Author : Janet Young
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2020-07-29
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1649709935
Presque Isle's Shipwreck Alley by Janet Young Pdf
One of the greatest ship graveyards in the world lies below a treacherous span of water extending from Thunder Bay (Alpena) to the Straits of Mackinac's lower entrance. In the 19th century, veteran navigators regarded this section on the upper waters of Lake Huron as one of the most dangerous stretches on the Great Lakes. Sailors justifiably named this long, narrow strip of water Shipwreck Alley. The northern portion of Shipwreck Alley runs along the forested shores of Michigan's Presque Isle County.In the late 1800s, the Chicago Tribune reported that fully 90% of the thousands of vessels employed in commerce on the Great Lakes routinely navigated along this less than four-mile-wide corridor. To save valuable time (and money), both upbound and downbound captains generally preferred sailing on the shorter route closer to shore rather than on Huron's distant wide-open waters. Consequently, the risk of collisions increased with fleets of vessels traveling in opposite directions on the same heavily-trafficked lane. In 1888, The Inter Ocean related: "Presque Isle is the point that agitates the body and mind of the lake navigators. Many a boat has met its fate there."Presque Isle's Shipwreck Alley relates the stories of seventeen amazing ships that met their demise on upper Lake Huron. Four of the extremely intact shipwreck sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The vessels appear ready to sail as they did well over a century ago and attract ship hunters and divers from around the globe. The shipwreck stories in this volume are intertwined with short biographies of the vessel owners, commanders, shipbuilders, and when possible, information about the crew and passengers aboard the ill-fated vessel. The history of each shipwreck encompasses the vessel's career from its construction through its final voyage, and in some cases, relate details found in court records in the inevitable law suits that frequently followed the loss of a vessel. Examples of success as well as difficulties encountered in conducting commerce on the lakes are illustrated throughout the chapters.
