by Guest » January 11, 2022, 5:04 pm
The Edmund Fitzgerald's normal route was Silver Bay to Toledo, so since she unloaded at the Lakefront ore docks which were right next to the coal docks, it made sense for her to be coal fired.
The John Sherwin normally loaded at Taconite Harbor for ports such as South Chicago, Cleveland, Ashtabula, etc. But Pickands and Mather had a coal refueling dock at Lime Island (ironically the same dock she's been at since 2009). So for her to be coal fired, and don't forget that the Herbert C. Jackson was originally coal fired, too, so it made sense for those two vessels to use coal.
Coal eventually fell out of favour in the early '70s due to the coal strike of 1971 that went on for a prolonged period, and increased costs. So conversion's in 1971-72 and 1972-73 to oil fired was the result.
- Brian
The Edmund Fitzgerald's normal route was Silver Bay to Toledo, so since she unloaded at the Lakefront ore docks which were right next to the coal docks, it made sense for her to be coal fired.
The John Sherwin normally loaded at Taconite Harbor for ports such as South Chicago, Cleveland, Ashtabula, etc. But Pickands and Mather had a coal refueling dock at Lime Island (ironically the same dock she's been at since 2009). So for her to be coal fired, and don't forget that the Herbert C. Jackson was originally coal fired, too, so it made sense for those two vessels to use coal.
Coal eventually fell out of favour in the early '70s due to the coal strike of 1971 that went on for a prolonged period, and increased costs. So conversion's in 1971-72 and 1972-73 to oil fired was the result.
- Brian