THE GREAT LAKES

[John Arton]

As Geoff said in an earlier post, the C.P. white Beavers used to run up as far as Bay City, Michegan, to load beans for Heinz and to this day I believe that Heinz still use Michegan Bay beans. Did you know that the U.K. is the biggest consumer of baked beans in the world (possibly our greatest contribution to global warming and green house gases).
Always enjoyed the run up the lakes. Some fabolous sights around the 1000 islands area and going up the American locks was fun being watched by all the Americans in the stands. Chippy dropped his keks in front of them all one frip and stood on the captsan aft posing Eros whilst being turned on the capstan. Americans not amused and cahsed us up the seaway demanded that he be put ashore at every lock.
Bay City was a real one horse town. The pilot was harbour master/chief of police/fire chief and major!!!!!
rgds
JA

[Stuart Henderson]

Did a few trips up as far as Chicago in the sixties on a couple of the Cunard Meddie boats,think it was Phryghia and Lycia. Some great runs ashore notably visit to the breweries in Milwaukee, the Niagera Falls from Toronto ? a dockie took four of us for a few bucks each in his car, Detroit ,Hamilton Cleveland a big change from our regular east coast ports, Market Diner etc/ Liked the Gulf ports as well at different stages especially Houston,Galveston,New Orleans (no.1) Tampa etc/
Great memories
Stuart (George) Henderson

[j.sabourn]

I was always up the Lakes with foreign crews. With the Chinese used to put 2 men ashore on the approach walls with the swinging boom. The Indians had to put at least 4 ashore as werent strong enough to handle the lines. Used to be a pantomime at times. and had a 12 foot pole to assist them on their way. With the conventional ship the 4 wires used in the locks had to be passed through the derrick heel blocks, fortuanetly the wires used to part before the rest carried away. Cheers John Sabourn. P.S. Wonder how a ship would get up there now with the depleted manning of most vessels. John Sabourn

[Robin Ellis]

I spent 4 months on a Shell Tanker running various oils from Montreal to Clarkson on Lake Ontario. We were on standby all the way, so watchkeeping in the engineroom was months of 4 +2 hrs on, 2 off, 4 on, 4 off - tiring!


Never saw any rough weather at all but I can remember the people watching us go through the locks.
I was with a 4th Eng on the poop deck drinking a beer after watch. We were both in dirty boiler suits and a lady shouted out "Are you Guys wearing anything under those things". She soon discovered the 4th's skiddies were not snowy white!

I remember going ashore in Montreal and my schoolboy French being useful as there were a couple of places which did not go out of their way to speak English.

Not sure if it was true, but a fireman greaser pointed out a small island which had a castle built on it. He said it was owned by a millionaire called Singer. It did not looked lived in. Many of the small islands had houses with little boat houses on them. The ships agent arranged a tour for us to go and see Niagra Falls from the USA side. It was a good trip and we saw "The Maid of the Mist" taking tourists right up to the base of the falls.

I was a Cadet and can remember the monotony of knowing almost to the minute when we would get to either Clarkson or Montreal. Except one watch on the 8 to 12 with the 4th Eng.
"Should be there by now Appo. I'm gonna give the bridge a shout and see if they know where we are. You'd better give the Fiver a hand to change over burners".
"OK".
2 minutes later - PANIC - "Stand by" rung down immediately followed by "Slow Ahead".
"Ha! I bet the *********s were fast asleep!"

Great times!

[j.sabourn]

That area actually has over 1600 small bits of rock etc. went round them when on holiday. Also did the Maid of the mist bit with a plastic bag over your head. All good tourism stuff. All this on holiday of course. Nice to not be working, know the long hours used to put in, but some of the ports were great, definetely had more energy in those days. John Sabourn

[Robert T. Bush]

Did one trip on a minibulker with China Clay to Buffalo. Not a tourist spot and then to Detroit for scrap to Pasajes

[Paul Racine]

I did a trip up to the great lakes in the early sixty's. We loaded general cargo in London, then it was over to Le Harve where we filled two holds with the best of French wines and spirits. You can imagine the effect of this on the voyage. At that time the Seaway was in it's prime doing what it was designed to do,ie bringing deep sea vessels and cargo into the heart of North America. ( How times have changed)
On the Atlantic crossing we stopped the ship near the grand banks of Newfoundland where we fished for cod to replenish our larders. All one had to do was to throw a line out and within minutes there would be a huge fish coming aboard.( Again, how times have changed)
After Montreal we discharged cargo in at least fifteen ports ending up in Chicago. Running down lake Michigan in October was no picnic. Bad weather and nasty big seas to rival the Atlantic.
We were dead tired most of the time, what with sea watches, then day work in port, followed many many stand by's. I remember passing through the Eisenhower lock and seeing bleachers full of locals watching our progress.
Being on deck one of the most harrowing experiences was getting ashore to handle lines and tie the ship up before going into a lock.In Montreal jumping booms with bosuns chairs were rigged on the fo'csle,and us deck guys would swing out over the gap between the bow and the quayside to be lowered down and grab the heaving lines thrown to us.
One of my best buddies fell between the ship and quay while doing this.We got him out before he was crushed. I remember he was as white as a sheet. The trip lasted about two months and I vowed afterwords never to do another trip up the Seaway again. I didn't!
Paul

[j.sabourn]

Dont know how the safety manual would handle the swinging of seaman over an approach wall from usually a moving vessel, nowadays. Was a hazardous job then and would always be so. Yet all it required from the so called safety experts was for a couple of line handlers to walk a couple of hundred yards from the lock gates which they would not do at that time. Seamen as always were dispensible to some. It was a disgrace to the Local Authority who allowed this to happen. The St. Lawrence Authority or whoever was responsible have nothing to be proud of in the way the system was managed then. Anyone know if it is any different now??? Cheers John Sabourn.

[Bob Hollis]

I done two seasons as boom jumper but no way would I use a regular bosuns chair. Just the seat part with a hole drilled in the centre and the bosun lowering me. I would yell stop when low enough and the second I saw dry land underneath me I was off in a flash.

Paul, where the Welland canal starts the area there is named Racine.

Bob

[j.sabourn]

Ditto on the chair Bob. Think everyone did the same. Had to be able to get clear of chair very fast. The regular chair would have been extremely dangerous, in fact cant imagine anyone using. If they did were probably trebling the chance of a fatality. Cheers John Sabourn.