Posted by Brendon Baillod on September 14, 19103 at 10:58:26:
In Reply to: Archival Great Lakes Wreck Lists posted by Brendon Baillod on September 13, 19103 at 11:19:02:
Since making the above post, I've been contacted by numerous people who have volunteered to help. As such, I have put up a website at:
http://www.ship-wrecks.net/shipwreck/listproject.html
It details the project. I have also put up a partial list of the documents in my collection. It is at:
http://www.ship-wrecks.net/shipwreck/lists.html
Please check it out and if you'd like to transcribe a given list or document, let me know. I've been starting with the 1850/60s BLU accident lists because they are the largest and the least surveyed, but the 1870s/80s signal corp lists are also quite important and unsurveyed. I also have a ten year index of customs house accident reports from 1863 - 73 that I'd like to transcribe, but it will take someone who knows the ships of the period.
Thanks again for all the help. I will be putting the data online in a searchable database and I will credit everyone who participates.
BB
: All,
: Over the years, I have collected comprehensive annual Great Lakes accident lists for nearly every year since 1840. Some of the lists have nearly 2000 entries. They are very important resources for tracing the careers of Lake vessels and they list MANY total loss wrecks that are not yet in any published source.
: The problem is that the lists have never been transcribed and are very difficult and time consuming to search manually. I have tried to transcribe them, but I simply don't have enough time and it would take a lifetime. Searching for a given accident or loss takes hours with the raw data, instead of seconds, if they were transcribed.
: I'm wondering if there is any interest in putting together a community effort to transcribe the lists. In exchange for transcription, I'd be willing to share the data (which is very lightly circulated) with transcribers.
: If the lists can be transcribed, I will put them all online in a searchable database, which would be the single most valuable source for Great Lakes wreck researchers in existence. I estimate the lists contain over 100,000 individual accident references.
: Please respond or email me if you are interested in participating. The lists are all original archival lists from insurance companies, the signal corp, customs houses, etc. and run from about 1840 to about 1910. I consider them the single most valuable resource in my collection.
: Brendon