Historical Layups: 1973-74

The following vessels spent the winter in Erie in 1973/74:

STEWART J. CORT
J.S. St. JOHN
JOHNSTOWN
LAKEWOOD
J.F. SCHOELLKOPF JR.
PRESQUE ISLE
SPARROWS POINT

Of these, the CORT, St. JOHN, and PRESQUE ISLE are still sailing. The SPARROWS POINT exists today as the barge LEWIS J. KUBER.

Historical Winter Layup: 1967/68

This winter, Erie should see two or three ships spending the winter in the port. By contrast, forty winters ago, during the winter of 1967-1968, the following ships were in the port.

For winter layup: ALPENA, BETHLEHEM, HENRY J. DALTON, ARTHUR B. HOMER, LAKEWOOD, LEHIGH, NIAGARA, POINTE NOIRE, SPARROWS POINT, WALTER E. WATSON.

In long-term layup, having not sailed the previous season: E.A.S. CLARKE, HARRY CROFT, C.H. MCCULLOUGH JR.

And in port for conversion to a sand dredge: J.S. St. JOHN

Erie Historical Arrivals: The Opening of Iron Ore Season, 1958

I came across an old Erie Times press clipping from May 21, 1958 the other day and thought the contents of the arrival list might be of interest to readers. The short article pointed out that this was the latest opening date on record for Erie's Ore Dock, with the first vessel, the WILLIAM A. REISS, arriving that day with 13,900 tons of iron ore. The article pointed out that the next day the SPARROWS POINT was due to arrive with 18,000 tons of ore.