Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-07-17
BUILT AT GREAT LAKE PORTS,
THEN DIVIDED IN THE MIDDLE
AND .FLOATEO TO THE SEA
The Two Ends Are Finally Joined at
Eastern Shipyards and Enter
Ocean Traffic as Though Built at
the Seashore-An Enormous Task

together again, is something of nov
city to the world in general to say the
least. 1t is not at all a common sight
in marine circles. Such a thing has
just been accomplished. The steamer
Minnetonka was thus recently sent to
the coast. She is one of two 1000
tons capacity steamers thus to be
transported to the ocean for this years
traffic. The second one will go later.
The steamer Minnetonka was built
at Cleveland, Ohio, shipyard. After
the placing of the boilers and other
machinery in her hold she was put in
dry dock and cut in two. Next i'll Or
der was the job of closing up the sew
cred ends so that they would keep the
water out. This was done by means
of bulkheads. Then came the towing
of the two ends of this vessel down
Lake Erie and on through the Welland
and other Canadian canals until Que
bee was reached, where the two parts
were put together again and the jour
ney to the coast continued.
Naturally those not directly en-
ployed in marine pursuits query as to
why vessels for ocean traffic should
ever be built so far away as at great
lake yards, and especially when the
size of the boats ordered is SO large as
to make it obligatory that they be cut in
two in order to pass through the locks
at the Welland canal. In the first place,
many boats of smaller size have from
time to time been constructed on the
lakes for ocean trade. These smaller
boats hay., in very many instances,
proved very satisfactory, and the good
workmanship Of the lake yards has
been demonstrated. Then the ocean
yards are often taxed to their fullest
capacity with rush orders, and some
times it is an advantage in the way of
saving time for owners to have YES
sells built at lake yards, when a favor
able opportunity presents itself.
But the great lakes yards are busy,
too, and in spite of the fact that the
ship building interests of the inland
bodies are constantly being increased,
it is not an easy matter to keep up
with orders there. In the construc-
ton of the steamer Minnetonka it was
expected that she would be completed
and sent to the coast before the close
of navigation in 1901, but this was i'm
possible for two reasons. In the first
place so crowded were the yards with
the large number of ships then build
ing that it was difficult to find berth
for the work of completing her. Then,
again, the scarcity of steel delayed
the work. Finally it became too late
in the year to navigate through the
Welland canal, and the thought of get
ting the boats to the coast last fall
had to be abandoned until spring.
1t is not thought likely that the
building of large ocean vessels on the
lakes, cutting them in two and put
ting them together again will be a
very frequent occurrence, although
the smaller sized boats from the great
lakes may navigate between the ocean
and lakes often. However the two
7,000-ton boats now going to the
coast will undoubtedly prove even
more satisfactory than any that have
yet been built on the lakes for the
ocean. They are said to be of just the
right size for trade along the coast.
Many of the coast boats that are of
larger capacity than 1000 tons meet
with difficulties in navigating some OF
the important channels.
Referring to the smaller vessels
from the lakes, which do not have to
be cut in two to be transported to the
coast, there is a big demand for them
just now to engage in the oil trade be-
tween Texas and points along the east
ern coasts. A number of lake vessels
have recently been engaged to go to
the Atlantic coast for this purpose.
Among the boats which have passed
between the great lakes and the ocean
are the vessels of the Clergue inter-
ests, most of which come from Europe
and which now ply between Ontario
and the destinations to which the new
Canadian products are going.
Interesting in connection with talk
ing lake vessels to the coast is the
trip of the steamer Meteor to Seattle,
Wash. some little time ago The Me
teor is a lake built boat, formerly
owned on the lakes, but last year sold
to parties on the Pacific coast, Cap
tain John F. Ahlstrom, a great lakes
captain, left Toledo, Ohio, with the
vessel passed safely through the Wei
land, the Galoups, the Lachtne canals
and on to Baltimore. After receiving
some repairs at Baltimore the Meteor
started for her Journey around the
Horn stopping at Rio de Janeiro.
Later came a successful journey
through the straits of Magellan with
out the aid of pilot or tug-a re-
markable feat. This is one of the
most perilous routes, and Captain Ahl-
strom was the first lake captain who
attempted such a trip and succeeded
in it. Finally he arrived safely at Sc
attic, having had no accident of any
serious nature. The taking of lake
vessels to the coasts is among the
most interesting feats of the marine
world.-Philadelphia Record
Joseph Chamberlain who is recover