Maritime History of the Great Lakes

Scanner, v. 22, no. 2 (November 1989), p. 10

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Ship of the Month - cont'd. 10. pearing central over Colorado. Northeast storm warnings were ordered dis played on the upper lakes. At this time, the temperature was 2 above zero (Fahrenheit) at Duluth and 4 below at Port Arthur. "On December 7 , storm warnings were changed from northeast to southwest on all the lakes, as the storm moved from the west and southwest, with a lowest reported barometric pressure of 2 9 .34 inches at Springfield, Illinois. The temperature now was 8 below at Duluth and 10 below at Port Arthur. On Decem ber 8, it was 18 below at Duluth and the storm was now central over Ontario and the northeasterly lake region, with a lowest reported barometric pres sure of 2 8 . 9 6 inches at Cochrane, Ontario. "On December 9 , as the gales began to diminish in force, the cold wave was widespread. The thermometer at Escanaba was 20 below zero, at Port Arthur likewise, but at Duluth it was 26 below. By these temperatures, one may v i sualize the difficulties of navigation that were encountered during this week of gales and hardships endured by the shipwrecked. " The Lake Carriers' report then went on to give details of the five steel hulled ships that were lost as a result of this series of disturbances. They were the AGAWA (I), grounded on Manitoulin Island; E. W. OGLEBAY, stranded east of Marquette; LAMBTON, grounded on Parisienne Shoal; KAMLOOPS, founder ed with all hands on Lake Superior in the vicinity of Isle Royale, and of course ALTADOC, whose loss was described in detail. "At : 3 40 p. m. on December 6, as the AGAWA passed down at the Sault with a storage cargo of 200, 000 bushels of wheat, the ALTADOC passed up light for Fort William. The second storm broke that night and reached gale proportions early on the morning of the 7th... "The night of Wednesday, December 7th, was acknowledged to be marked by the roughest weather known on Lake Superior in several years. The ALTADOC had been twelve hours out from Whitefish Point when, at 12:30 o'clock Thursday morning, her steering gear broke and she became helpless before the onslaught of the gale. Blown ahead of the wind from the Canadian shore, she drifted from that hour until she grounded six hours later. The crew knew their where abouts and learned that they had crossed the lake when there loomed less than 500 feet away the hulk of the steamer CITY OF BANGOR that was driven on Keweenaw Point almost exactly one year before. "Although the plight of the ALTADOC became known on the following day, also that on Friday, four of her crew reached shore in search of help from Cop per Harbor, her crew was not rescued until late on Sunday, the 11th. Succor came through the Coast Guards at Eagle Harbor. For nineteen hours, the Coast Guard cutter CRAWFORD battered the ice-packed waves to reach Keweenaw Point from Eagle Harbor. "Arrived at the scene, the CRAWFORD was unable to approach the stricken ves sel, but after maneuvring about for several hours, two small boats were laun ched from the cutter and they began a perilous journey to the ALTADOC. They were nearly capsized several times but finally were brought alongside. Ele ven of the crew were placed in one boat which made the trip back to the CRAW FORD safely. The second dory with the remaining ten became jammed in the ice. In danger of being crushed by a possible shift in the ice formations, the CRAWFORD charged the blockade. Sixteen times she rammed the formations before a lane was ripped through the ice so that the men could be brought aboard. "When left to her fate, the ALTADOC was almost a complete loss. She had been driven to within fifty feet of shore, her prow was stove in, she was broken in two between Nos. 7 and 8 hatches, and her engineroom was a wreck, partly as a result of fire that broke out in her coal bunkers after she grounded, and which continued to burn well into the month of January, 1928. " ALTADOC suffered extensive additional damage during the ensuing winter. In 1928, salvagers came to the scene and were able to recover ALTADOC's engine. Her hull was so far inshore and so badly damaged that there were no thoughts of ever pulling her free, (The hull eventually was cut up for scrap where it

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