On this day May 23, 1891, the whaleback CHARLES W. WETMORE was launched at Superior, Wisconsin, by the American Steel Barge Company. One of three launched that year. The others being the A. D. THOMSON and E. B. BARTLETT. She measured 265 feet length x 38 feet beam x 24 feet depth and was built for ocean trade.
Photo at top of page: CHARLES W. WETMORE in the St. Lawrence River, June 1891.
The WETMORE left the shipyard on June 10th for Duluth where she loaded 70,000 bushels of wheat. She sailed through the Great Lakes and down the St. Lawrence River. Her size made her too big to squeeze through the canals, so she lightered off the wheat at Kingston, Ontario, and ran the rapids at the mouth of Lake Ontario. This took three days. The last day the river pilots refused to guide her downstream through the rough water of the Lechine Rapids. Captain McDougall finally retained an old river man to guide her. They arrived safely at Montreal. Her cargo of wheat was reloaded and she sailed off to Liverpool. She crossed the Atlantic in 11 days.
The CHARLES W. WETMORE, date unknown
The WETMORE returned from Liverpool, loaded machinery and coal at Wilmington, Delaware, and sailed for the Puget Sound. This journey of 14,000 miles around Cape Horn and onto Everett, Washington, lasted 70 days.
This cargo consisted of two disassembled sawmills, machinery for a paper mill, a nail factory, fabricated steel and some shipyard machinery. Pacific Steel Barge Company was the receiver of the steel and shipyard machinery which was used to build the CITY OF EVERETT, the company’s first whaleback.
She stayed on the west coast sailing for the Pacific Steel Barge Co. and carrying coal between San Francisco and Tacoma. On September 8, 1892, in dense fog she ran into the North Spit of Coos Bay Bar, Oregon. She hit hard, bent her bow stanchions and was dashed to pieces. Her crew of 22 took to the life boats and was rescued by the Lifesaving crew.
Suzette Lopez
PHOTO CREDIT: The Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
