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This is the story of the City of Milwaukee, the era she served, and how she became one of the formidable car ferries and passenger ships during her tenure, whether balmy weather or ice and hazardous winter storms, on an inland body of water that can be as treacherous as any on the globe. Surprisingly little was known about rail car ferrying across Lake Michigan, in spite of its successful history dating over 100 years of service to commerce. But first, let's look at how all of this unfolds and ends as a National Landmark at her permanent berth in Manistee, Michigan.

Lake Michigan is a glorious resource that so many of us take for granted, seeing it as a grandiose place for our favorite seasonal recreation activities. Lake Michigan is part of the five Great Lakes that were formed at the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago, when the Laurentide ice sheets receded.

When this took place, large glaciers left behind huge amounts of melted water, which filled up existing craters, thus creating the Great Lakes as we know them today. The Great Lakes share their borders with the United States and Canadian borders. Lake Michigan is the only one in the group that is bordered entirely in the United States. The lakes have an effect on weather in the region, known as lake effect. In winter, the moisture picked up by the prevailing winds from the west can produce heavy snowfall. The lakes also moderate seasonal temperatures somewhat by absorbing heat and cooling the air in summer, then slowly radiating that heat in autumn. Before the advent of air conditioning, the shores of Lake Michigan became a popular place to visit during hot and sultry summers. The Great Lakes and its rivers were the only practical means of moving people and freight.

In the 1900's, passenger lines were the main mode of transporting immigrants. Many of the larger cities owe their existence to their position on the lake as a freight destination as well as the passengers. After railroads and surfaced roads developed, the freight and passenger business dwindled, excepting ferries and a few foreign cruise ships.

Lake Michigan by itself encompasses 22,178 square miles - 307 miles long and 30 to 120 miles wide, and a depth of 923 feet, ranking second largest of the five lakes. The Straits of Mackinac, its only natural outlet, connect with Lake Huron to the Northeast and the Illinois waterways that link Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.

The area was discovered in 1634 by the French explorer, Jean Nicolet. French missionary and trade centers thrived there through the late 1600's. As part of the northwest territory, the area passed to England in 1763 and to the United States in 1776. For over 100 years, trains and ships were partners in serving the eastern and western shores of Lake Michigan.

The history of freight and passenger steamship service across Lake Michigan has been a part of the history of the region and the country itself since 1875. That year, the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway chartered the 175-foot long side-wheeler steamer John Sherman to shuttle grain, packaged freight, and passengers between Ludington, Michigan and Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Seventeen years later, James Ashley, former governor of Montana and then-president of the Ann Arbor Railroad pushed cross-lake service into the 20th century when he ordered the 260-foot wooden hulled Arbor I and loaded it with railroad cars. In spite of his critics, Mr. Ashley proved that a car ferry was a viable alternative to shipping loose bulk cargo. Thus, Lake Michigan car ferry service was born. Transporting freight cars across Lake Michigan grew out of the need to bypass the congested rail yards in Chicago. Between time spent in interchange, classification yards and transfer runs, it often took a week or more to get a freight car out of Chicago.

During this period, the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway went ahead with plans to develop a similar fleet of car ferries. Capitalizing on Ann Arbor's success and failures, the railroad placed an order to design the first steel hulled cross-lake ferry. Launched in 1896, and ready for service by February 1897, the ship was named Pere Marquette after the famed Jesuit missionary. The 350-foot vessel was an immediate success and proved to be a fine ice-breaker. So significant was the design that it set the standard for many railroad ferries built in the 20th century on the Great Lakes.

Through the years, the car ferry fleet, as with its owners, expanded and retrenched as economic times demanded, but never faltered in its service to the people and businesses of the Upper Great Lakes. With the outbreak of World War I, the U.S. Railroad Administration created the Lake Michigan Car Ferry Association, bringing the eleven vessels of Ann Arbor, Grand Trunk and Pere Marquette Railroads under its supervision. The three rival fleets pooled their resources to provide faster and more efficient service to aid in the war effort. In 1920, the car ferries returned to their respective owners. The major operators of car ferries on Lake Michigan continued with success.

