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After the one season in 1875 the vessel was found to be too small for the volume of freight on the route and was discontinued.{{sfn|Hilton|2003|p=93}} The craft was then rebuilt in 1877 as a passenger steamer operating out of Detroit. In 1879 it was made into a barge and served that purpose until 1893. Her engines first went to the ''SS Alaska'' and then later to the ''SS Frank E. Kirby.''{{sfn|Frederickson|1955|p=4}}
After the one season in 1875 the vessel was found to be too small for the volume of freight on the route and was discontinued.{{sfn|Hilton|2003|p=93}} The craft was then rebuilt in 1877 as a passenger steamer operating out of Detroit. In 1879 it was made into a barge and served that purpose until 1893. Her engines first went to the ''SS Alaska'' and then later to the ''SS Frank E. Kirby.''{{sfn|Frederickson|1955|p=4}}


In 1882, the F&PM railroad company had built two wooden freighters to replace the ''SS John Sherman.'' They shuttled packaged freight, bulk grain, and passengers between Ludington and Milwaukee.{{sfn|Keefe|1998|p=282}} Other vessels were added to the fleet as the years went on. It started carrying complete train freight cars in 1896 and became the largest train ferry fleet in the world by 1905.<ref name=Sherman4> {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Luxurious Carferry Recalls Fleet's Humble Start|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11991484/|work=The News-Palladium-page 12|location=Benton Harbor, Michigan |date=March 12, 1941 |via=[[newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}} </ref><ref name=Sherman5> {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Today Marks 60th Anniversary of Sailing of Pere Marquette 15 |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11945047/ |work=Ludington Daily News - page 1|location=Ludington, Michigan |date= February 19, 1957|access-date= }} </ref><ref name=Tribute> {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Tribute to 'The Father of the Fleet' (part 1) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11945656/ |work=Daily News |location=Ludington, Michigan |date=September 14, 1940 |via=[[newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |quote=-even then the largest carferry fleet in the world- }} </ref> This became the Chesapeake and Ohio's Lake Michigan fleet, the world's largest and fastest lake carferries.<ref name=Sherman6> {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=C & O Lake Michigan Fleet was Inaugurated in 1875; Two Ships added today |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11993851/ |work=Ludington Daily News-page 3|location= Ludington, Michigan|date=September 6, 1952 |via=[[newspapers.com]] {{open access}}|quote=From puffing sidewheelers to the biggest, fastest lake carferries in the world--that's the story of the Chesapeake and Ohio's Lake Michigan fleet. ... A single ship--a slow, privately owned side-wheel steamer, the ''John Sherman''--initiated the service in 1875, carrying package freight. }} </ref>
In 1882, the F&PM railroad company had built two wooden freighters to replace the ''SS John Sherman.'' They shuttled packaged freight, bulk grain, and passengers between Ludington and Milwaukee.{{sfn|Keefe|1998|p=282}} Other vessels were added to the fleet as the years went on. It started carrying complete train freight cars in 1896 and became the largest train ferry fleet in the world by 1905.<ref name=Sherman4> {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Luxurious Carferry Recalls Fleet's Humble Start|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11991484/|work=The News-Palladium-page 12|location=Benton Harbor, Michigan |date=March 12, 1941 |via=[[newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}} </ref><ref name=Sherman5> {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Today Marks 60th Anniversary of Sailing of Pere Marquette 15 |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11945047/ |work=Ludington Daily News - page 1|location=Ludington, Michigan |date= February 19, 1957|access-date= }} </ref><ref name=Tribute> {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Tribute to 'The Father of the Fleet' (part 1) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11945656/ |work=Daily News |location=Ludington, Michigan |date=September 14, 1940 |via=[[newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |quote=-even then the largest carferry fleet in the world- }} </ref> This became the Chesapeake and Ohio's Lake Michigan fleet, the world's largest and fastest lake carferries.<ref name=Sherman6> {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=C & O Lake Michigan Fleet was Inaugurated in 1875; Two Ships added today |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11993851/ |work=Ludington Daily News-page 3|location= Ludington, Michigan|date=September 6, 1952 |via=[[newspapers.com]] {{open access}}|quote=From puffing sidewheelers to the biggest, fastest lake carferries in the world--that's the story of the Chesapeake and Ohio's Lake Michigan fleet. ... A single ship--a slow, privately owned side-wheel steamer, the ''John Sherman''--initiated the service in 1875, carrying package freight. }} </ref>{{sfn|MarineNews|1953|p=32}}


== References ==
== References ==
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*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Hilton|first=George Woodman|title=The Great Lakes Car Ferries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x1BjhmhfFeoC&pg=PA93|date=December 2003|publisher=Montevallo Historical Press, Inc.|isbn=978-0-9658624-3-1}}
*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Hilton|first=George Woodman|title=The Great Lakes Car Ferries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x1BjhmhfFeoC&pg=PA93|date=December 2003|publisher=Montevallo Historical Press, Inc.|isbn=978-0-9658624-3-1}}
*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Keefe|first=William Ford |title=Voices from Sweetwater Seas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=InrhAAAAMAAJ|date=1 January 1998|publisher=Action Research Institute|isbn=978-0-9635609-8-8}}
*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Keefe|first=William Ford |title=Voices from Sweetwater Seas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=InrhAAAAMAAJ|date=1 January 1998|publisher=Action Research Institute|isbn=978-0-9635609-8-8}}
{{cite book|ref=harv|last=MarineNews|first=|title=Marine News|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PRAMAQAAIAAJ|date=January 1953|quote=FROM puffing sidewheelers to the biggest, fastest lake carferries in the world — that is the story of the Chesapeake and Ohio's Lake Michigan Fleet, a story that covers more than three-quarters of a century of progress for the carferry service.}}




[[Category:Pere Marquette Railway]]
[[Category:Pere Marquette Railway]]

Revision as of 19:32, 30 June 2017

John Sherman sidewheeler
John W Steward, circa 1901
SS John Sherman ferry freight bill for shipping limes in 1875.

