TELESCOPE December, 1962 Volume 11, Number 12
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TELESCOPE December, 1962 Volume 11, Number 12 Great Lakes Maritime Institute DOSSIN GREAT LAKES MUSEUM. BELLE ISLE. DETROIT 7. MICHIGAN - 2 6 2 - Telescope A Christmas Package of Photographs by Capt. William J. Taylor From the Museum-Institute Collection, Edited by Emory A. Massman, Jr., With an Introduction by the Rev. Edward J. Dowling, S. J. Taylor Photographs: 1-2 PASSENGER VESSELS. Above (1): KEEWATIN (Can. 125985). Built: 1907 by Fairfield Co. Ltd. at Govan, Scotland (hull #453). Measure ments : 3856 gt; 2470 nt; 336'-6" x 43'-10" x 26'-9". Engine; Quadruple-expansion, 23%"-34"-48%"-70" x 45", at 3300 IHP. Boilers: four scotch, 14'-10" x 11'. Owner: Canadian Pacific Railway Co. Photograph taken 27 Sept. 1931. In service. See also cover photo . Below (2): CITY OF DETROIT III (US 209571). Built: 1912 at Wyan dotte, Michigan, by Detroit Shipbuilding Co. (hull #187). Mea sure - ments: 6061 gt; 3328 nt; 455' x 55'-4" x 22'. Engine: Three- cylinder inclined compound, 63"-92"-92" x 102", sidewheeler, by builder. Boilers: Three double-ended scotch, 14’-8" x 12'; two double-ended scotch, 13'-9" x 22'-7"; one double-ended scotch, 14'-8" x 22‘-7", by builder. Owner: Detroit and Cleveland Naviga tion Co. Final Disposition: Dismantled at Detroit, fall of 1956. Photograph taken 15 July 1940. Telescope - 2 6 3 - - 2 6 4 - Telescope Captain Taylor — Phot o fr om Dowling Coll. Taylor Photographs: 3-4 BULK FREIGHTERS. Above (3): ROBERT W. E. BUNSEN (US 111294) b MARQUIS ROEN. Built: 1900 at Chicago, Illinois, by Chicago Ship building Company (hull #40). Rebuilt 1922 and 1954. Measurements; 5181 gt; 4012 nt; 447' x 50' x 29'-6". Engine: Quadruple-expan sion, 20%"-30"-43%"-63" x 42". Boilers; Two scotch, 15’-4" x 11'. Owners: (1) Bessemer Steamship Company; (2) Pittsburgh Steamship Company; (3) Roen Steamship Company. In service as a barge. Photograph taken 1 July 1941. Below (4): SMITH THOMPSON (US 204190) b ROBERT N. JOYNT. Built: 1907 at Toledo, Ohio, by Toledo Shipbuilding Company (hull #110). Measurements: 4786 gt; 4227 nt; 446'-9" x 52' x 28'-1". Engine: Quadruple-expansion, 16%"-24"-35"-50" x 42". Boilers : Two scotch, 12’-6" x 12'. Owners: (1) L. C. Smith Transportation Co.; (2) Great Lakes Steamship Company; (3) T. J. McCarthy Steamship Company. Final Disposition: Sold 1961 for scrapping overseas. Photograph taken 18 June 1941. Telescope - 2 6 5 - - 2 6 6 - Telescope Captain William James Taylor (1882-1958) William James Taylor was born at Buffalo, New York, in 1882, the son of Henry and Charlotte Taylor. During his boyhood, his father was employed in a ship chandlery at Buffalo, and here it was that young William found his interest in ships— an interest which would influence his entire life. At the age of fourteen he began sailing on the small steam barge JUNO (Can. 90771), built in 1885 at Wallaceburg, Ont. He used to describe his first job as a combination of cabin boy, deckhand and general laborer. Later on he sailed on the schooners MADEL EINE T. DOWNING (US 90634) of 1873, SINGAPORE (Can. 77629) of 1873 also, and J. G. KOLFAGE, a Canadian schooner built in 186 9— five years before Canadian vessels began to be registered. These ships carried mostly Taylor Photographs: 5-6 MISCELIANEOUS VESSELS. Above (5): JOHN GEHM (US 217171) a IAKE ORANGE c MENEMASHA d JOHN GEHM (again). Built: 1918 at Duluth, Minnesota, by McDouga11-Duluth Company (hull #10). Measurements: 1991 gt; 1178 nt; 251' x 43'-6" x 20' -8". Engine: Triple-expan sion, 20"-33"-54" x 40". Boilers: Two scotch, 14'-6" x 11'-6". Owners: (1) United States Shipping Board; (2) Bison Steamship Co., Boland & Cornelius; (3) United States Maritime Commission. Fina1 Disposition: Scrapped around 1948. Photograph taken 27 June 1939. Below (6)J GLADIATOR (US 85263). Built: 1871 at Port Huron by A. Stewart, hull of oak. Reconstructed 1896 and 1934. Measure ments : 177gt; 65nt; 123' x 22 '-1 " x 13'. Engines: (a) Two - cylinder steeple compound, 22"-40" x 30", built 1871 by Cuyahoga Furnace Company. Replaced by (b) two-cylinder steeple compound, 22"-40"x30", built 1892 by S. F. Hodge & Co. Engine rebuilt 1934. Boiler: Johnston Bros., Inc., 1934. Owners: (1) B. B. Moiles, Saginaw; (2) Duluth-Superior Dredging Company. Final Disposition: Dismantled at Stony Island, Detroit River, December, 1959. Photo graph not dated. Telescope - 2 6 7 - - 2 6 8 - Telescope grain and coal. Near the turn of the century Taylor returned to steamships as wheelsman on the iron package freighter BINGHAMPTON (ex H. J. JEWETT, US 95712, built 1882 at Buffalo). She ran on the Chicago and Buffalo service in the fleet of Erie Railroad's Union Steamboat Line. In 1902 he entered what would be his life