LAKESHORE GUARDIAN BOOK REVIEW
Great lakes Shipwrecks Inspire Local Writer
by Janis Stein

When most people think of shipwrecks, they often summon the image of such notorious Great Lakes freighters as the Edmund Fitzgerald or the Carl D. Bradley. Unfortunately, many more tragedies occurred on these waters, and in a recently published book by Wayne "Skip" Kadar entitled Great Lakes Passenger Ship Disasters, Kadar rekindles a bit of history that is as fascinating as it is haunting.

With the lack of roads and railways and as middle-class Americans had more money at their disposal than ever before, passenger ships were a common mode of transportation, passengers finding the lake breeze an exhilarating escape from the swelter of the city. While traveling to resort locations along the lakeshore, frolicking guests aboard these boats sought fun in the sun, but between Mother Nature and unfortunate circumstance, some of these passenger boats sank to their watery graves, taking the unsuspecting travelers right along with them.

Kadar's book "is the outgrowth of wanting to learn more about some area shipwrecks." Though his original manuscript followed a slightly different story line, one of the stories did include the accident off Harbor Beach's shore involving the passenger boat, Cleveland III. As Kadar wrote, he came to realize there were many more passenger ship disasters dotting the Great Lakes shoreline, so he decided to change the focus of his book. With hours of research under his belt, Kadar details 15 passenger boat disasters in his book.

Kadar has always held a fascination for the water, geography playing an important role in shaping Kadar's love of the Great Lakes.

"I have been a lover of boats and the Great Lakes since an early age. As a teenager I would ride my bike from our home in Lincoln Park to the Detroit River and walk the docks and watch the freighters pass by. While attending Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan, I would spend time at the waterfront watching the freighters discharge coal and load iron ore. As a child, my father took some friends and me to watch the launch of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and while in college, I watched storm-tossed Lake Superior waves crash ashore the day the Fitzgerald sank," reflected Kadar in a recent interview.

Once Kadar decided on the content of his book, it took him a little over a year to finish the project. Though he was working full time as a high school principal at the time he was drafting his manuscript, Kadar used any spare time he had hunched over his laptop, fingers tapping away at the keys. When life's interruptions got in the way, Kadar grabbed his laptop and headed for the marina, seeking the sanctuary of his own boat, the Pirate's Lady.

Although this is Kadar's first maritime-related book, he is certainly no stranger to the nautical literary world.

Remarked Kadar, "I have written several articles for regional and national magazines regarding lighthouses, Coast Guard history and Great Lakes maritime history. I have also made presentations about the Harbor Beach lighthouse and Great Lake lighthouse history locally, at the Library of Michigan in Lansing, and to a national organization of lighthouse admirers."

Kadar spent hours researching information at the State Library in Lansing, viewing microfilm copies of newspapers from way back in the 1800s and logging information while he studied. As he played detective, one clue would often lead him to the next, and if the passenger shipwreck occurred on Lake Michigan on the west side of the state, Kadar found himself visiting the Muskegon County Library. Along with several other facilities, the Port Huron Museum was also quick to aid Kadar in his research, sharing information and photographs, enabling him to accurately portray disaster after disaster.

As Kadar wrote, he found himself drawn to the story of the G. P. Griffith. According to his research, "over 1.5 million people immigrated to the United States in the decades of the 1840s and 1850s…The Griffith was built specifically to carry immigrants from eastern cities to ports on the western lakes."

The Griffith's fate was sealed on Lake Erie where she caught fire, and before the next day's dawn the majority of her immigrant passengers either burned or drown. As Kadar wrote, he couldn't help but think of his own grandparents who had emigrated from Hungary, traveling to find freedoms in the New World in much the same fashion.

Though the Griffith had struck a chord with Kadar, the S.S. Eastland would haunt him. Kadar discovered graphic photographs depicting the horror passengers on the Eastland faced that fateful summer day in July of 1915. Filled to capacity with a crew and passengers totaling 2,570, the boat was filled with employees of the Western Electric Company who were about to be transported to their annual employee picnic. The Eastland apparently had a history of problems with listing, and although the ship didn't even leave the dock, it is estimated 815 people were tragically killed - the greatest level of human loss on a Great Lakes shipwreck. The Eastland's story is unbelievable, and Kadar has a way of writing that will keep every reader turning the page.

Throughout the book, Kadar goes well beyond stating the facts, adding recorded personal accounts to make any reader yearn for more. Through his well-written collection of Great Lakes Passenger Ship Disasters, Kadar not only educates, he also evokes a curiosity in his readers that demands to be satisfied.

Kadar's work hasn't stopped with the publication of this must-read book.

Stated Kadar, "Currently, I am working on a book of incidents on the Great Lakes involving tugboats and tanker ships…The Great Lakes have been a love of mine for a long time."

Kadar welcomes anyone with photographs or information regarding any Great Lakes shipwrecks to contact him at 989-479-3602, so dig those treasures out of the attic and share the story behind them.

Great Lakes Passenger Ship Disasters can be purchased at the Corner Store in Harbor Beach, from any book store or online book seller or by calling the publisher, Avery Color Studios, Inc. at 1-800-722-9925. Avery Color Studios is the publisher of an extensive list of Great Lake books, including books by prominent Great Lake Maritime authors, Fred Stonehouse and Wes Oleszewski.

The Lakeshore Guardian congratulates Skip Kadar on this great accomplishment and highly recommends this book to one and all.