The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-22
EaRLY LIKE NAVIGATION,
Interesting "Reminiscences.

Interesting KemhutfcenCtS'
An "Ancient Mariner contributes TO the
f,1eveIond (Ohio) Pldtndedler the following bit
of history of shipping on the lakes;-
*** HAfter passing all the grades, from the
how before the mast to first officer and pilot, ana
having sailed pretty much over the upper ana
io,vor lakes [ rot command of the schooner
America in 1880 She belonged to L. I. May ana
Nelancthon Barnett. | sailed her about three
Years. then the schooners Aurora, the Edward
Socket and Eliza, and LOrain, and last the
schooner Ohio. At the close of the year 1886 l
left the lakes having been pretty steadily sailing
for fourteen years.
uWhen began to go on the lakes the mouth
of the river at Cleveland was unprotected byany
uier and vessels got into the harbOr only at hlgh
water. While sailing in the schooner Mercator
I'M 1922 we could not enter the harbor during the
whole summer, although the little hooker only
drew three and half feet of water recollect
that in the fall, arriving off the mouth OF the
Cuyahoga during u very heavy gale several yes
sells had already gone ashore on the beach. we
had to anchor outside, but Captain johnson,
thinking we could not hold ON and that she was
dragging her anchor, slipped her cable and let
her drive upon the beach east OF the river
mouth. When she struck we all jumped over
board and made our way through the surf to the
beach.
'In 1882 the first year of the cholera in this
country, q great deal of excitement peryaded
the toWnspeOple of Cleveland, and great pains
were taken to prevent the vessels from bringing
the infection into the port. was running my
vessel to Buffalo. In Buffalo the pestilence
raped | recolIect arriving at the Cleveland
pier that summer, with a very strong breeze
and on entering the pier with a good headway
under full sail, was hailed by the quarantine
police, armed with muskets, and drawn up on
The pier to compel vessels to come to, outside
of the harbOr. / was inquired Of as the vessel
came in lliting, whether | had any cholera on
board, but the stiff breeze did not give me time
to report no consignment of that sort before we
had passed the port guard and were half way
up the creek
dangers of navigation were much greater than
at the present day, ON account of the almost
total want of harbors and lighthouses. That
was in 1924, and the only lighthouses on Lake
Erie were at Buffalo. Erie, aud Sandusky.
81 was in Buffalo harbor with the schooner
Prudence, in 1926 when the news was received
of the death of the two eX-Presidents, Thomas
Jefferson and John Adams.
"The departure of these two great men of the
Revolution had occurred on the 4th of July of
that year. The town authorities the citizens,
and the masters and seamen Of vessels in port,
united in demonstrations suitable to such an
occasion. The vessels all wore their colors ut
half-mast. The old steamer Superior fired
minute guns up at the foot of Main street,
where she lay. We had small swiyel-gun on
the Prudence. The Mayor supplied us with am
muntiOn, and we Joined in the demonstration
by firing minute guns during the day.
~ went to the upper lakes in 1923 on the
schooner America, Captain William Keith. We
were engaged in carrying supplies for the Gov
ernment troops.
Chicago had no harbor or piers, and we an
chored off the mouth of the creek. There was
very little to indicate a town in that day. The
old fort, a stockade of logs set upright in the
ground was near the mouth of the creek on the
south side, and contained couple of companies
of soldies who had come across from Prairie du
Chen recently Besides the fort there were
only three houses in the place, one of which was
on each side of the river, and one near the forks
of the creek Nothing but low prairie, desc
late and unOccupied, met the view.
'Sheboygan and Milwaukee were unknown
except as Indian names of small creeks which
emptied into Lake Michigan.
1--WE always stopped at Mackinac Island on
our way to the upper lakes 1t was the place to
which great numbers of Indians gathered once II
year to receive presents from the Government.
recOllect to seeing there at one time three thou
sand of them; their tents extended for mile or
so along the shore. The day after the dstribu-
ton of money and blankets had taken place at
the Mackinac, by sunrise the whole encampment
had broken up, and the Indians had embarked in
their canoes. There must have been over eight
hundred bark canoes; and / think never seen q
more beautiful sight than they presented, the
morning sun lighting up the smooth lake swarm
ing with the fleet. They were bound for Drum
mond's Island, where the British Government
also made similar presents to them on tiXe(
day, and they had no time to lose.
There were no lighthouses on Lake Michigan
or Huron when first began to sail there PhilC
Scoville contracted to build one on Bois Blanc
about nine miles from Macllinac in 1929. He
and his men were passengers with us on the
schooner Mariner that year on his way up to dc
the work.
''There was but one family living on the Bas,
Islands in 1928, if | recollect right A family by
the name of Hyde lived at Put-in-Bay in a house
built of red cedar logs. Red cedar was abundan
on all the islands, and especially on Kelly
Island then called Cunningham Island.
--n---
TREt GREAT UTAH BASIN