-27 Buffalo Harbor, all the connecting channels and even the lake outside the
 breakwall seem to be frozen over. The slips and canals all have plate ice
 covered by snow while the harbor and lake are a mixture of plate and windrows.
 There were no signs of any ship, tug, or ice breaker activity. 
 
  My son noticed that the Naval Park's aircraft displays have been moved out of
 the old parking lot and are now installed on pedestals on the grounds of the
 new facility. 
 
  Here's some interesting photos of the missile cruiser USS Little Rock when
 she was still in active service with the US Navy.
 
   First shot shows the ship fresh from the builder's yard in her as delivered
 condition with 6 inch and 5 inch gun armament.
 
http://www.usslittlerock.org/CL92%20Ship%20Photo%20File/CL92Venice.jpg
 
  The second shot shows the ship at sea under full steam after being converted
 to a missile cruiser & having just fired a couple of her Talos missiles. The
 burn marks from the missile booster's ignition can clearly be seen around the
 stern missile house and deck. The crew seems to be breaking out the fire hoses
 to wash down the stained paint. The missile firing turret has returned to
 loading position and the blast doors can be seen immediately behind the
 launcher on the sloped face of the lower missile house. For some reason her
 missile guidance radars are still raised up into the air, possibly tracking
 her birds on the way to an intercept (the Talos could fly out nearly 100 miles
 to hit a target)? 
 
  http://www.usslittlerock.org/SmlStorePics/BurnedFantail2.jpg
 

  Dan found an interesting article on the Steelwinds project in Lackawanna,
 even if it's full of corporate propaganda, it's still got good pics & info: 

  http://www.powermag.com/powerweb/archive_article.asp?a=52-CS_NY&y=2007&m=December

-BW

  There was an unknown Canada Steamship Lines vessel at Gateway Metroport in
 Lackawanna on the 11th of January. I could not get a confirmation on what ship
 she was but I’m guessing it was the MARTIN again just due to the fact that she
 had a similar appearance and that this particular vessel was still running on
 Lake Erie at that time. They seemed to be taking coal out of Lackawanna for
 Nanticoke, Ontario on a short shuttle run. I’m not sure why they were doing so
 this late into the season, especially with the problems that can be
 encountered in January with regards to icy waterways and frozen cargo. I do
 not remember a time in at least the last 20 years or so that anything was
 being transshipped or loaded out of the Buffalo area after December. Though
 this vessel traffic was highly unusual, due to a lucky break in the winter
 weather for a short time, it seemed like the sailing conditions were not all
 that different from what would normally be found during the Fall time period
 on the Lower Lakes. The boats in Lackawanna had more problems with frozen
 cargo than they did with frozen shipping channels. 

1-13 Does anyone know the name of the  boat at the Gateway Terminal on the 11th ? Let me know. WLBBLW at AOL dot COM  

-BW

1-5 The Paul Martin departed Gateway Metroport in Lackawanna at 7:30PM. 

 1-4  To satisfy my own curiosity I took a ride down to check out the Martin at
 Gateway this morning. At 10 AM she was docked stern first about half way down
 on the East pier face of the Bethlehem Slip with her unloading rig swung 90
 degrees over the Starboard side, raised high in the air between two fresh coal
 piles. Gateway's two portable loading rigs were positioned alongside with one
 amidships and the other up forward. The flood lights of the amidships loader
 were turned on and the ship was riding slightly high by the bow. It seemed to
 me that she must have had some sort of problem either unloading her cargo, or
 else the dock was having trouble reloading her at this time. There hasn't been
 a bulk carrier sitting in port for such a long amount of time waiting on cargo
 operations for a long while. Dimensional loads usually take a few days to
 handle but self unloaders are usually in and out of here in half the time
 that's passed so far since the Martin's arrival 4 days ago. 

  Surprisingly there was very little icing over of the harbor at this time.
 Only the City Ship Canal was frozen with the remainder of the channels of the
 Buffalo River, and Outer Harbor slips remaining ice free. 

1-4 The mystery boat at Lackawanna seems to have been the Paul Martin, but I'm
 getting some conflicting info on that. One report indicates that she arrived
 on 12-31, and another has her still there and unloading coal on 1-3, so it
 almost seems like they might have had some sort of trouble with the ship or
 with the cargo for her to be in port so long, unless they loaded her with coal
 for Nanticoke after she unloaded, which would fit their normal rotation
 pattern for Lackawanna, then that would explain why it was taking so long, but
 I'm guessing now.

-BW

1-3  I got e-mail today. Anyone know what boat that might have been? -BW

  A CSL vessel (red hull white superstructure) is backed into the Gateway terminal unloading what appears to be coal. Cannot read the name. 
 
-Charles H. 
 
4-27
USCG cutter BRAMBLE was backing out of the slip at the Buffalo Base after having spent the afternoon loading the summer buoys. 
They then headed out the North Entrance to start pulling the winter markers outside the breakwall off Buffalo.
The tug RUBY with her scow was out at the Disposal Pond in Lackawanna. The Jo Ann was seen at the 
Naval Park Basin with a crane barge. The mooring dolphins (pilings) are place and the inner fenders are ready. 
Once they finish blasting and dredging the CROAKER & SULLIVANS will be moved.

The McKEE SONS was in on Wednesday with sand for the Buffalo Ship Canal. 

4-23
Spruceglen give a security call for clearing Port Colburn Piers around 3PM this afternoon

4-22
The Jackson came in with one tug on the bow at 9:PM tonight. She will unload at the ADM Standard Elevator overnight and possibly depart around Noon on Wednesday.

4-21
The ENGLISH RIVER was seen unloading at the LaFarge plant on the evening of the 21st.

4-20
The Anderson was the first boat into Lackawanna for the 2,003 season. She came in on the morning of the 20th and departed at about 3:30 PM. 







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