The car ferries were all originally designed to have only railroad cars, but with the ships City of Saginaw 31 and City of Flint 32 all of that changed. Larger, modern boats were built to accommodate the early 1930's - tourist trade with comfortable Pullman style staterooms, large dining rooms with lake views and facilities for loading and transporting private autos.

On October 22, 1929 disaster struck. Grand Trunk's boat, the Milwaukee, departed from her namesake city with 25 freight cars bound for Grand Haven, Michigan. Storm warnings had been posted, with strong northeast gales of 34-37 mph being recorded. Captain Robert McKay chose to sail anyway. The boat was sighted heading directly into the storm and was said to be pitching and rolling heavily. A Coast Guard patrol near South Haven found the boat's message case with a hand written note. "The ship is taking water fast. We have turned around and headed back to Milwaukee. Pumps are working but sea gate is bent and can't keep water out. Seas are tremendous. Things look bad...Signed A.R. Sadon, Pursar." The entire crew was lost in the storm. The City of Milwaukee was immediately built to replace the Milwaukee. Launched in November 1930, she was then pressed into service ferrying railcars and passengers across Lake Michigan.

The City of Milwaukee measures 360 feet in length with a 56-foot beam and a draft of 19 feet. It is powered by Scotch fire tube boilers developing 185 working psi. The triple expansion steam engines are 1,400 hp each. There are also numerous union steam pumps aboard. The power combined with the two, twelve-foot-diameter iron propellers can drive the ship 14 mph or approximately 12 knots, capable of breaking through three feet of ice, while her mammoth freight deck can accommodate an entire freight train or 32 boxcars on four tracks. The original cost to build her was $1 million dollars. Loading and unloading was the most perilous, yet most important part of the entire operation. As the cars were being loaded, the train crews placed 75-foot counter weighted "idler flats" or spacer cars between the switch engine and freight cars. This method insured that the heavy locomotives never entered the ship's deck, which could sink or capsize the vessel. Center tracks were loaded first. Carefully weighed and balanced, the load could be adjusted with ballast tanks, rectifying any list on the ship. A good crew could take aboard and tie down a full load in 45 minutes. The secret to a successful operation was rapid turnaround. Many ships could complete this in just over several hours.

To secure all these freight rail cars was a unique system developed by Ann Arbor RR. A pair of rails, called jacking rails, were laid 25 inches outside the railroad tracks embedded in the ship's deck. Screw jacks were used to lift the weight of the railroad cars off their tracks. The cars were then secured to the jacking rails with chains and cables. This prevented the car's independent motion when the ship pitched and rolled in heavy seas. A full load could weigh over 3 million pounds (1,600 tons). If a car got loose, all hands turned out - even the cook! One of the ladders up to the main deck still has some scars, being noticeably bent when a rail car broke loose on a past trip.

Forward of the engine room, a young engineer had cut a hole in the bulkhead to create an area for rest and relaxation. The only light source was an extension cord with a single light bulb that flickered with the changing load on the electric dynamo or generator, thus giving this area the nickname flicker. This area soon became a berthing area for two-man rooms, complete with the table for card games, or spinning sea stories. The area is still known as the flicker compartment. The engine room is still intact exactly as when she made her final run in 1981.

There are over 30 steam engines on board for various functions. Everything was original except two World War II Navy turbo generators that replaced the flicker of a reciprocating steam engine that drove a 20 kw electric dynamo. The exposed electric breaker panel is original equipment. There was a single breaker assigned to one of the few electric appliances on board - the toaster!

There were five engineers on board: engineer, assistant engineer, oiler, wiper and water tender. This crew was always on duty when steam was up. All controls for the engines are completed here in the engine room - not on the bridge. The captain would signal engine speeds from the bridge via an engine order telegraph, very much the same as you've seen in dozens of maritime movies. There is no clutch or gear box. Engines run forward or reverse thru a lever system.

The steam engines are triple expansion reciprocating engines, powered by steam generated by four scotch tube boilers located forward. Originally coal fired, they required approximately 378 tons on board. The ship was converted to oil in 1947. The system is like a tea kettle consisting of four, 14-foot by 6-inch diameter by 12-foot long fire tube boilers. When the water is heated it becomes steam which escapes into the air. The steam is then contained in a closed system, and as it expands, pressure increases. When pressure reaches 185 psi at 381 degrees, the engines can be operated.

