The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1920-02-21
N0AH'S ARK AS
MODEL FOR BOAT
Lake Erie Fisherman Had Faith
Enough in Idea to Build
One.
PROVED SAFE AS A HOUSE
Now the United Fishing Company Has
Built One and Will Build Five
More-SuccessfulIy combats
toughest Seas.

Sandusky, O.-Ed. Lampe, fisher
man at Vermilion. Lake Erie port
town twenty-five miles east of this
city, was reading story about Noahs
ark to his children one night several
months ago, when it occurred to him
that were the craft Of Noah's time res
directed and modernized a little it
might have tendency to lessen the
toll that storms take annually in the
Great Lakes section.
Lampe is gillnetter of many years
experience. and in the picture of
Noah's ark that embellished the story
ne was reading, he recognized wonder
full possibilities. The storms of the
Great Lakes section rage furiously in
spring, following the opening of the
navigation season, and again in fall,
just before the season closes. Many
men lose their lives and much valu-
able property is destroyed.
The gillnetters, as those fishermen
who fish with gill nets are known,
are oftener the victims than are the
members of any other body of men
engaged in fishing; their work is more
hazardous. When disaster comes it is
usually the gillnetters' boat, or tug"
that is destroyed.
A Real Success.
Lampe designed a, boat on the plan
OF Noah's ark. With the aid of sew
eral fishermen friends he brought his
design to naturalization. He tried the
craft out and it met every expectation.
1t ploughed the most vicious pillows,
going out and returning when other
boats had to be kept in port.
Lampe's craft attracted the atten-
ton of the commercial fishing inter-
ests Of the Lake Erie section and in
vestigators were sent to Vermilion.
If it were true that Vermilion fish
erman had invented boat patterned
after Noah's ark that would lessen
- the risk OF spring and fall season fish
ing they wanted to give the fishermen
the benefit of the discovery, they said.
The Vermilion gillnetter would not
listen to proposition to sell his idea,
nor would he talk of royalty.
IF you can save some poor devils
life by using my style of boat, go
ahead and use it," he said.
The United Fisheries company of
this city, one of the largest organiza-
lions Of it's kind operating on Lake
Erie, recently completed the first of
SIX gillnet tugs Of the type designed
by Lampe, at shipbuilding plant in
this city. The other five are to be
ready to be commissioned at the be-
ginning of the spring fishing season
of 1920.
Safe as Home.
Lampe christened his boat Victory,
for the reason that she is believed to
have triumphed over the storm. With
a bow like that of battleship, and a
body otherwise that resembles the
conventional pictures of Noah's ark,
she has been successfully combating
the toughest seas that the Lake Erie
Worcester has been able thus far to
kick up.
Victory is fifty-five feet long, with
fifteen foot beam. She is equipped
Win TWO power plants, so that if one
should happen to Ego bad" the other
will be available. Her upper works
are so constructed that they can be
made almost water tight, and her hull
bears the weight required to right her
Immediately if she should happen to
turn over.
II would as lief be sitting in the
cabin of Victory as in my office or my
home, no matter how severe the
Storm" said Charles F. Mischief pres
ident Of the United Fisheries company,
discussing the new gillnetting craft.
Fishermen say that boats of this
kind will, in the near future, replace
the old-time gillnetting tugs now in
use, and that big saving in life and
property will result.