Knights and Ladies - And Still More Sawdust: Schooner Days CCXXII (223)

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HITTING the clean sawdust trail back to Grand Haven, ancient capital of the soft-wood empire, let us have some now from J. H. Safford's recollections of what his grandfather, Hamilton Jones, told him.

"As to the vessels mentioned," Mr. Safford says, "I distinctly remember grandfather saying they had been gunboats during the War of 1812. One was surely a member of Chauncey's fleet. That was the 'Lady,' and maybe the Oneida was, too. He used to tell of one of MacDonough's Champlain fleet in the late twenties. My great-great-grandfather was killed in that battle of Plattsburg there, in 1814. The Lady of the Lake, according to grandfather's tale, WAS the fastest ship ever on Lake Ontario in his day, but rather cranky, needing careful handling and the pumps had plenty of exercise.

The Lady of the Lake was famous for her speed during the war and afterward, and the rhymesters made up many jingles about "The Knight and the Lady,' the knight being the British commodore, Sir James Lucas Yeo, who was always pursuing and never catching this flighty dispatch vessel of the Yankee commoner, Isaac Chauncey.

"One craft he worked on while learning the trade he always spoke of as the "Brownville steamer," in early twenties. She was built at Brownville, on a small stream near Sacket's Harbor, and was the first, or one of the first, steamers built on our side of the line. He said there were already one or more Canadian steam craft then running. I've never found out just what this craft was really called."

The "Brownville steamer," to interrupt Mr. Safford, may have been the Kingston, built near Sackett's Harbor by Chapman and Tealnie [Teabout] in 1816, and considered by some to be the first steamer on Lake Ontario. Others give that honor to the Frontenac, a larger steamer begun at Ernestown, near Kingston, in 1815, by the same builders, Chapman and Tealnie. She didn't commence running until 1816, after the Sackett's Harbor steamer had been launched.

"The schooner Hiram, on which he spent several seasons, came to Grand Haven in the 40's, sailed in the W. M. Ferry fleet and, while not considered a 'racer,' made the fastest time ever between Chicago and the Haven (105 miles in 7 1/2 hours) until the fast steamers came out in the 90's. Nearly as good as the 'Lady' did from Niagara to Sackett Harbor, in fourteen hours, in the War of 1812, as you have told.

"Just a word about Captain Tom Kirby, the inventor of the so-called 'Grand Haven rig.' He came as a lad from Ireland about 80 years ago, worked up to be master on the Ferry schooners and got one of his own, on board which a falling bit of spar crushed his shoulder so his arm was useless from then on.

"Condemned to stay ashore, he started a shipyard and bought more vessels. One, the City of Erie, built in the thirties, must have been full barque rigged, from the big lower masts and huge chainplates. She was modeled like an old frigate, tumblehome topsides, figure-head, etc. All his craft which were not 'ketch' rigged were bald headed; that is, minus topmasts and jibbooms. He even bad a three-masted ketch—main and mizzen far aft and a lot of space midships.

"He was one of the pioneers in 'towbarging,' owned a small propeller, the New Era, with a very large engine (36 x 42), and found she could yank two or three loaded schooners across the lake at a good rate of speed, pick up a tow that had unloaded, and start right back, thus keeping a steady stream of lumber going. With a fair wind the sails could help.

"He built up a good business, became quite well to do, and did a lot for the town; more than was then realized. Irish to the core, his skippers and crews were a cosmopolitan lot, Scotch, Irish, Norse, English, French and Indian, and the only kick any of 'em had was paint! When the style was black hulls and white uppers he persisted in using a dingy lead color which he bought (according to Capt. Jimmy Webber) in carload lots.

"The strange thing about his unique 'Grand Haven' or ketch rig was that it made so little difference in the speed or working to windward. As you say: The wonder is that more of the smaller craft did not use it.

"As I remember, the Kirby schooners ran from 250 to 400 tons, and one, the Grand Haven (City of) was still barging round the east shore bringing pulpwood to Muskegon two years ago.

"Another craft we had in plenty in my early days was the scow schooner; some were (to quote you) box car models, but others had lots of dead-rise, a graceful sheer and could sail and carry like blazes. Some of these were good size, able to carry 250,000 feet of lumber, but most were hookers. One schooner, the Hattie Earl, of Capt. Dall's fleet, was built of square timbers bolted together with not a 'rib' in her—like-the old convict ship 'Success.'

"I can add two names to the alphabetical list: 'X-10-U-8,' a 50-ton hooker, and the 'C.O.D.', Kirby's 300-ton, three-masted ketch. I remember well the Z.Y.M.C.A. and A.B.C.F.M., also the Gilbert Knapp, of which you have written, casual visitors at our port."

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MR. AND MRS. J. H. SAFFORD ABOARD THE MANITOULIN