Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-02-27
WhaIebacks on the Lakes.


the greatest sensation at the time was
the whaleback, which first appeared
on the lakes in 1899 Till then the best
lake frelghters had been built upon
the principle that deep draft and a
sharp bow were necessary to give
speed and at the same time to keep the
vessel steady in heavy seas But
Captain McDougall. an old Clyde ship
builder, developed a theory which he
had long before evolved, that 1t was
better for a vessel to ride the waves
than to cut through them He drew
plans for a vessel shaped somewhat
like a cigar, with the two ends cut off,
with the bottom and keel more round
ed than in the common type, and with
slightly rounded deck, which suggest
er the name of whaleback Above the
deck there was neither bulkwark nor
spar, protection beng afforded by
wire fence secured to steel stanchions.
The only thing that appeared above
the deck were a steel turret forward,
supporting the pilot house, and sup
erstructure aft, containing the cabin.
The design showed an uncouth and
clumsy looking craft, and Captain Nc
Dougall went with his models to one
shipbuilder and capitalist after anoth-
er for years before he could find any
one to advance money enough to give
a practical test to his devices. AT last
James w. Colby, Colgate Hoyt and
John ID. Rockefeller became in
terested and supplied the funds,
and a shipyard was established
at Duluth, but subsequently removed
to West Superior. Here company
organized under the name of the Am
erican Steel Barge Company was soon
employing 10000 men and turning
out vessels OF the new design at the
rate of more than one a month. 1T
looked as If the whaleback had come
to stay and to navigate all the waters
Of the globe.
One of the best specimens of this
type was the Colgate Hoyt, named af-
ter one of the capitalists who came to
Captain McDougall's aid. The Hoyt
was 276 feet long and 26 feet beam.
When loaded to 16 feet she would car
ry 2.400 net tons, or about $4,000 bush
els of wheat. She had a depth of hold
% feet. while vessels of the old type
with the same draught of water had
depth of 25 to 80 feet. The Hcyt
cost 100000, while vessel Of the old
type of the same capacity would have
then cost $250,0O0 or more. She made
a speed of II miles an hour with a
light load and averaged Is miles with
moderate load.
This vessel and her sister craft, as
they appeared one after the other on
fresh waters, caused a great deal of
comment. and there were many spec
ulations as to their ultimate influence
upon transportation rates, That in
terest and speculation were transform
ed from lake ports to seaboard ports
of this country and ngland
The first of the whalebacks that ap-
peared on the Atlantic coast was the
Joseph L. Colby, which was named af-
ter the Vice President of the Wiscon-
sin General Railroad, and one of the
first promoters of Captain McDoug-
all's enterprise. The Colby was built
just long enough to make a tight fit in
the Canadian canals. She had 80 feet
beam and % feet nodded depth, and a
capacity of 5000 net tons, and was
guaranteed to steam 16 miles an hour
loaded She with a companion steam
er cf about the same dimensions, pass
ed through the canals and the St.
Lawrence and after being curlously
eyed and studied by many of the sea-
board vesselmen, entered the ore-car-
ryng trade between Cuba and Phila-
delphia.
But the chief sensation caused by
the new style vessel was in 1890, when
the Charles w. Wetmore, one of the
best of the type, made her famous trip
across the Atlantic. The Whetmcre
was 2G5 feet long and So feet beam.
On her trip from West Superior to
Montreal instead of taking the canal
she shot the rapids in the ST. Law
renee, river being by far the largest
vessel that ever attempted that peril
Gus feat At Montreal she loaded with
10000 bushels Of wheat and steamed
for Liverpool. She had exceedingly
stormy voyage, which furnished
abundant demonstration of her
s.anchness and seaworthiness. Her
steadlness in heavy seas was shown by
the fact that when she arrived in Liv-
erpoCl the shovel marks and footprints
made by the men who loaded her in
| Montreal could be plainly seen on the
top of her cargo. AS she passed up the
Mersey thousands of people lined the
banks and docks of the river and the
English papers devoted large space TO
descriptions of the vessel and accounts
CT her economical and successful trip.
The Whetmore recrossed the Allan
tic in ballast and went into dock at
Brooklyn, where she was an object of
almost as much curiosity as in Liver
pool. At Brooklyn she was loaded
with the machinery for another whale
back plant and sent on a voyage Of