Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2016 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== Huron Times Sand Beach, Michigan Thursday, April 8, 1880 (extracts of marine news) It is reported that the SAGINAW will commence running on her regular time this week. R. W. Irwin has been appointed signal officer at this place, in place of J. G. Puddock, resigned. J. H. Crump, the light inspector for the lake district was in town several days last week on his tour of inspection. The barge FRANK PEREW lay at the dock Tuesday and Wednesday loading salt for Grene Bay, Wis. Her cargo was 5000 barrels. Messrs. Gilbert and Wenzel arrived on the WARD last Monday morning. Their appearance is a fore-runner of the approaching summer's work on the harbor. During the past winter Jenks & Co. have been enlarging the capacity outside of the ware house about 10,000 barrels of salt. The firm have taken great pains in the work, which materially enhances the shipping facilities of thise port. One of the best features of this improvement is the commodious ware house, which is nearly completed. The structure is to be 50 x 80 feet, and will be finished with a gravel roof. Vessel me who have seen it this season do not hesitate to say, Sand Beach has the best dock on Lake Huron, if n ot on the entire chain of Lakes. The Sand Beach light house in the future will burn kerosene instead of lard oil as heretofore. Kerosene has been used this country for this purpose only one season, although it has been used in Europe for several years with good results. The principal reason for this change is the unstability in the price of lard oil, which fluctuates with the rise and fall of pork. This fluctuation gives rise to considerable trouble in gettint appropriations. An appropriation which one year would be amply sufficient to supply the entire light service with lard oil, the next would scarce carry it half through the season. Kerosene, it is said; is much cheaper, and burns fully as brilliant a light, although it is not as steady. A Lesson in Navigation. Up one more block, and we come upon the ships - white ships, black ships, iron ships, wooden ships, big, little and medium ships, ships of all sorts. They all go under the general name of ships, and it is well they do, for not one New Yorker in a dozen knows the difference between a bark and a pleasure yacht, though he goes down the bay every day in the summer. Here is a good natured looking sailor, leaning against a post in a nice sunny place; he will give us some information about the ships. "That there?" saus the sailor, in a tone that seems to pity our ignorance, and giving his trousers a tremendous hitch, "that ain't no ship; that's a brig. Don't you know the difference atween a ship and a brig? Why, bless you, a ship - but I can't talk too much; my throat troubles me. This here dry air parches it up, like, and I --" There are so many establishments in the neighborhood for the moistening of parched throats that this difficulty is soon remedied, and the sailor invites us to take a seat on the bottom of an upturned yawl, where we will be sheltered from the wind, while he explains the mystery of brigs and barks. "It's a shame," says he, "that you landsmen don't know more about ships. Now, we sailors know a church from a hotel - most of us - and why shouldn't you know more about our houses? I'll tell you. That there wessel there's a ship, an' I'll tell you why; because she has three masts and square sails. That's what makes her a ship. If she was only as big as this here yawl, and that's not very big, and had three masts and square sails, she'd still be ship-rigged. The firest tmast, up by the bowsprit, is the foremast, the middle one is the main-mast, and the last is the mizzen-mast. Each of these here masts is subdivided, as the school-masters say, into three parts; the lower mast, the top-mast, and the top-gallant mast. Now you know more about navigation than old Captain Skittle did, when he run the Three Sisters on a rock. "Do you see this wessel just behind us? She's a bark, and that's one of the firstest things for you to learn, if you're going to be a sailor, how to tell a bark from a ship; 'cause if you was on watch, and you reported a ship on the lee bow, and she turned out to be a bark, the Cap'en would give you salt in your grog for a fortnight. A bark has three masts like a ship, but the mizzen-mast is schooner rigged, instead of h a ving square sails. A brig has only two masts, both square rigged, and a brigantine is the same as a brig, only square rigged in front and schooner rigged behind, as a landsman would say. Now you know it all, and take a ship across the ocean without a compass." The lesson in navigation finished, the sailor's throat was in such a parched condition that it took three inward applications of rum, well seasoned with molasses, to get it in working order again. Then he explained how a pilot-boat might always be distinguished by the big number painted on its sail; and a ferry-boat by its pilot-house at each end. - N.Y. Times. