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| SuperiorPublicMuseums |
Teri Miller commented on a post: "Yes, the Meteor is still there and she is turning 125 on October 1st! [2021]"
"The first whaleback boat was constructed in Duluth, Minnesota in 1888 and was christened 'McDougall’s Dream.' Subsequent boats were built across Superior Bay at a boatyard in Superior Wisconsin." [mndigital, this site has several thumbnails with links, but every link I tried gave me a 403! But none of them show a fully loaded boat] (Captain Alaxander McDougall developed this curved-hull design.)
The Sep 2020 version of the blogspot software is a lot worse than the previous version. But the one thing they did improve was the search function. (Which wasn't hard because the search function of the previous version broke on April 3, 2018.) So I took advantage of the "body" search option and copied photos of whalebacks from other posts I have.
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| 1: Steve Vanden Bosch posted Chicago Harbor with a Whaleback and a Lake Michigan Carferry Barge on the near left. This photo is from the Library of Congress. |
Two from https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2017/07/soo-locks-on-st-marys-river.html and from https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2017/07/soo-locks-on-st-marys-river.html:
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| 1: Steve Vanden Bosch posted |
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| 2: Gerald Vilenski posted A Whaleback entering Weitzel Lock in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. Circa 1910. Looks like the little girl in the foreground may be taking a picture with a box camera... Paul Mathews Can't get that close anymore Mike Harlan shared Del Jackson Probably a Kodak 620. William Worden This is whaleback barge 131, so she might be waiting for a line from her towing steamer out of the photo ahead of her, or it might be the steamer behind her. There's another photo in the Library of Congress/Detroit Publishing collection that shows 131 in the lock with the Mariska, which would have been her towing steamer. |
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| 1: Al Miller posted Views of a glass plate print of the Soo Line whaleback Washburn loading. Although the elevator says Duluth, I believe this actually is in Superior, Wis. [Al's posting includes three closeups of the whaleback boat.] Tim Pranke Al, I don't think I have seen this one before. And you are correct, this is Superior, the elevator that burn a couple years ago. Al Miller Tim Pranke This is a 1980s print made off a glass plate neg that I believe was shot by D.F. Barry, who set up shop in Superior for a time and apparently did some work for McDougall in the early days to help publicize the whaleback design. Mike Harlan shared Greg Sumser I believe that elevator is STILL standing near BARCO in Superior. Dennis DeBruler shared The first photo is of interest. According to Google Earth images, it burned between Sep 2006 and Sep 2008. It appears it has been disassembled for the wood. https://www.google.com/…/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x52ae53fa… It looks like these elevators are also being "mined" for wood. https://www.google.com/…/@46.7388935,-92.1018…/data=!3m1!1e3 Rick Aylsworth Yes, it was being salvaged for timber at the time of the fire. Bob Summers Estimated date for this photo? Looks like a steam engine room on the left, so likely before they had electric motors? Dennis DeBruler The first whaleback was built in 1887, so this could be before electricity became popular. Or they may have converted it to electricity but they hadn't bothered to tear down the steam plant. I think it is safe to say that it is old enough that it originally operated with steam instead of electricity. I just noticed the wires in the foreground. But I don't think those are electric power wires. We are also left with the question of what did the conveyor on the right go to. Bob Summers Dennis DeBruler based on my research the mills and elevators here in central Kansas converted to powering with electric motors mostly in the second decade of the 20rh century, may have had electric light a little earlier. When our first concrete terminal was built in Hutchinson in 1913 they used electric motors, and the mills and older wooden elevators were starting to change over from the coal fired steam power plants. Lots of fires in those days. I suppose the conveyor you mentioned when to another laker loading pier to the right. |
Steve Vanden Bosch posted three photos with the comment: "This photo from the Library of Congress 4a0608u shows an unidentifed Whaleback Steamer at Illiniois Steel Works South Chicago in the 1900's."
Alex Parker It looks like the Pathfinder later known as the Progress.
Built 1892. Scrapped 1934
https://www.flickr.com/photos/upnorthmemories/9568154939 [Illinois Steel Works was one of the companies JP Morgan bought to create US Steel.]
Built 1892. Scrapped 1934
https://www.flickr.com/photos/upnorthmemories/9568154939 [Illinois Steel Works was one of the companies JP Morgan bought to create US Steel.]
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| Don...The UpNorth Memor... Flickr SS PATHFINDER WHALEBACK STEAMER Alexander McDougall & American Steel Barge Curved-decked Snout-nosed Ship built Duluth Rices Point or Superior Howards Pocket1 |
One from https://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/2019/10/superior-wi-abangn-abannp-bnsf-ore-docks.html:
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| 1: Mark Mcgowan posted One of the Great Northern's iron ore loading docks at Allouez Bay, Wisconsin in 1897. Michael Ponsetto: Whaleback, there’s one preserved in Superior, WI ... SS Meteor Mark Manz: Michael Ponsetto yea one. It’s the only one, anywhere, that was preserved. |
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| 1: Detroit - Area Railroad History posted 1906 Detroit waterfront. Note the whaleback freighter. Thomas Rubarth They look very similar, but are too small to be the Boblo Boats. I think the smaller one might be the ferry to Bell Isle, but am not sure. These were pre-bridge (1929) and tunnel (1930) days, so there was a lot of Detroit/Windsor passenger ferry traffic. |
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| Greg Mross posted John Ericsson, Toronto, 9/64. Emery Gulash Kodachrome from my collection. Barry Stone |
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| Kirk Brust commented on Greg's post 1:64 scale. S-scale fiberglass with sheet styrene glued on for hull plating |
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