Shipping Coal to Torch Lake Smelter in the Late 1950's

Back in the late 1950's I was an AB seaman on the ore freighters on the Great Lakes. Occasionally, on the SS Berwind we would bring coal back up the lakes and eventually to Torch Lake to feed the smelter that was still processing low-grade ore that was being dredged up from the lake where it had been dumped in years past.

Transit to Torch Lake was pretty tortuous for a 600' lake carrier with 60' of beam, but we were lightly loaded and only drew about 16'. Still pretty strange sight as we headed dead slow along the narrow waterways (really dredged-out creeks) that connected the lake with the ship canal at Houghten/Hancock to the South. Some places only mud could be seen on each side of the ship as we slid along.

On one trip nightfall came when we were only halfway to Torch Lake, and we had to anchor in the middle of a large pond; then the fog blanketed everything. I came on watch at midnight, and about an hour later we could hear singing and carousing on the shore and could begin to see the glow of a bonfire emerging through the fog. Then the fog started to lift -- had to be six couples or more dancing around the fire buck-nekked. Still took them at least ten minutes to finally notice this huge ship no more than fifty yards away. Yupers sure knew how to party. I'll say no more.

Never did get to see the Quincy & Tourch Lake RR; we were always too busy hitting the bars in Lake Linden -- after all, half the crew were Yupers.