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huron Times Sand Beach, Michigan Thursday, April 15, 1880 The scow GEO. B. IRVING loaded 3000 cedar posts at Jenks' dock Wednesday. On her down trip Sunday night, the PEARL got aground just north of the dock, and lay there for several hours before she could get off. In the near furture the storm signal will be hung on a pole erected for that purpose on the corner east of Irwin's store, instead of on the elevator. That famous runaway boiler which made the voyage all alone from Oscoda to Forestville, passed up Wednesday afternoon in charge of the GIBBS, homeward bound. The schooner ADVENTURE in getting underway last night, fouled with and carrying away the jib-boom of the schooner FERRETT. She did her own rigging considerable damage. The SAGINAW took 800 barrels of salt off the dock last Friday. Previous to this she had loaded 1700 barrels at Pt. Hope. The cargo was consigned to Toledo. The BENTON lay in the harbor this week, and a few of her many acquaintances on this shore would have recognized her. She has suffered the humiliation that sooner or later comes to all passenger propellers. She was condemned last fall and during the winter had her cabin taken out of her, and now she is only a despised tow barge. The ST. JOE underwent the same transformation and last week was also at the the harbor. Last Saturday's northeaster brought a fleet of about forty sail and a dozen steam boats, many of which did not leave the harbor until yesterday. During the day, the MINNA, owned by Alpern of Alpena, attempted to make the harbor but fauled and ran for the river. Some little anxiety was felt for her, but the staunch little craft weathered the gall all right. Sunday and Monday there were conflicting rumors of several vessels being lost, on (sic) of which was said to have foundered a mile off Pt. Hope, and six lives lost. As near as we can learn only three vessels suffered seriously from the storm. The schooner "HOME" lay at Pt. Hope loading salt. Being unable to get aways she made fast to the dock as securely as possible, but when the storm was at its heighth, she broke loos and beached about 40 rods south of the dock. Her cargo of 1400 barrels of salt of course was lost. She lays in a good position and will be pulled off in a day or (final word left out of print.) The schooner "MONTAUKE" coal laden gro(missing portion) f three miles north of Pt. Hope, and about a mile out, during the hard snow storm and blow about ten o'clock. She lays in about 9 feet of water, with her bottom stove in badly. Her captains was in town Monday and says she is not worth raising. The scow "MAY GARRETT," loading salt at New River dock, being unable to get free, her captain scuttled her to save running ashore with her. She had 700 barrels of sailt. She lays in about 7 feet of water and is in prime shape. AT THE HARBOR The following list of boats that have been in the harbor during the past week, is compiled from the official report. WEDNESDAY April 7th - Tug MINNA, bound down. FRIDAY April 9th - Tug LAURA GIBBS, bound down; tug ANDREWS, bound up; tug J. W. BENNETT and tow, up; barge OAKLAND and tow, up; schooner JOHN RICE, up; schooner B. EVELEIGH, up; schooner FERRETT, up; scow H. MOORE, up; scow J. H. McGRUDER, up; scow WM. LAXFORD, up; sloop IMPERIAL, up; schooner H. ROSS, up; scow ALVINA, up; steamer KEWENAW, up. SATURDAY April 10th. - Barge BURLINGTON and town, bound up; tugs LIDA, GRAYLING and MERRILL, down. MONDAY April 12th. - Tugs MUNN, FISHERMAN and WINSLOW, up; barge BURLINGTON, down; scow WM. R. HANNAH, down. TUESDAY April 13th. - Barges BAY CITY, YOSEMITE and BENTON and tows, up; scow CLARA, up; schooners ADVENTURE and GAMES, up; barge MORNING STAR, up; schooner ATHENIAN, up; scow G. CRAWFORD, up. WEDNESDAY April 14th. - Barge J. W. WHITING, up; Tugs BROCKWAY, L. LYON, and LAURA GIBBS, up; Schr. C. AMES, up; scow WM. R. HANNAH, up; schooner A. FORD, down. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huron Times Sand Beach, Michigan Thursday, April 22, 1880 The tug GEO. HAND went up tod-day with a steam dredge for the government works on the Manistee river. The scow MARY GARRETT that was scuttled at New River dock last week, has been laying at the harbor all this week. The schooner HOME which went ashore off Pt. Hope in last week's gale, went down Tuesday morning towed by the tug STRANGER. The schooner JAMES COUCH came into the harbor Tuesday morning to repair damages that she received during the gale of Monday. She lost some of her head gear. She left Wednesday evening, after fixing up her canvass. During the south-west blow of Monday, the ST. PAUL ran into the dock and broke four piles off short. A few minutes later the WARD in making the dock ran into the PAUL and broke three of her own fenders and stove a hole in her side just forward of her wheel. The boiler that has been meandering around at its own sweet will for the past month or six weeks, has again come to grief. Last Saturday the steam barge HENRY HOWARD towed it out of the harbor bound for Oscoda, but was obliged to return again, as her novel tow had sprung aleak and become unmanageable. The troublesom piece of property is now moored a few rods east of the dock, and its resting place is marked with a buoy. Last Friday evening about half past 9 o'clock, the schooner CHRIS GROVER, went ashore at AuSable. She lay about forty rods out and hard aground. The sea broke over her so furiously that the crew were driven into the rigging, while every effort was being made by the people on shore to rescue them. The nearest life saving station was at Tawas City, 17 miles distant, and the telegraph wire down. Teams were dis- patched for the life saving crew. In the mean time efforts