Last coal fired ship built for the US lake fleet?

[Jon Paul]

When I was on the Samuel Mather in '75 we took on bunker coal at the PM Detour coal dock.

[badger]

in sept 1972 i saw the coalfired ss herbert c. jackson, straigh decker, unloading coal for the power plant at taconite harbor using the single clam bucket

[garbear]

I believe the Edmund Fitzgerald and John Sherwin were among the last coal-fired ships built for the US lake fleet in 1958. I not trying to get into how and why the Fitzgerald sank. However, I was wondering as to why these ships were built as such when other similar ships built earlier in the 1950s were oil-fired? Did this have anything to do with construction costs or intended trading patterns?

I forgot to mention Pickands Mather was the owner of Interlake Steamship and PM also was in the coal mining business.

[garbear]

I believe the Edmund Fitzgerald and John Sherwin were among the last coal-fired ships built for the US lake fleet in 1958. I not trying to get into how and why the Fitzgerald sank. However, I was wondering as to why these ships were built as such when other similar ships built earlier in the 1950s were oil-fired? Did this have anything to do with construction costs or intended trading patterns?

The Herbert C. Jackson was also coal-fired.

[Guest]

I believe the Edmund Fitzgerald and John Sherwin were among the last coal-fired ships built for the US lake fleet in 1958. I not trying to get into how and why the Fitzgerald sank. However, I was wondering as to why these ships were built as such when other similar ships built earlier in the 1950s were oil-fired? Did this have anything to do with construction costs or intended trading patterns?