The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1903-01-23
OUR GREAT LAKES.

OON O1\I7 7sNI0'
An Interesting Paper Prepared BY
Mrs. G. II. Curtis, Read Before
the Xxx Century Club.
The Great Lakes are by far the
largest sheet of fresh water there
is; containing nearly one half the
fresh water on the globe, and giving
the United States a shore line OF
5000 miles.
Lake Superior, while about the
same length as lake Michigan is on
account of it's width nearly double
the size of any one of the others.
The bottoms of them all, except
Erie which is only 80 feet deep, are
several hundred feet below the level
of the sea. 1t has been supposed
that at one time these lakes were an
arm Of the ocean this would account
for the marine forms which have
been found in lake Michigan.
The temperature particularly of
lake Superior is very low varoing
only nine degrees between summer
and winter. Whether due to the
temperature, a possible under
current or some other cause should
one be unfortunate enough to fall
into it's water, the probabilities are
that nothing would ever again DO
seen of the living form. An old
seaman told us of an incident where
vessel within reach Of his own
was wrecked and while they sought
to give aid to the helpless crew the
moment they were engulfed by the
water, all efforts to save were of no
avail. The drowning one rarely il
ever comes to the surface even for
a moment until the sea has accom-
plished it's work on the ifeless form.
In 1862 there we're on these lakes
only $50 steam vessels while the
sailing vessels numbered over 1000.
Up to within the '90's the sailing
vessels held thiei own as to number
and since then the number Of steam
vessels has steadily and rapidly ia
ceased. until now, when the sailing
vessel is rarely seen and decidedly
back number
Many of the later vessels are built
entirely of steel. The larger ones
being 500 it. long. The whaleback,
cigar shaped vessel, sometimes
called ''pig'', is used, but is no
longer built except in modified
form; the other steel vessel proving
more satisfactory. The number of
passenger steamers is small COLL
pared with that of the freighters.
Immense quantities of iron ore,
copper, lumber, pulpwood, grain and
flour are sent eastward, while on
their way from tho east they carry
mostly coal or 60 empty, simply
using water for ballast.
Duluth is the largest shipping
point on Lake Superior. Duluth
and Two Harbors each have i'm
mense docks said TO be the largest
in the world. Five at Two Harbo1s
and three in Duluth the longest Of
which is just one half of mile
ling. AT these docks from several
to fl. teen or twenty vessels carrying
as high as 1000 tons of freight, are
loaded daily in the shipping season.
From Duluth grain and flour as we'll
as lumoer and ore are sent out in
great quantities while Two Harbors,
being nearer the great mines. has
an immense shipment of ore. Great
quantities of lumber are sent out
from Ashland, northern Wisconsin,
and a vast amount Of copper ore
from northern Michigan.
The trip across Superior quite
makes one appreciate the phrase
Finland Seas" when for distances
nothing but sky and water with
possible passing vessels are in sight:
st. Mary's river brings the
tourist from Superior to Sault st.
Marie. Here, where in old days was
the seat of French power later the
chief depot of the Hudson Bay Co.
and the fur trade, lisa fourishng city. |
Here the waters of lake Superior
make a descent of 20 feet by the falls
of st. Mary to the level Of lake
Huron. Around these falls have
bean h,1ilt the GREAT ehiD canals. bV