The engine room was extremely hot, in the neighborhood of 100 degrees, but surprisingly quiet for the amount of working machinery. Every 20 minutes the engines were lubricated liberally by oil and water. An experienced oiler could sense bearing temperature with the back of his hand.

Car ferrying was the SS City of Milwaukee's mainstay. As many as 100 passengers would also make the five or six hour crossing. Very comfortable quarters were set aside for all passengers. Service was formal by today's standards - what you might expect in a five star restaurant. Meals were served by stewards in starched white pants and coats, always attentive and polite. The captain often ate with the passengers. There were also Pullman type suites available, similar to railroad berths. This was hard to understand since the longest trip was only six or seven hours.

On the Texas deck, situated near the bridge, you will see the builder's plaque, the ship's birth certificate. Near this is the National Historic Landmark plaque. Presented in 1990, the SS City of Milwaukee was recognized as a national treasure. During her sailing days it took over 46 men to keep her in top shape. Now it is an overwhelming job with its small crew of volunteers.

As the sea story goes, when the SS City of Milwaukee was being built, Captain John F. Cavanaugh was chosen to be in command. With over 40 years of experience on the Lakes, he felt he could demand better quarters, with private head, fine paneled bulkheads and furniture complete with Persian rugs. The company led him to believe that he would have as he desired, only to find on boarding day that it wasn't so. He was known to have a quick temper, nicknamed "Stormy Jack". He stormed off the ship shouting, "You'll have to find another captain for this ship, I will not sail her," and left. To fill the vacancy, a junior captain, Captain Roland Martin, was given command of the ship where he served for 19 years and 8 months - his entire career. Captain "Stormy Jack" finally settled down after a few months and served as a relief captain for vacations. During his last voyage, he died in the bunk that is still present. As sea lore has it, old "Stormy Jack's" ghost still rambles about the deck after hours.

The pilot deck or wheel house was used by the captain for docking. It was high above, giving a good view for telegraphing steering commands. Magnetic compass and compensators were necessary because of the steel constructed vessel. RDF/AM radio transmitters placed on lighthouses at harbors started in 1925 as navigational aids. In the 1960's, radar, gyro compasses were installed which gave true directions.

The wheelsman or helmsman was an important skilled position. He rode out the 40 foot waves, pitching and rolling only to be magnified because of the height and forward position. The wind could reach 65 mph with temperatures falling to 10 below. Over the years, 350,000 watches were stood here, based on 900 crossings per year by a very dedicated crew.

Of the once proud fleet of Lake Michigan car ferries, only one remains in service today, C & O's SS Badger, now operated by Lake Michigan Car Ferry Service, still carrying passengers and automobiles - not rail cars - between Ludington, Michigan and Manitowac, Wisconsin, during summer months.

As we progressed through the ship, it was evident that it is in need of restoration work. Their finances are limited and work crews are presently volunteers. Linda Spencer, currently in charge of the restoration and preservation of the SS City of Milwaukee, graciously showed off her project to us for the Chief Engineer Magazine.

Now the greatest challenge at present is to preserve this ship. Funds needed for the work to be done will be raised through donations and events planned for on board, such as musical concerts, dances, and a spooky but successful Halloween tour. Also available is the very popular rental of the passenger area of the ship - perfect for parties, weddings, business gatherings or any special event. With its rich interior and dramatic exterior deck spaces, the ship is an exciting alternative to land-based facilities.

Planning is underway for the offering of a Bed & Breakfast, girl and boy scout overnights and educational activities with the local schools' participation.

The SS City of Milwaukee is the last of her kind. The Northwest Michigan Maritime Museum and residents of Frankfort, Michigan petitioned the state and saved the vessel from the scrap heap in 1983. In 1985 a separate non-profit membership corporation was established to manage the ship, called the Society For The Preservation Of The SS City of Milwaukee. For tours, visit the ship at her permanent berth at 111 US 31 North, Manistee, Michigan. Phone Linda Spencer, General Manager, at 231-723-3587 or email lspencer@carferry.com. To volunteer, link on to volunteering for a volunteer application.

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