A GREAT LAKES SAILOR
The Cowle, Part 4
by Janis Stein

Join me in the continuation as our featured sailor fights a nasty toothache, and men all around are gearing up to fight the war in Korea.

Health and safety were always of utmost importance, though from time to time the sailors found themselves in a bit of a pickle if they were in the middle of the lake and in need of medical attention. On one occasion the boat left Duluth, and the sailor was wheeling the freighter, feeling just fine. After his shift, he went to bed and when he arose at 11 AM his jaw was severely swollen, resulting from an infected wisdom tooth. He was in such great pain, he didn't even stand his next watch, and when the ship sailed into the Soo at supper time, his fellow sailors brought him up a steak sandwich to nibble on because they knew he was hurting.

With only a few aspirin to relieve the throbbing pain, the sailor knew he was in for a long night. Though he had hoped they would allow him to rest in bed, by midnight he found himself once again wheeling the ship. As he navigated the freighter through Rock Cut, also known as Neebish Channel and one of the roughest turns on the river, his jaw throbbed and throbbed some more. The sailor would find it would be the longest four hours of his sailing career standing behind the wheel with his jaw throbbing while he tried to keep the boat on course.

Finally, the ship and her crew reached Ashtabula, and the sailor lost no time in finding a dentist. Unfortunately, his tooth was infected so badly, the dentist wouldn't touch it, loading him up with antibiotics instead. The sailor rode the boat all the way back up to Duluth, Minnesota, arriving around 3 PM on a Saturday afternoon. As soon as he left the ship, he contacted a dentist who had assisted him in the past. The dentist, though, was heading out the door, looking forward to a dinner party. Upon hearing the sailor's plight, however, he graciously altered his plans. They met at the dentist's office, where his wisdom tooth was promptly extracted. In no time at all, he was stitched back up, and within three more days the sailor would be spitting out his stitches, as good as new!

The sailor found the wheelsman position far more desirable than that of the deckhand, and he was glad to keep the job he loved the following season in 1952 when he stepped aboard the John B. Cowle. The young man was pleased to know several of the sailors aboard the Cowle, bringing just a touch of home onto the Great Lakes. Among his shipmates were his brother, Ron, as well as Allan Arndt, Ben Clor, Eugene Clor and Charles Piper. Captain Melvin Edwards was back as well. The three wheelsmen followed alternating shift patterns with sailors ranking the highest in seniority choosing the most desirable shift.

The 1952 sailing season began on March 25 for the sailor, and while he sailed, many other young men were heading for Korea. The sailor's brother was drafted, plucking him right off the boat, and the sailor assumed his fate would be the same. The season ended on December 3, and he was anxious to reunite with his many siblings on the Carsonville farm; although the food aboard the freighters was top-notch, nothing could ever compare to Mom's!

While he was home, he received a notice in the mail notifying him he was being granted an occupational deferment; he would not be going to Korea after all. It was important to keep the iron ore moving down the lakes, and though the sailor wondered whether the deferment was granted because of his good record with the company or whether it was the captain of the boat who kept him home. Regardless, the result was the same.

The 1953 season followed the pattern of the previous year as the sailor set sail aboard the John B. Cowle, once again wheeling the boat. The sailor thought back to his deckhand days and was thankful he had moved on to wheelsman. Though the wheelsman's job wasn't all fun and games, it didn't involve quite so much of the dirty work, and the hours were much more predictable. The deckhands were always on call should a boat move into port during the middle of the night, whereas the wheelsmen continued to alternate their shifts.

Be sure to look for the continuation next month as our featured sailor's career is interrupted when he receives his draft notification.

© 2005 Janis Stein