[Illustration: The Fountain of the Great Lakes
Lorado Taft, Sculptor]
The Great Lakes
The Vessels That Plough Them: Their Owners,
Their Sailors, and Their Cargoes
Together with
A Brief History of Our Inland Seas
By
James Oliver Curwood
_With 72 Illustrations and a Map_
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
New York and London
The Knickerbocker Press
1909
COPYRIGHT, 1909
BY
JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD
The Knickerbocker Press, New York
TO HIS
FATHER AND MOTHER
WHOSE ENCOURAGEMENT AND FAITH IN HIM HAVE BEEN UNFAILING,
THE AUTHOR
AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATES THIS BOOK
Preface
In this volume, it has been my object to tell of the people and of
the picturesque life of the Great Lakes, and to set before my readers
actual facts about the cities, the commerce, and the future of the
greatest fresh-water seas in the world. For some unaccountable reason,
the Great Lakes, notwithstanding the fact that more than thirty million
people live in the States bordering their shores, and in spite of the
still more remarkable fact that they are doing more than anything else
on the American continent for the commercial progress of the nation,
have been almost entirely neglected by writers. To-day there are but
few people who know that one of the three greatest ports and the
largest fleet of freighters in the world are on these unsalted waters;
and I mention the fact in this particular place simply to bring home
to the casual reader how little is known by the public at large about
our Inland Seas. For this reason, I have not dealt with any single
side of Lake life, but have attempted to present as many phases of it
as I could; and, for the same reason, I have added a brief historical
account of the Lakes at the end of the book. It has been my desire,
too, that these pages, from the beginning, should prove of especial
value to those many thousands all over the world who are, or may in the
future be, directly interested in the Lakes in a business way; and a
great deal of attention has, therefore, been given to the commercial
side of my subject--statistics and facts regarding Lake commerce, the
opportunities of the present day, and a forecast of what the coming
years hold in store for the men who have investments, or who plan to
invest in business enterprises, on or about the Great Lakes.
While dwelling upon the importance of the commercial life of the Inland
Seas, I wish also to emphasise the fact that I have kept always in
mind another large class of people who are keenly interested in my
subject, though not from a commercial standpoint. The present volume is
designed to interest this latter class by portraying another side of
Lake life--the human side, the romance and the tragedy that have played
their thrilling parts upon these waters; the wonders of their progress;
the story of their ships, their men, their wars, for of all the pages
in the history of the North American continent none are more thrilling,
or more filled with the romantic and the picturesque, than those which
tell the story of our fresh-water seas.
In conclusion, I wish to say that I owe a great debt of gratitude to
the scores of Lake “owners,” ship-builders, and captains who have
aided me, in every way possible, in the preparation of this volume, and
without whose personal co-operation the writing of it would have been
impossible.
J. O. C.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN, 1909.
Contents
PAGE
PART I
THE SHIPS, THEIR OWNERS, THEIR SAILORS, AND THEIR CARGOES
I--THE BUILDING OF THE SHIPS 3
II--WHAT THE SHIPS CARRY--ORE 25
III--WHAT THE SHIPS CARRY--OTHER CARGOES 46
IV--PASSENGER TRAFFIC AND SUMMER LIFE 68
V--THE ROMANCE AND TRAGEDY OF THE INLAND SEAS 89
VI--BUFFALO AND DULUTH: THE ALPHA AND OMEGA OF THE LAKES 113
VII--A TRIP ON A GREAT LAKES FREIGHTER 137