Historical Perspective

[Ken Niemi]

Thank you for posting the earlier slide, it will also be added to my collection. I've attached a photo of one of her name boards that I have on display. It would have been removed before the J.L became the second Sidney E. Smith, Jr. and just months before the collision. One of her lifeboat oars that floated free and was found several miles down the St. Clair River is displayed below the name boards.

[Guest]

Thank you for posting that great slide. I hope you don't mind that I down-loaded it onto my computer. Was someone in your family involved with the Reiss Steamship Company? My father-in-law, Alvern Dishnow, served as 1st Mate on the J.L. in 1958 with Capt. Lewis Messenger. I imagine Capt. Messenger was still on her when this slide was taken.

Ken Niemi, Reiss Recollections Maritime Museum, Port Huron
[email protected]

My family had no connection to the Reiss Steamship Company, this was just one the slides that has been in my collection since I was growing up during the 1980s. It came from a uncle that traveled quite a bit in Michigan during the 1950s and early 1960s. I added a second shot taking slightly earlier with the J. L. Reiss just before being raised in the lock.

[Reiss Recollections]

Thank you for posting that great slide. I hope you don't mind that I down-loaded it onto my computer. Was someone in your family involved with the Reiss Steamship Company? My father-in-law, Alvern Dishnow, served as 1st Mate on the J.L. in 1958 with Capt. Lewis Messenger. I imagine Capt. Messenger was still on her when this slide was taken.

Ken Niemi, Reiss Recollections Maritime Museum, Port Huron
[email protected]

[Guest]

Haven't seen nothing posted on this thread in a while so I though I would post a scan of a slide that has been in my family for over 50 years. This is a slide of the J. L. Reiss upbound in the MacArthur Lock. The slide is dated 1960. This would be 12 years before it was sunk in the St. Clair River near the Blue Water Bridge as the Sidney E. Smith Jr. in June of 1972.

[Jon Paul]

Spring Breakout - Part 2

All photos taken by LTCMDR Brent Michaels (Chief on Boatnerd threads) in Whitefish Bay and Upper St. Mary's River during seasons '93 and '94 while he was EO on the USCGC Mackinaw WAGB-83

[garbear]

Can't speak for the Anderson and Callaway, but the Clarke had the brake wheel mounted on the windlass. Nothing on the deck like the Armco. I would just assume the Anderson and Callaway had the same set-up as the Clarke.

[Jon Paul]

Older boats generally had the brake wheel mounted right on the windlass itself only. The windlass room was located on the spar deck. As an AB Watchman my job was to loosen the brake allowing the anchor to release. Links of the chain were painted to signify the Shots(15 fathoms) of chain, Red = 1 shot, White = 2 shots, Blue = 3 shots. When the correct amount of Shot came over the windlass and went out the hawsepipe the brake was applied.
Many of the newer boats had the brake controls on the Forecastle deck above the windlass room also.
I manned the forward windlass several times. The anchor chain was always rusty so it filled the windlass room with a cloud of red dust and the sound was deafening.

[geysir]

Highly likely that those are the brakes. The pole goes down into the windlass room where another set of wheels are mounted on the pole. You can release the brake from on the bow or in the windlass room. Usually you release the brakes from inside where you can truly experience the noise and dust!

On the Armco I dropped the rear anchor but not the bow anchors. The Armco would drop the rear anchor as a pivot point to help make the 90-degree turn into the dock at Ashtabula (I believe it was Ashtabula?).

[Guest]

Brakes for the anchor windlass maybe?

[Jon Paul]

Any Armco veterans out there who can tell us what those two valve wheels in front of the forward cabin were used for?

My best guess would be port and starboard brake controls for the anchor windlasses.

[Guest]

Any Armco veterans out there who can tell us what those two valve wheels in front of the forward cabin were used for?

[Al]

Last spring sailing pic: Armco departing Duluth on April 17, 1974

[Al]

A few more photos of spring sailing, if everyone's up for it. These are likely from April 16 or 17, 1937, when the Chief Wawatam was breaking ice in northern Lake Michigan to assist several Pittsburgh boats and a few others, including the Col. James Schoonmaker. These are scans of pretty small photo prints, so the quality is reduced.

[Darryl]

Time to fit out the Hulst!

Neat letter. It recalls a different era in Great Lakes shipping! It reminds me a little of the official Letter of Commitment that was required by the young sailor-want-to-be that was necessary to apply for the Merchant Marine Card. This also was from the desk of a company official (or a captain.)

[Al]

Peter A.B. Widener departing Duluth.

[Al]

Capt. J. M. Regan of Detroit watches the loading of his boat with taconite sinter.

[Al]

Time to fit out the Hulst!

[garbear]

What are all the shacks in the background along the water's egde? (Where the parking lot is now.) Ice fishing house? Resort cabins? Or did people actually live along there back in 1952?

A few of those were still standing in the early '80s when I moved to Duluth. My understanding was that those were boathouses or fish houses local commercial fishermen.

Maybe some Two Harbors natives who read this post will have a better notion.

My ex and her family are from Two Harbors and I was told they were boathouses and fish houses. Remember seeing them when I went into TH on the Clarke in the 70's.

[Al]

What are all the shacks in the background along the water's egde? (Where the parking lot is now.) Ice fishing house? Resort cabins? Or did people actually live along there back in 1952?

A few of those were still standing in the early '80s when I moved to Duluth. My understanding was that those were boathouses or fish houses local commercial fishermen.

Maybe some Two Harbors natives who read this post will have a better notion.

[Guest]

What are all the shacks in the background along the water's egde? (Where the parking lot is now.) Ice fishing house? Resort cabins? Or did people actually live along there back in 1952?