Post by Avenger on Sept 16, 2017 6:15:41 GMT -5
"Whistles On The Water" set for Sept. 30 in St. Clair
9/16 - The ninth annual "Whistles On The Water" steam whistle event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 30 from 9 am to 4 pm in downtown St. Clair, Mich. It will be in its usual site in Palmer Park down by the boardwalk next to the St. Clair River. The event is free to attend and free hearing protection will be available.
This is a unique opportunity to see and hear the sound of steam whistles from many Great Lakes ships of the past. The last steam whistle on the Great Lakes has been gone more than 20 years so there is now a whole generation that has never heard this sound that was once so common.
The featured whistle this year will be from the Lake Erie car ferry Ashtabula, which was built at St. Clair in 1906. Other newcomers are the whistles from the car ferry Lansdowne of 1884 and the whaleback barge "137" of 1896. The usual favorites such as the Bob-lo steamer Columbia, Georgian Bay cruise ship South American, excursion boat Put-In-Bay, and bulk freighter Joseph H. Frantz will be present.
Virtually unlimited steam is provided by the huge portable boiler yielding 180 pounds per inch. This gives the full sound of each whistle being blown.
Another activity is the exchange of salutes with passing ships, which is quite a thrill for the audience. The event is fully narrated and the visitors get a concise summary of the whistle's history, type and manufacturer. It's a great day to bring your chairs and picnic lunch and watch the passing ships exchange salutes and hear the sounds of a bygone era.
Due to the loud volume of the whistles, please do not bring pets or very young children.
Tondu power plant plans to change from coal to natural gas
9/16 - Filer City, Mich. – CMS Energy officials are currently working toward changing the fuel burned at the TES Filer City Station to create electricity and steam from mostly coal to mostly natural gas. To do that, they first need permission from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Filer Township Planning Commission.
The company’s Filer City facility is at 700 Mee St. in Filer City and it currently produces and sells 60 megawatts of electricity by burning mostly coal, as well as some rubber — referred to as tire-derived fuel — and some wood waste from the neighboring PCA factory. It receives coal via lake freighter.
The proposed changeover from coal to gas as a fuel will require the installation of a combined-cycle power plant including a combustion turbine, a unified heat recovery steam generator, an auxiliary boiler and a cooling tower, according to the DEQ.
The TES plant began operations in 1990 and, in addition to the electricity it produces, it also provides steam to the PCA plant. “It currently predominantly burns coal and we’re looking at turning the plant into a gas-fired plant,” said CMS spokesman Brian Wheeler.
To make the transformation, the company would have to expand the size of the plant and add new equipment. If the changeover occurs, Tom Allen, asset manager for the Filer City plant, the facility could produce up to 225 megawatts of electricity.
One key to the higher output, Allen said, is the use of the heat from the exhaust to create more steam.
Ludington Daily News
Today in Great Lakes History - September 16
On September 16, 1893, HATTIE EARL (wooden schooner, 96 foot, 101 gross tons, built in 1869, at South Haven, Michigan) was driven ashore just outside the harbor of Michigan City, Indiana, and was pounded to pieces by the waves. No lives were lost.
At about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, September 16, 1990, the inbound motor ship BUFFALO passed close by while the tanker JUPITER was unloading unleaded gasoline at the Total Petroleum dock in the Saginaw River near Bay City, Michigan. As the BUFFALO passed the dock's aft pilings broke off and the fuel lines parted which caused a spark and ignited the spilled fuel. At the time 22,000 barrels of a total of 54,000 barrels were still aboard. Flames catapulted over 100 feet high filling the air with smoke that could be seen for 50 miles. The fire was still burning the next morning when a six man crew from Williams, Boots & Coots Firefighters and Hazard Control Specialists of Port Neches, Texas, arrived to fight the fire. By Monday afternoon they extinguished the fire only to have it re-ignite that night resulting in multiple explosions. Not until Tuesday morning on the 18th was the fire finally subdued with the assistance of the U.S. Coast Guard's BRAMBLE and BRISTOL BAY. The tanker, which was valued at $9 million, was declared a total constructive loss, though the engine room was relatively untouched. Unfortunately the fire claimed the life of one crew member, who drowned attempting to swim ashore. As a result the Coast Guard closed the river to all navigation. On October 19th the river was opened to navigation after the Gaelic tugs SUSAN HOEY and CAROLYN HOEY towed the JUPITER up river to the Hirschfield & Sons Dock at Bay City (formerly the Defoe Shipyard) where a crane was erected for dismantling the burned out hulk. Her engines were removed and shipped to New Bedford, Massachusetts, for future use. The river opening allowed American Steamship's BUFFALO to depart the Lafarge dock where she had been trapped since the explosion. JUPITER's dismantling was completed over the winter of 1990-91. Subsequent investigation by the NTSB, U.S. Coast Guard and the findings of a federal judge all exonerated the master and BUFFALO in the tragedy.
Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd. purchased all nine of the Soo River's fleet on September 16, 1982, for a reported C$2.5 million and all nine returned to service, although only four were running at the end of the season.
The NORISLE went into service September 16, 1946, as the first Canadian passenger ship commissioned since the NORONIC in 1913.
On September 16, 1952, the CASON J. CALLAWAY departed River Rouge, Michigan, for Duluth, Minnesota, on its maiden voyage for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.
On September 16, 1895, ARCTIC (2 mast wooden schooner, 113 foot, 85 gross tons, built in 1853, at Ashtabula, Ohio) was rammed and sunk by the steamer CLYDE in broad daylight and calm weather. ARCTIC was almost cut in half by the blow. The skipper of CLYDE was censured for the wreck and for his callous treatment of the schooner's crew afterwards. Luckily no lives were lost.
On September 16,1877, the 46 foot tug RED RIBBON, owned by W. H. Morris of Port Huron, Michigan, burned about 2 miles below St. Clair, Michigan. Capt. Morris ran the tug ashore and hurried to St. Clair to get assistance, but officials there refused to allow the steam fire engine to go outside the city. The tug was a total loss and was only insured for $1,000, half her value. She had just started in service in May of 1877, and was named for the reform movement that was in full swing at the time of her launch.
On September 16, 1900, LULU BEATRICE (2-mast wooden schooner, 72 foot, 48 gross tons, built in 1896, at Port Burwell, Ontario) was carrying coal on Lake Erie when she was wrecked on the shore near the harbor entrance at Port Burwell in a storm. One life was lost, the captain's wife.
1892 The wooden propeller VIENNA sank in foggy Whitefish Bay after beiing hit broadside by the wooden steamer NIPIGON. The latter survived and later worked for Canada Steamship Lines as b) MAPLEGRANGE and c) MAPLEHILL (i) but was laid up at Kingston in 1925 and scuttled in Lake Ontario in 1927.
1901 HUDSON was last seen dead in the water with a heavy list. The steeel package freighter had cleared Duluth the previous day with wheat and flax for Buffalo but ran into a furious storm and sank in Lake Superior off Eagle Harbor Light with the loss of 24-25 lives.
1906 CHARLES B. PACKARD hit the wreck of the schooner ARMENIA off Midddle Ground, Lake Erie and sank in 45 minutes. All on board were rescued and the hull was later dynamited as a hazard to navigation.
1937-- The large wooden tug G.R. GRAY (ii) of the Lake Superior Paper Co., got caught in a storm off Coppermine Point, Lake Superior, working with GARGANTUA on a log raft and fell into the trough. The stack was toppled but the vessel managed to reach Batchawana and was laid up. The hull was towed to Sault Ste. Marie in 1938 and eventually stripped out. The remains were taken to Thessalon in 1947 and remained there until it caught fire and burned in 1959.
1975 BJORSUND, a Norwegian tanker, visited the Seaway in 1966. The 22--year old vessel began leaking as b) AMERFIN enroute from Mexico to Panama and sank in the Pacific while under tow off Costa Rica.
1990 JUPITER was unloading at Bay City when the wake of a passing shipp separated the hose connection spreading gasoline on deck. An explosion and fire resulted. One sailor was lost as the ship burned for days and subsequently sank.
2005 Fire broke out aboard the tug JAMES A. HANNAH above Lock 2 of the Welland Canal while downbound with the barge 5101 loaded with asphalt, diesel and heavy oil. City of St. Catharines fire fighters help extinguish the blaze.
