The Lake Pilots Handbook

THE LAKE PlLOTS’ HANDBOOK USEFUL KNOWLEDG E PERTAINING TO THE GREAT LAKES AND G REAT LAKES ' Pl , LOTlNG , THAT SHOULD BE USEFUL TO THE PROFESSlONAL WELL AS TO THE BEGINN ER . CO MPILED BY A T GEO R E T I C P . G R MBL E. mvm lu "at "“a. Pt. HUM PREFACE 37 The need of a handy book of r efer ence and of gener al “ ( infor m ation on the subject of the Gr eat Lakes and Gr eat ' Lakes Piloting has led the author to under take the pr epar ation F r r s has n an nt s of this wor k . o yea he bee e hu iastic collector of mar ine books and paper s until his libr ar y contains alm ost v r cat on t at tr eats of t r a or oc n f r s e e y publi i h ei he l ke ea af ai . Fr om these books and paper s hav e been culled all the v aluable n or m at on t at s o of nt r st to a sa or s and t i f i h h uld be i e e l ke il , his n r m at on is r s nt to ou in t s a s t t i fo i p e e ed y he e p ge , oge her with much v aluable infor mation that the author has gained by year s Th t o f ser v ic e on the Gr eat Lakes . e au h or has c onsulted , s c a t or t s as B Boo of Am r can S n B u h u h i ie lue k e i hippi g, eer s ' H stor of the Gr at La s B son s lnland Mar n i y e ke , ee i e Guide, ' ' patt r son s Na t ca Enc c o a Scott s Coast e u i l y l pedi , Pilot, ' Am r can M r c ant Mar n H n r son s E m e i e h i e , e de le ents of Nav iga ' t on G or an Ba Coast P ot Kn t s Mo r n S am n i , e gi y il , igh de e a ship , The Mar n R v w 8c 8c and r i e e ie , “ , desi es to expr ess his n t dn ss to all of t s s c a th i deb e e he e , e pe i lly e publications fr om the office of The Mar ine Rev iew 178963 WHERE I GOT MY INFOR MATION 1hav e a libr ar y containing alm ost ev er y book that has v r n s on the s ct of the a mar n r om e e bee publi hed ubje l ke i e , f ' th e old Bar nett s Coast Pilot to the handsom e bulletin pub S . L v h lished at th e office of the U. ake Sur v ey ; l ha e t e Lake S r v c ar ts th H r o r a c c ar ts and th Cana an u ey h , e yd g phi h , e di m ake of char ts ; but one of m y m ost v aluable sour ces of in for mation is a scr ap book filled with clippings fr om the mar n n ws co m ns of the a a r s or the mar n i e e lu d ily p pe , i e v m it t v r t m ss n r f weeklies . l ha e ade a poin ne e o i a um be o th r t r nt m ar n n ws e daily pape hat p i s i e e . A P ILO T efin t on A D i i . A pilot is a person who makes a business of conducting vessels in an d out of port , through narrow channels , up rivers , or along coasts where the navigation is especially diin cult or dangerous . The business of an ocean pilot is very much different from that a a s of l ke pilot . Ocean steam ers do not generally carry pilots a a a a La m r l aw p rt of their perm nent crew . ke stea ers a e required by a a to c rry two or three pilots aboard as part of their crew . The m ster an d mates of an ocean steamer must be pr oficient navigators an d be a a e m ble to t k their ship fro on e part of the world to another , but when they approach a port a pilot comes out in a sm all boat an d takes a an d a ch rge of the vessel conducts her into the h rbor . But on the Great Lakes every master an d mate of a steam er must also be a licensed pilot an d be able to pilot his ship through al l the difficult a an ch nnels d along the five thousan d miles of dangerous coasts , an d e besides b ing able to take the ship safely into one port , as the ocean a a pilots do, he is expected to be ble to t ke his ship into the scores a a a a La m a an of h rbors th t bound on the Gre t kes . A Co m nder of A a an a meric n oce w rship , who is now doing service on the Govern a as a a ment ships on the l kes , is quoted s ying th t he considers the a a a lake pilots the best pilots in th e world . He s ys th t in single trip th e a a through n rrow ch nnels of the St . Clair an d D etroit rivers , you would meet more ships than you would meet in a trip from N ew Y k E I n or to the ast ndies , a d the greater part of these ships would m e e be the ma moth ste l fr ighters that, from a distance, appear too big an d unwieldy to be handled at al l . A n d these big ships ar e taken through these narrow channels at night just as safely as they ar e in the daytime . In th e trip from Lake E rie to Lake Superior a pilot h as a r to t ke his ship through the Detroit, St . Clair an d 800 ivers , the a a a 15 A n ggreg te dist nce of these rivers being over 0 miles . d when the lake is reached the same vigilance is needed as is required in the rivers . With 2 500 vessels doing business on the Great Lakes there all m will , of course , be many in sight the ti e . Collisions have to be a a a a n d voided, not only with bo ts , but with flo ting wrecks , r fts , a with tc . Is n and a e . a a sunken rocks , sho ls , , etc it y wonder then th t the business of a lake pilot is an im portant one . E very year the Govern ment of the United States is drawing the lines tighter around the m was a e as a lake pilot . A govern ent inspector sk d to wh t he thought ’ “ was G a La . a a can required of re t kes pilots He nswered , When pilot t a a a take a ship safely through the rivers , wi hout st ke or buoy or a an e a a . I guide of y kind , excepting his knowl dge of l ndm rks , etc , If n ot will then pronounce him proficient . pilots could do this , a a a b un many ships would meet dis ster on ccount of mispl ced uoys , on an A a a an lighted ranges , etc . A pilot meric n ste mer must be A a a a an d an d a an d meric n citizen , must be ble to re d write , must he r see perfectly . His tor ical Facts R egar ding the G r eat Lakes L The St. awrence river was discovered by the explorer Auber t in 1508. F r e o a a a Law The ench xpl rer J cques C rtier scended the St . r as f ar as I a a e H a a a ) rence iver, the ndi n vill g of ochel g (now Montre l in 15 3 4 . La H was ke uron the first of the Great Lakes to be discovered . In 1615 th e F rench explor ers Le Caron an d Cham plain both discovered La a r t am . ke Huron but in sep rate pa ies . Both explorers c e up the St La as f ar as o a wrence M ntreal an d then up the Ott wa river . They then took d ifier en t routes across the country to Georgian B ay an d o La H o a La int ke uron .

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