Great Lakes paddler voyage report

[AlistairD]

The following was posted on the Marhst-L group:
On a day about this time of year roughly six decades ago (1944 seemingly
the most likely date, although 1943, 1946, or 1947 cannot be ruled out) my
parents and I set out from our Chicago home on the immense journey to my
grandmother's house in far-off, exotic Buffalo. In early morning we drove
south across Chicago, along the shores of Lake Michigan. Mists rising from
the lake and the streams and canals we had to cross lent a romantic cast to
the otherwise rather stark landscape.

Finally, after driving forever, we reached our destination in (as I recall)
East Chicago. There we boarded a train. Quite an ordinary train with an
ordinary steam locomotive, not a streamliner to my disappointment. Another
long journey ensued. No doubt I made sure that it seemed as tedious to my
parents as it was for me.

By afternoon we had reached Detroit, a profoundly uninteresting place so
far as I was concerned. But then! We found our way to the docks and boarded
a great and wonderful vessel. This was a lakeboat, a paddlewheel steamer.
Impatient and expectant waiting ended with the excitement of getting underway.

Time, which theretofore had passed so slowly, suddenly accelerated to a
breakneck pace. My huge and powerful father, who had worked summers on the
Lakes while in college, took me up on deck and we looked out over Lake Erie
at the ore boats and other craft. It was a vast, glorious panorama, all
bathed in the golden light of a clear summer afternoon. I was awestruck.

Other wonders followed. The huge paddlewheel, thrashing with limitless
vigor to propel us up Lake. The powerful engine, viewed through a window
thoughtfully set in the side of the engine room. Dinner in the gathering
darkness, the navigation lights of other craft glowing through the salon
windows. Finally, rather reluctantly, to sleep in our stateroom's upper berth.

By the time I arose we had reached Buffalo. It was with some regret that I
watched the docking process, sad to be ending this most exciting of
journeys. Meeting my grandmother and spending time with her in Buffalo
were, I fear, quite anticlimactic. And when it came time to return I was
outraged and bitterly disappointed to learn that we would be proceeding
entirely by rail. Even the discovery that this time it was to be by
streamliner did little to mollify me.

All of this, I suspect, must have come toward the very end of Lake
passenger traffic. No doubt my father, sensing this, wanted for me a taste
of what he had known, for his summer work had included serving as a steward
about such craft (in addition to serving as a deckhand on ore boats). My
passion for the water was already quite manifest -- I have several books he
and others had bought me about such matters well before that. I wonder,
however, if he could have known quite how powerful the magic of this voyage
would be for me, one of the most treasured experiences of my childhood.

I wonder whether anyone has any idea how many Lake passenger steamers there
were at that point, and could hazard a guess about the one on which we
sailed. Why paddles? To ease maneuvering into and out of slips? Was that
usual for such packets? How long did this trade persist?

I dreamt of this last night, prompting the post.

Will O'Neil

The steamer was CITY OF DETROIT III of 1912

[towboatjoe]

Here's some info on the City of Detroit III...
CITY OF DETROIT III was steel-hulled passenger side wheeler, built in 1912 for the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Company by the Detroit Shipbuilding Company, Wyandotte, Michigan. Designed by Frank E. Kirby. Launched on October 7, 1911. 455.8' x 55.5' width x depth 22.5'; 6,061 GRT. This vessel was the most beautiful of all the ships in the D & C fleet. Her parlors, 21 in all, were exquisitely furnished and the 477 staterooms were fitted out with the latest equipment. For close to 40 years, this ship sailed between Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. The ship lay idle in 1950 as the company had gone out of business. In 1956, the vessel was sold for scrap. During the winter of 1956 – 57, she was dismantled by the Union Wrecking Company at Detroit. The upper works were stripped and the hull scrapped at Hamilton, Ontario, by the Steel Company of Canada

And here's a link wit hsome more info and a couple of photos
http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=15&category=business

http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=34&category=government

[Waverley]

Hi all

Threads like this can be great fun - an invitation to go exploring in google and see what you find.  

There are some nice photos here

http://www.mhsd.org/passenger/default.htm

They can be expanded to full screen size and there is a potted history of each vessel - looks like the origin of TowboatJoe's text.

And there is, inevitably, a discrepancy. CITY OF DETROIT III is described as laid up in 1950 as her owners the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company had gone out of business - yet CITY OF CLEVELAND of the same company, is reported to have been in collision while carrying passengers in June, 1950 and immediately withdrawn. Did this accident cause the company to give up, I wonder?