9/16 - The ninth annual "Whistles On The Water" steam whistle event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 30 from 9 am to 4 pm in downtown St. Clair, Mich. It will be in its usual site in Palmer Park down by the boardwalk next to the St. Clair River. The event is free to attend and free hearing protection will be available.
This is a unique opportunity to see and hear the sound of steam whistles from many Great Lakes ships of the past. The last steam whistle on the Great Lakes has been gone more than 20 years so there is now a whole generation that has never heard this sound that was once so common.
The featured whistle this year will be from the Lake Erie car ferry Ashtabula, which was built at St. Clair in 1906. Other newcomers are the whistles from the car ferry Lansdowne of 1884 and the whaleback barge "137" of 1896. The usual favorites such as the Bob-lo steamer Columbia, Georgian Bay cruise ship South American, excursion boat Put-In-Bay, and bulk freighter Joseph H. Frantz will be present.
Virtually unlimited steam is provided by the huge portable boiler yielding 180 pounds per inch. This gives the full sound of each whistle being blown.
Another activity is the exchange of salutes with passing ships, which is quite a thrill for the audience. The event is fully narrated and the visitors get a concise summary of the whistle's history, type and manufacturer. It's a great day to bring your chairs and picnic lunch and watch the passing ships exchange salutes and hear the sounds of a bygone era.
Due to the loud volume of the whistles, please do not bring pets or very young children.
Tondu power plant plans to change from coal to natural gas
9/16 - Filer City, Mich. – CMS Energy officials are currently working toward changing the fuel burned at the TES Filer City Station to create electricity and steam from mostly coal to mostly natural gas. To do that, they first need permission from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Filer Township Planning Commission.
The company’s Filer City facility is at 700 Mee St. in Filer City and it currently produces and sells 60 megawatts of electricity by burning mostly coal, as well as some rubber — referred to as tire-derived fuel — and some wood waste from the neighboring PCA factory. It receives coal via lake freighter.
The proposed changeover from coal to gas as a fuel will require the installation of a combined-cycle power plant including a combustion turbine, a unified heat recovery steam generator, an auxiliary boiler and a cooling tower, according to the DEQ.
The TES plant began operations in 1990 and, in addition to the electricity it produces, it also provides steam to the PCA plant. “It currently predominantly burns coal and we’re looking at turning the plant into a gas-fired plant,” said CMS spokesman Brian Wheeler.
To make the transformation, the company would have to expand the size of the plant and add new equipment. If the changeover occurs, Tom Allen, asset manager for the Filer City plant, the facility could produce up to 225 megawatts of electricity.
One key to the higher output, Allen said, is the use of the heat from the exhaust to create more steam.
Ludington Daily News
Today in Great Lakes History - September 16
On September 16, 1893, HATTIE EARL (wooden schooner, 96 foot, 101 gross tons, built in 1869, at South Haven, Michigan) was driven ashore just outside the harbor of Michigan City, Indiana, and was pounded to pieces by the waves. No lives were lost.
At about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, September 16, 1990, the inbound motor ship BUFFALO passed close by while the tanker JUPITER was unloading unleaded gasoline at the Total Petroleum dock in the Saginaw River near Bay City, Michigan. As the BUFFALO passed the dock's aft pilings broke off and the fuel lines parted which caused a spark and ignited the spilled fuel. At the time 22,000 barrels of a total of 54,000 barrels were still aboard. Flames catapulted over 100 feet high filling the air with smoke that could be seen for 50 miles. The fire was still burning the next morning when a six man crew from Williams, Boots & Coots Firefighters and Hazard Control Specialists of Port Neches, Texas, arrived to fight the fire. By Monday afternoon they extinguished the fire only to have it re-ignite that night resulting in multiple explosions. Not until Tuesday morning on the 18th was the fire finally subdued with the assistance of the U.S. Coast Guard's BRAMBLE and BRISTOL BAY. The tanker, which was valued at $9 million, was declared a total constructive loss, though the engine room was relatively untouched. Unfortunately the fire claimed the life of one crew member, who drowned attempting to swim ashore. As a result the Coast Guard closed the river to all navigation. On October 19th the river was opened to navigation after the Gaelic tugs SUSAN HOEY and CAROLYN HOEY towed the JUPITER up river to the Hirschfield & Sons Dock at Bay City (formerly the Defoe Shipyard) where a crane was erected for dismantling the burned out hulk. Her engines were removed and shipped to New Bedford, Massachusetts, for future use. The river opening allowed American Steamship's BUFFALO to depart the Lafarge dock where she had been trapped since the explosion. JUPITER's dismantling was completed over the winter of 1990-91. Subsequent investigation by the NTSB, U.S. Coast Guard and the findings of a federal judge all exonerated the master and BUFFALO in the tragedy.
Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd. purchased all nine of the Soo River's fleet on September 16, 1982, for a reported C$2.5 million and all nine returned to service, although only four were running at the end of the season.
The NORISLE went into service September 16, 1946, as the first Canadian passenger ship commissioned since the NORONIC in 1913.
On September 16, 1952, the CASON J. CALLAWAY departed River Rouge, Michigan, for Duluth, Minnesota, on its maiden voyage for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.
On September 16, 1895, ARCTIC (2 mast wooden schooner, 113 foot, 85 gross tons, built in 1853, at Ashtabula, Ohio) was rammed and sunk by the steamer CLYDE in broad daylight and calm weather. ARCTIC was almost cut in half by the blow. The skipper of CLYDE was censured for the wreck and for his callous treatment of the schooner's crew afterwards. Luckily no lives were lost.
On September 16,1877, the 46 foot tug RED RIBBON, owned by W. H. Morris of Port Huron, Michigan, burned about 2 miles below St. Clair, Michigan. Capt. Morris ran the tug ashore and hurried to St. Clair to get assistance, but officials there refused to allow the steam fire engine to go outside the city. The tug was a total loss and was only insured for $1,000, half her value. She had just started in service in May of 1877, and was named for the reform movement that was in full swing at the time of her launch.
On September 16, 1900, LULU BEATRICE (2-mast wooden schooner, 72 foot, 48 gross tons, built in 1896, at Port Burwell, Ontario) was carrying coal on Lake Erie when she was wrecked on the shore near the harbor entrance at Port Burwell in a storm. One life was lost, the captain's wife.
1892 The wooden propeller VIENNA sank in foggy Whitefish Bay after beiing hit broadside by the wooden steamer NIPIGON. The latter survived and later worked for Canada Steamship Lines as b) MAPLEGRANGE and c) MAPLEHILL (i) but was laid up at Kingston in 1925 and scuttled in Lake Ontario in 1927.
1901 HUDSON was last seen dead in the water with a heavy list. The steeel package freighter had cleared Duluth the previous day with wheat and flax for Buffalo but ran into a furious storm and sank in Lake Superior off Eagle Harbor Light with the loss of 24-25 lives.
1906 CHARLES B. PACKARD hit the wreck of the schooner ARMENIA off Midddle Ground, Lake Erie and sank in 45 minutes. All on board were rescued and the hull was later dynamited as a hazard to navigation.
1937-- The large wooden tug G.R. GRAY (ii) of the Lake Superior Paper Co., got caught in a storm off Coppermine Point, Lake Superior, working with GARGANTUA on a log raft and fell into the trough. The stack was toppled but the vessel managed to reach Batchawana and was laid up. The hull was towed to Sault Ste. Marie in 1938 and eventually stripped out. The remains were taken to Thessalon in 1947 and remained there until it caught fire and burned in 1959.
1975 BJORSUND, a Norwegian tanker, visited the Seaway in 1966. The 22--year old vessel began leaking as b) AMERFIN enroute from Mexico to Panama and sank in the Pacific while under tow off Costa Rica.
1990 JUPITER was unloading at Bay City when the wake of a passing shipp separated the hose connection spreading gasoline on deck. An explosion and fire resulted. One sailor was lost as the ship burned for days and subsequently sank.
2005 Fire broke out aboard the tug JAMES A. HANNAH above Lock 2 of the Welland Canal while downbound with the barge 5101 loaded with asphalt, diesel and heavy oil. City of St. Catharines fire fighters help extinguish the blaze.