time work, the employment with the United States Lighthouse Service. Although he was a well-experienced sailor— having put in time in both sailing ships and steamships in a variety of Great Lakes trades— he confessed he found the work in the Lighthouse Service much more difficult and "rugged" than he had ever expected it would be. Life on a light house tender was an ever-changing panorama, which lasted each year from April to Decem ber , seven days a week. Between the first placing of buoys in early spring and the last trips taking home the lighthouse personnel for the winter, there were the hundred duties of servicing equipment, carrying supplies, and the like. As officer Taylor rose in the U. S. Lighthouse Service, he held the post of mate on the tenders CLOVER, MARIGOLD and AMARANTH, and was later commander of CLOVER Taylor Photo graph, s: 7-8 SELF-UNLOADING VESSELS. Above (7) * IAGONDA (US 141432). Built : 1896 at West Bay City, Michigan, by F. W. Wheeler Company (hull #115). Rebuilt 1926. Measurements: 3647 gt; 3017 nt; 373' x 45' x 26'-10". Engine: Triple-expansion, 19"-31"-52" x 44", by buil der . Boilers: Two scotch, 12'-6" x 12'. Owners: (1) John Mit chell (Cleveland Steamship Co., Etna Steamship Co.); (2) Interlake Steamship Company; (3) Bethlehem Steel Corp., managed by Boland & Cornelius as Ore Navigation Company. Final Disposition: Scrapped 1958 at Buffalo. Crane-ship. Photograph taken 12 July 1941. Below (8) I R. E. MOODY (US 200346) a P. P. MILLER b COLLIER c JOHN McCARTNEY KENNEDY. Built : 1903 at Buffalo by Buffalo SB Co. (hull #205). Rebuilt 1926. Measurements: 3663 gt; 3048 nt; 361'-8" x 48' x 28'. Engine: Triple-expansion, 20"-33%"-55" x 40", by Amer ican Shipbuilding Co. Boilers: Two scotch, 14' x 12', by American Shipbuilding Co. Owners: (1) Miller Steamship Co., Brown & Co.; (2) Inter-state Steamship Company (Jones & Laughlin), W. H. Becker; (3) Valley Camp Steamship Co.; (4) Columbia Transportation Company. Final Disposition: Dismantled 1959 at Duluth. Photograph taken 8 September 1939. Telescope - 2 6 9 - - 2 7 0 - Telescope and ASPEN. (Note: See Telescope, March, April and June of 1962, for a listing of the Lighthouse tenders of the lakes— Editor.) Captain Taylor spent fourteen years on the bridge of ASPEN. In 1935 Captain Taylor retired from the Lighthouse Service, and made residence on Drexel Avenue on Detroit's east side. Early in his sailing days he had found photography an interesting hobby, and soon he was taking pictures of all the ships he saw. Today, many of these pictures are col lectors' items of great value. After his retirement, he devoted all of his time to marine photography. He purchased a small motorboat and a very large camera. With his son, Wainwright, navigating his boat, and handling the camera himself, he cruised up and down the Detroit River taking photographs of all the passing ships. In the ten years approximately that he devoted to this effort he amassed a collection of some three thou sand excellent 8" x 10" negatives of all the Great Lakes ships of the era immediately before and after World War II. For many years until failing health forced him to Taylor Photographs: 9-10 BULK FREIGHTERS. Above (9): CADILIAC (ii) (US 117134) a STEEL KING c CHACORNAC. Built: 1902 at Lorain, Ohio, by American Ship building Company (hull #316). Measurements: 3586 gt; 2855 nt; 380' x 50' x 24'. Engine: Triple-expansion, 22"-35"-58" x 40", by builder. Boilers: Two scotch, 13’-2" x 12'. Owners: (1) Gil christ Transportation Company; (2) Davidson Steamship Company; (3) Cleveland-Cliffs Steamship Company; (4) War Shipping Administration. Final Disposition: Scrapped 1956 at Buffalo. Photograph taken 6 June 1942. Below (10): SONOMA (US 117266) a SONOMA (also) b DAVID S. TROXEL d FRED L. HEWITT (ii). Built: 1903 at West Bay City by West Bay City Shipbuilding Company (hull #610); rebuilt 1942. Measurements: 4544 gt; 3499 nt; 416' x 50' x 28'. Engine: Triple-expansion, 20%"-33%"-55" x 40". Boilers: Two scotch, 13’-2" x 11'-6". Own er s : (1) Tomlinson; (2) Forest City Steamship Co.; (3) Tomlinson; (4) Nicholson-Universal Steamship Company; (5) Overlakes Freight Corp.; (6) War Shipping Administration; (7) T. H. Browning Steamship Company; (8) Gamma Lake Ship Co. (Continental Grain Corp.). Fina 1 Disposition: Scrapped 1962 at Hamilton, Ont. Photograph taken 20 June 1947. Telescope 2 7 1 - - 2 7 2 - Telescope rest, he conducted an extensive photo busi ness. His photos are unexcelled for sharp ness, detail and composition. When no longer able to handle the business himself. Captain Taylor sold the negatives to local photographers in the Detroit area. Fortunately, in the intervening years, most of these negatives have found their way into the hands of appreciative collectors who preserve them.