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From: Jon Paul Van Harpen
Category: Shipwreck Research
Date: 29 Sep 2004
Time: 14:59:06
Remote Name: 208.49.32.22
I agree much of the early move was due to economics, Europe started with steel construction long before we did, just for the sake they did not have the wood resources. The first steel hull ship on the Great Lakes was the USS Michigan in 1842. James Davidson (Bay City, MI) did not believe in steel ships and built large wooden ships until 1903. He actualy built wooden dump scows until 1915. As far as loss of wooden steamers and wood bulk frieghters go fire was a major contributing factor (City of Glasgow 1907, Australasia 1896, R.J. Hackett 1905, Frank O'Conner 1919, Lousiana 1913 and thats just in Door County). Going upbound with coal and downbound with grain made these early frieghters easly set ablaze and hard to put out. Packet Frieghters usually did not handle storms as well and this was a problem for them. Jon