were made to get a line to them by fireing a ball over her from a small cannon. At the second firing the gun burst and killed the Hon. John W. Glennie, one of the most prominent business men of that place, injur- ing John C. Gram and Geo. A. Loud. Mr. Glennie was a widely known and popular lumberman, and a gentleman for whom the whole town mourns. The crew of the GROVER, consisting of six men and one woman, were fifteen hours clinging to the mizzen mast boom, constantly deluged by the sea. They were rescued about midnight by the life saving crew from Tawas, in an exhausted condition. The schooner went to pieces soon after the rescue. She was 139 tons register, built in 1878 and valued at $8,000. [Since the above was in type, we learn that the lamented victim of the above recorded frightful accident was a brother of Jas. B. Glennie of this place. - Ed.] AT THE HARBOR The following list of boats that have been in the harbor during the past week, is compiled from the official report. Thursday April 15th. - Barges MAYFLOWER, MARY MILLS, WESTFORD, HURON CITY and HENRY HOWARD and tows. Schooner HATTIE HOWARD; scow TROJAN; barge WARINGTON. Friday April 16th. - Tug LAURA GIBBS and tow; tugs ANDREWS, MERRILL, GRAYLING, and MINNA. Sloop IMPERIAL; schooner REINDEER; and barge MAYFLOWER and tow. Saturday April 17th. - Propeller CITY OF CONCORD; propeller P. CHAMBERLAIN and tow; steamer MARINE CITY. Sunday April 18th. - Barge A. A. TURNER and tow; barge MORNING STAR; tug W. A. RUTH; scow SENATOR. Monday April 19th. - Tugs STRANGER and BALLENTINE; barge D. W. POWERS; steamer ST. PAUL; tug ELLA A SMITH and tow; barge GERMANIA and tow. Tuesday April 20th. - Schooners J. COUCH and OTANAHO; scow MARY GARRETT; tug BURNSIDE and tow. Wednesday April 21st. - Schooner E. CARRINGTON and IDAHO; scows GEO. IRVING and ALVINA; tug J. P. CLARK; tug G. HAND and tow. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huron Times Sand Beach, Michigan Thursday, April 29, 1880 The steam barge POWERS took 2000 bbls. of salt off the dock Tues- day. The cargo was consigned to Erie, Pa. The pole whereon the storm signal waves, was raised last Saturday. The job was accomplished without accident of any kind. The schooner PROVOST, which has been aground off the point since last fall, was pulled off Tuesday morning by the tug FRANK MOFFAT. She is owned by George Allen of Port Huron. The tug OSWEGO went up Monday with the scow J. L. QUINBY in tow. The QUINBY had three steam-pumps aboard, to use on the MONTAUK. The schooner that went ashore, above Port Hope, a couple of weeks since. A Terrible Calamity. Last Friday night the scow MAGRUDER bound down from Alcona to Detroit, lumber laden, owned and sailed by Captain J. H. Cronkey sprung a leak one mile off Pt. Au Barques. She leaked badly and by the time she was off the Pt. Au Barques light she had 11 feet of water in her hold, in spite of constant work at the pump. When off the light- house she was obliged to hoist a signal of distress. Soon after she grounded off Huron City, when she began to throw off her deck load. About this time her signal was discovered by Captain Kiah of the Pt. Au Barques life saving service. Himself and crew went immediately to her rescue. Following is the Captain's account of what occurred: A scow appeared about two and a half miles east of the statioin and one mile from land at daylight this morning. She raised a signal of distress and her colors were at half mast. The life-saving crew attempted to answer by going out to them with their surf boat. After the surf boat swamped Capt. Kiah tried to cheer the crew as long as possible, but the water was piercing cold and they soon gave way one by one and perished. They were well supplied with life preservers and their bodies washed ashore as soon as they let go. Capt. Kiah is a brave and competent officer and was almost overcome with the cold when the boat washed ashore. A farmer named Samuel McFarlane, passing near by heard the Captain's faint cries for help and supposed it to be sea gulls. But it sounded so unusual that he went to the shore of the lake and discovered the horrible situation of the crew, and immediately notified Andrew Shaw, the keeper of Pt. AuBarques light house, and together they procured assistance and took the bodies to the station. The vessel is believed to have got off by throwing the deck load overboard and went on her way. The whole community mourn the loss of the unfortunate crew, four of whom were old residents of Huron county. The terrible disaster was seen from the stranded vessel, who was powerless to assist the unfortunate victims. Soon after the swamping of the surf boat, the MAGRUDER having lighted herself, and got the water under control by means of her pumps, took advantage of a change of wind and got off and made for the harbor of refuge, where she lay for two or three days repairing the damage she had sustained. Her total loss was about 11,000 feet of lumber. Following are the names and residences of the unfortunate men. Robert Morrison of Caseville, Wm. Sayres of Pt. Austin, James Pottinger of Huron City, Walter Petherbridge and Jas. Nantau of Walkerville, and Dennis Degan of Grindstone City. Seven men who left Point St. Ignace, Mich., in a sailboat, on the 19th, to go up the north shore, were all drowned during the gale on that day. ===========================================================================