The SS John Sherman was a United States sidewheeler ship of the 1870s used for ferry service across Lake Michigan. It went between the states of Michigan and Wisconsin. The ship was the first of commercial ferry used by the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad for transporting freight and passengers. It preceded additional ferries that ultimately became a fleet of ferries for the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad. It lead to the development of the largest train ferry service in the world.

Background

The Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad (F&PM) received a land grant in 1857 from the United States government to construct a railroad from Flint, Michigan to the western shore of Lake Michigan. As early as 1859, a railroad ferry service across Lake Michigan was considered as a shorter route to Wisconsin rather than going all the way around Lake Michigan. The western terminus of the new railroad could have been in either Oceana County or Mason County, Michigan. Through the influence of James Ludington (founder of the village of Pere Marquette) the western terminus of the railroad was determined to be at Mason County where the village of Pere Marquette was located. The railroad received its "Pere Marquette" portion of its name from the village in northwestern Michigan.[1] The village was renamed "Ludington" in 1873. The railroad was completed on December 18, 1874.[2]

A privately owned side-wheel boat, the John Sherman had already started a ferry service across Lake Michigan in 1873.[3] The railroad company contracted with this owner for the cross-lake ferry service. They then started a commercial package freight service across Lake Michigan on May 31, 1875.[2] The vessel was a 175 feet long.[4] It shuttled packaged freight, grain, and passengers across Lake Michigan between Ludington and Sheboygan, Wisconsin.[5] The ship commander was Captain John W. Steward.[6]

The vessel was a break-bulk transporter. That meant that the freight was unloaded from the rail car and loaded onto the ship by hand, rather by packages or by bulk into large ship containers. The freight material was then transported across Lake Michigan. At the other end the freight was unloaded by hand and reloaded into other freight cars at the port the vessel arrived at.[7] All the cross-lake ferries until 1896 were of this type.[8]

After the one season in 1875 the vessel was found to be too small for the volume of freight on the route and was discontinued.[1] The craft was then rebuilt in 1877 as a passenger steamer operating out of Detroit. In 1879 it was made into a barge and served that purpose until 1893. Her engines first went to the SS Alaska and then later to the SS Frank E. Kirby.[9]

In 1882, the F&PM railroad company had built two wooden freighters to replace the SS John Sherman. They shuttled packaged freight, bulk grain, and passengers between Ludington and Milwaukee.[10] Other vessels were added to the fleet as the years went on. It started carrying complete train freight cars in 1896 and became the largest train ferry fleet in the world by 1905.[11][12][13] This became the Chesapeake and Ohio's Lake Michigan fleet, the world's largest and fastest lake carferries.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ a b Hilton 2003, p. 93.
  2. ^ a b Daily News 1997, p. 6.
  3. ^ GLHS 1949, p. 116.
  4. ^ BLFEM 1941, p. 508.
  5. ^ MacLaren, Agnes (February 19, 1952). "First Steel Car Ferry Made Maiden Voyage 55 Years Ago Today". The Ludington Daily News. p. 1 – via newspapers.com Open access icon.
  6. ^ "Detailed History of the Railroad on the Water". Daily News. Ludington, Michigan. March 15, 1934. pp. 1, 7 – via newspapers.com Open access icon.
  7. ^ Frederickson 1955, p. 10.
  8. ^ "New Carferry Recalls Fleet's Humble Start". Escanaba Daily Press. Ludington, Michigan. March 12, 1941. p. 7 – via newspapers.com Open access icon.
  9. ^ Frederickson 1955, p. 4.
  10. ^ Keefe 1998, p. 282.
  11. ^ "Luxurious Carferry Recalls Fleet's Humble Start". The News-Palladium-page 12. Benton Harbor, Michigan. March 12, 1941 – via newspapers.com Open access icon.
  12. ^ "Today Marks 60th Anniversary of Sailing of Pere Marquette 15". Ludington Daily News - page 1. Ludington, Michigan. February 19, 1957.
  13. ^ "Tribute to 'The Father of the Fleet' (part 1)". Daily News. Ludington, Michigan. September 14, 1940 – via newspapers.com Open access icon. -even then the largest carferry fleet in the world-
  14. ^ "C & O Lake Michigan Fleet was Inaugurated in 1875; Two Ships added today". Ludington Daily News-page 3. Ludington, Michigan. September 6, 1952 – via newspapers.com Open access icon. From puffing sidewheelers to the biggest, fastest lake carferries in the world--that's the story of the Chesapeake and Ohio's Lake Michigan fleet. ... A single ship--a slow, privately owned side-wheel steamer, the John Sherman--initiated the service in 1875, carrying package freight.
  15. ^ MarineNews 1953, p. 32.

Sources

MarineNews (January 1953). Marine News. FROM puffing sidewheelers to the biggest, fastest lake carferries in the world — that is the story of the Chesapeake and Ohio's Lake Michigan Fleet, a story that covers more than three-quarters of a century of progress for the carferry service. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)