I also possess a copy of the "Official guide of the Railways and steam navigation lines of the US (thanks ebay!) for December 1950.   This includes a full page for the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company detailing the company's summer timetable. Why sailings for June - September 1950 appeared in the December timetable is a question better not asked, but it would appear that the company's demise was sudden.

The advertised services were

Detroit - Cleveland: Overnight sailing, 8 hours 30 min, every second night in each direction.

Detroit - Buffalo. Overnight sailing 16 hours every night

Chicago (dep Wednesday) - Buffalo (dep Sunday) via Mackinac Island, Detroit and Cleveland.

Detroit (dep Saturday arrive back Monday morning) - Mackinac Island

Plus excursions from Detroit and Cleveland to Put-In-Bay.

Unlike other Great Lakes operators, all this company's ships were paddle steamers - and rather impressive they look.

Regards

David Milne

[Waverley]

Hi all

I've added this info to another thread as well, but while trying to find stuff on CITY OF DETROIT, I noticed that her owners the Detroit and Cleveland navigation Co  had also owned GREATER BUFFALO which became the aircraft carrier SABLE in World War 2 and was described some months ago in another thread, and GREATER DETROIT.

http://www.acbs-bslol.com/Porthole/PaddleWheeler.htm

These are described in the link as "the largest true paddlers ever built".

What does that mean?



Regards

David

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi all

I've added this info to another thread as well, but while trying to find stuff on CITY OF DETROIT,

These are described in the link as "the largest true paddlers ever built".

What does that mean?



Regards David

David - my guess here  - "true" implies the literal or original & the originals [in this case] were naturally steam boilers, steam engines & real rotating paddle wheels & real people

Over the years we have seen examples of HUGE floating vessels built with various types of cosmetic paddles,  however some display

1) free rotating paddles as the vessels have propellers & bow thrusters, stern and mid ship thrusters [& all computer controlled!!!!]
2) are co diesel/genertator sets then to hydrostatic hydraulic drives for wheel rotation

We have an example here in OZ of the Murray Princess - an American style 1700g tonne stern wheeler  with diesel/hydraulic drive - the stern wheel does propel the vessel & she looks superb in motion

The older "Greater Detroit" probably would have required some 10>15 boiler/engine room souls to manage the machinery - the newer style Murray Princess or any like her one or two persons on board at the most

I am not suggesting for one moment that the latter is best & in a perfect world I know I would rather have spend 8 hours in the engine room of "Greater Detroit" than ten minutes at the propulsation system computer controlled console of modern day example like our Murray Princess

Some may question my use of the word "HUGE", however it is intended to imply [greater is size] than "largest" - it is now Saturday afternoon our land of OZ so I may just enjoy one or two - Derek

[Waverley]

Hi Derek - enjoy the beers - thanks to the time difference, I will be starting my regular Saturday imbibing in just a couple of hours.

Reason for last post was my vague suspicion of much that I read on the net - especially claims for the "mostest".  I think this is actually a veiled reference to Brunel's GREAT EASTERN.

GREATER DETROIT - length 519 feet - displacement tonnage 6546.

A bit more about her here - (memo to self - have  a deeper look at this site - there may be much more of interest)

http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/ships/html/sh_040900_greaterbuffa.htm

GREAT EASTERN - length 680 feet - displacement tonnage 18915

Figures extracted from this brief link here which leads to more comprehensive pages

http://www.red-duster.co.uk/DYK2.htm

Now, I have always thought of GREAT EASTERN as a paddler (those sponsons on the side are a bit of a giveaway ) although I am aware that she was also fitted with sails and a propeller.  Perhaps this disqualifies her from being a "true" paddler.

However, I cannot find any other paddlers larger than GREATER BUFFALO and GREATER DETROIT - they were certainly significantly larger than any of the Cunard or other transatlantic paddle steamers.

Beer time getting closer

Regards to all

David Milne

[rjenkins]

I'm sure that's exactly what was meant by "true paddlers" - that they were propelled by paddlewheels only, unlike the Great Eastern which will always be rememebred as the largest paddle steamer ever built, but also carried sails and a screw propeller.  In theory, she could just as well be described as the "largest sailing ship ever built", or by today's standards, a "medium-sized screw steamer"!  She had 3400hp on the paddles, and 4900 hp on the screw, so although the paddles were certainly more visible, it seems the screw actually did more of the work.  By comparison, Greater Detroit and Greater Buffalo had 10,000hp each.  Still, there was nothing "fake" about the Great Eastern's paddlewheels, so I think "the largest pure paddlers" would probably be a better way to describe the Greater Buffalo and Greater Detroit.

Richard Jenkins