Re: (erielack) Neat Erie Marine Photo

["Rich Chapin" <rwc27q_@_nac.net>]

Info from "Where Rails Meet the Sea" by Michael Krieger (which includes
major chapter on the Great Lakes , none of which are a "sea" at all, but
that's another, non-list topic not to be broached here).

from page 60: "The first railroad to operate a steamship on the Great Lakes
was the predecessor of the Erie Railroad. In 1852 the New York and Erie
established the Union Steamboat Company, running fourteen chartered package
freighters and passenger vessels from Chicago, Toledo and other ports to the
railroads northern terminus at Dunkirk, New York.

page 66: Photo of the "Oswego" an 168 ft steamer, built 1853. Excerpts from
the caption. The Oswego was "...typical of the early package freighters
owned by the Erie Railroad" . This steamer, "...also known as propellers..."
was typical of eleven other steamers that sailed for the Union Steamboat Co.

In 1870 the Erie, PRR and NYC "...pooled many of their Lake Superior
vessels, forming the Lake Superior Transportation Company." This arrangement
lasted until 1892 when the company was dissolved and the railroads took back
their own ships. In 1915, the interstate railroads were forced to divest
themselves of shipping by the Federal government, so the Erie got out of the
shipping business after 60+ years.

A little more detail for a rainy Monday A.M.

Rich Chapin

- ----- Original Message -----
From: Schuyler G Larrabee <sgl2_@_ix.netcom.com>
To: gelwood <gelwood_@_dnaco.net>; M. E Allen <ptrmgtsvc@juno.com>
Cc: <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2002 10:01 PM
Subject: Re: (erielack) Neat Erie Marine Photo


> George Elwood wrote:
>
>
> > I have seen an old Erie map that indicated that the Erie had a lake boat
> > operation out of Chicago. The map is from an Erie Annual report. Note
the
> > dotted line in Lake Michigan running north. I cut the map to keep the RR
> > parts.
> >
> > http://gelwood.railfan.net/map/erie-west-1914.gif
>
> The Erie did run its own line of lake boats for quite some time.  I don't
> recall the dates but I think it began quite early on, maybe before the
Erie
> got to Chicago by rail.  The line used four white stripes around the ship
> funnels as a marker of ownership.  Clearly this was before the Diamond
> became the RR's symbol.
>
> I would greatly welcome information from someone more (much more!!)
informed
> than I.
>
> SGL
>
>

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