Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2015 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/ ========================================================================= USGenNet Data Repository NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== The Ludington Record Thursday, January 16, 1896 Volume XXIX AN OBJECT LESSON. The carferry business is in its infancy yet. The business of load- ing a whole train of cars on a huge craft and transporting it across Lake Michigan in all kinds of weather will not be brought to perfect- ion until unusual conditions on the lake will teach in a very practi- cal way how the cars shall be secured against disaster. About a week ago one of these object lessons was encountered by Ann Arbor No. 1, going between Kewaunee and Frankfort. The boat had sailed about an hour, and was entering a rough sea and rising wind. The jacks that held the cars in position became loosened and every pitch of the boat set the cars plunging forward or backward until there was dire confusion and the most imminent danger to the crew. There were twenty-four loaded cars on board and the momentum each way was terrific. Seven of the cars plunged overboard and sank. The re- maining eighteen were likely to follow at each recurring wave. The crew finally by the most heroic efforts wedged them in so tightly that they were made secure and the No. 1 arrived in safety, but much the worse for the wrenching. It has been sent to Milwaukee for repairs. Five of the lost cars were loaded with flour and feed and the other two with dairy products. It is the first serious accident to happen in the career of the carferry, but shows what may happen easily enough unless some method is devised to fasten the train so firmly as to leave no doubt of its security in any weather. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ludington Record Thursday, January 23, 1896 Volume XXIX LAKE COMMERCE IN WINTER. ----------------------- F. & P. M. R. Y STEAMERS BUSY AS BEES TAKING CARE OF FREIGHT. From the Evening Wisconsin The weather during the greater portion of the present week has been of the ideal kind for winter navigation and the steamers, particularly those of the Flint & Pere Marquette railway, have made the best possi- ble use of it. During the past three days the Nos. 4 and 3 have each made a round trip between Milwaukee and Ludington every twenty-four hours, while the Nos. 2 and 1 have been equally busy. No matter what hour of the day or night these steamers arrive they are immediately unloaded and loaded again. Thus when they reach here after dark in the evening they are off again with full cargoes before daylight, and thus people see little of them. The No. 5 is kept on the route be- tween Manitowoc and Ludington altogether at present. She clears the warehouse at the former port of package freight once a day with clock- like regularity. A scarcity of cars does not appear to exist with the Flint & Pere Marquette people. Just now not less than 1500 empties occupy sidings at various yards in Michigan and are being run into Ludington and loaded as fast as proper assorting can be done. Cars of the New York Central railway appear to be in greater supply than those of any other road. The amount of freight passing over this route is surprising. The remaining lines out of Milwaukee are doing as well as can be expected with only one steamer each to handle their business. MARINE PICKUPS. From the Manistee Daily News. Inasmuch as the steamer CITY OF VENICE occupies the stationary dry- dock at the south yard at Milwaukee and cannot be floated before the close of the week, it was found necessary to send the carferry steamer ANN ARBOR No. 2 to South Chicago to receive the shaft and wheel which had been ordered prepared for her. She left for the head of the lake Wednesday, taking the shaft and wheel along. "The harbors at St. Joseph and Muskegon are about alike this winter," said the captain of one of the winter line steamers the other day. "Shoals exist between the piers at both points. The depth of water over the bar at Muskegon is only 12 feet, and the NYACK is thus handicapped to the extent of fully one-third of her carrying capacity. One day last week she was compelled to return to Milwaukee from within thirteen miles of Muskegon harbor, a heavy sea having rendered an at- tempt to enter dangerous. As for St. Joseph harbor, no steamer has any business there during the prevalence of a westerly wind and sea." A special from Kewaunee dated Wednesday states: It is learned here today that the Ann Arbor carferry steamers will be laid up for the remainder of the winter as soon as the railroad yards here are cleared of eastbound freight. There are now only about fifty cars here awaiting transportation across the lake and as soon as they are taken away will go into ordinary at Frankfort. The reason for this step is owing to the poor harbor at Frankfort which has given these steamers no end of trouble for the past few months on account of the sand bar forming at the entrance. Steamer No. 1 arrived here last evening after an absence of several days, and was obliged to dredge sand for twenty-four hours at Frank- fort before she could get out. The laying up of the steamers at this time, when they are crowded with freight, is to be regretted, and will result in a heavy loss to the railroads forming the Kewaunee Short Line. The above harbor items tell their own tale. No water at St. Joseph, Muskegon and Frankfort and here at the mouth of the Manistee river, we have from 18 to 22 feet all the year around, with good pier protection, so that a steamer can enter almost any time. Look at Ludington, the only thing that is keeping the town alive this winter is the employment of 400 dock men unloading freight as fast as the five big F. & P. M. steamers can bring it across the lake. There are now 900 cars lying in Milwaukee awaiting transportation across the lake, all because there is a good harbor at Ludington to get in and out of. Why don't these trunk lines recognize the fact? It is reported that negotiations are going on with reference to making Manistee rather than Frankfort the terminus of the Ann Arbor car (2 lines cut off) harbor is much troubled with sand bars. Mani- stee is comparatively a better harbor and the change may be made. Ludington would be still better, but this port has but one railroad terminus, the F. & P. M. R'y, and they are as busy as bees handling all the freight. There is nothing to keep Ludington from forging ahead of all competitors along this shore except the fact that it has but one railroad. ===========================================================================