The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-06-15
Houghton Department
TELEPHONE SOUTH 10
WOODEN SHIPS ON GREAT
LAKES ARE NOW VERY FEW
Structures Of Steel Rapidly Su-
preceding Those With cribs
of Oak"
ONE OLD wARSHIP OF IRON
TELEPHONE SOUTH "a

steel vessels are rapidly taking the
place of wooden boats on the great
lakes. A few of the latter type are
10 be seen during the season of navi-
CATION. but each year finds their num-
Der growing smaller. Some marine
men predict that they will pass out of
use during the next ten years.
The United States recruiting ship
Wolverine. which at the time of her
launching was christened the Michi-
gan, was built in 1S43 and is pointed
out as the oldest iron vessel i'm the
world. The Montreal. built at Buffalo
in 1862, was the first iron boat con-
structed on the lakes.
The Montreal was built by the late
Il. T. Evans and was 200 feet long,
with a beam OF % feet and a depth of
Ia feet. Her gross tonnage was SCI
and her dead weight capacity was 700
tons. Her boilers were the first to be
constructed for the purpose of burning
coal.
Iron shipbuilding made little pro-
gress between 1852 and 1872. the larg-
est boat TO be constructed during that
period being the Great Western car
ferry, with a gross tonnage OF 1850.
She was constructed at a ship yard
where walkerville. Canada, is now
situated. In 1868 the Philadelphia was
built IN Buffalo. Her gross tonnage
was 1,463.
More advancement was made in 1871.
In that year FIVE vessels of a total
tonnage OF 6,400 were built in Buffalo.
This port also turned out four more
in 1872. Three OF them were passen-
ger boats and Canada built one car
ferry the International. at Sarnia,
ont. She was S51 tons.
Prominent business men OF Detroit
then awoke to the fact that there was
a great future In store for boats of the
iron and steel class. The large tug
E. b. Ward OF 500 tons, and the Queen
Of the Lakes, 153 tons, were launched
at Wyandotte.
Panic Hurt Growth.
A severe depression existed between
1872 and 1878 and shipbuilding suffered
in common with other lines of bush
ness.
Few steamers were built, though the
building OF schooners continued and
the tonnage was mostly Of wood. The
Grand Trunk railway built second
car ferry, the Huron. at Sarnia in
1875. The composite steamer, the first
City OF Detroit. was constructed at
Wyandotte In 1877 and I'm 1873 the
Arundel and the Ivanhoe were built.
In 1879 the Idle Wild. which now lies
unused at her dock near Belle Isle,
was built at wyandotte. She was of
1858 tons. Then W7yandotte turned OUT
four vessels OF an aggregate tonnage
of $3.50. Next year these yards Quilt
I'VE more iron boats. In 1882 the Ono
ko, 2,164, and the Jewett. 1853 gross
tons registered, were built. The steam
er State OF New York, sO7 gross tons.
was built in 1883.
-Four steel steamers with a total
registered tonnage OF 6.927 and one
iron boat with 1851 gross tons, were
constructed during 1884. II Is this
year that marks the introduction OF
steel vessels on the great lakes. The
next year has one iron and four steel
boats 10 It's credit. The iron boat had
a tonnage OF 1895.
Five steel vessels were built during
1886. They had a total tonnage of
6,475. One iron vessel had a tonnage
OF 1884. This year was practically
the last IN which an iron boat was
constructed on the great lakes. BY the
end OF this year there were 80 vessels
built Of iron on the lakes and eight
steel vessels. The iron boats had a
tonnage OF 10000 and the steel boats a
tonnage OF 1864.
The vessel OF 1882 was increased 10
nearly double that Of 1871. BY 1895
the vessels size had increased again to
double that OF the 1889 type. In 1906
the size had doubled again as COM
pared with 1895. The vessels now be-
ing constructed are six times larger
than the design Of 1871
Ending 1909, there have been built
552 iron and steel vessels on the great
lakes that total tonnage Of 2.1OO 900.
The passenger boats do not show such
a rapid increase I'm dimensions as do
the freighters. The City OF Cleveland.
built in 1907 Is i02 feet over all. with
beam OF So feet and a depth OF 22
feet.