THE RISE AND FALL OF THE FAMOUS TASHMOO
by Wayne "Skip" Kadar

The Lakeshore Guardian is thrilled to print another excerpt from Wayne "Skip" Kadar's book titled Great Lakes Passenger Ship Disasters. Purchasing information for his book is available at the end of the article. Join us now as Kadar takes us back in time to the sinking of the Tashmoo.

The decades before and after the year 1900 were a time when travel by water was both for commercial and recreational purposes. Passenger ships of all types plied the Great Lakes carrying passengers to ports all around the lakes. For some, the ships were the only means of transportation for passengers and freight to isolated ports; but, for others the ships were excursion boats giving people an opportunity to enjoy a beautiful summer day and escape the heat inland.

The ships of the time from the Detroit area included the City of Mackinaw, which carried passengers from Detroit to Mackinaw, Michigan, for the round trip price of $12.50, meals and a cabin included. The City of Detroit III was the most luxurious ferry to ever cross a river. The ship carried passengers across the Detroit River between Detroit and Windsor and on excursions into Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. The Put-In-Bay, the 240 foot "dancing ship," so named for its large dance floor, carried passengers to and from the island of Put-In-Bay, Ohio, in Lake Erie; and the Columbia carried fun-seekers to the playground of Bob-Lo Island.

A discussion of the turn of the century passenger ships would not be complete without including the steamship, Tashmoo. The Tashmoo was one of the most luxurious and popular passenger ships of its time. She was built in 1900 to carry passengers between Detroit and Port Huron, with stops at various playgrounds of the time, such as Belle Isle in the Detroit River and Harsens Island in the Lake St. Clair Flats. She was a beautiful sidewheel paddle boat with two decks above her steel hull, all painted white. She quickly was dubbed the "White Flyer."

Shortly after the Tashmoo had been launched, she was heralded as the fastest ship on the lakes; but the two-year-old City of Erie took offense to the bragging of the new ship. The City of Erie, was a passenger ship with the nickname "Honeymoon Ship," for its route from Cleveland, Ohio, and Erie, Pennsylvania, to Niagara Falls, New York. At the turn of the century, the City of Erie was widely regarded as the fastest ship on the Great Lakes. A challenge to race was made by the brash upstart Tashmoo and quickly accepted by the veteran vessel.

The race was billed as the Greatest Steamship Race on fresh or salt water. One thousand dollars were put up as a wager from the owner of each ship, the money to go to a charity in the winning ship's home port. However, hundreds of thousands more dollars were unofficially wagered on the race. Every available excursion ship was chartered to follow the racing ships.

The course was the 94 miles from Cleveland, Ohio, to Erie, Pennsylvania. Tens of thousands of onlookers lined the Cleveland harbor to watch the start of the race. The Tashmoo crept away to a three-length lead, but the City of Erie overtook the new ship on a course change. The wheelsman of the City of Erie was familiar with the waters, and knew every trick. It was quickly noticed that the City of Erie had been stripped of all unnecessary weight. Even the ship's lifeboats were removed for the race. The Tashmoo was running in her normal condition.

A problem with its condenser caused the Tashmoo to drop behind by up to six lengths, but it was quickly fixed, and she began to make up the distance. Black smoke bellowing from her stack, firemen pouring coal into her firebox, the Tashmoo slowly made up the difference between the two ships. Nearing the finish line, the City of Erie was less than a ship length ahead. The Tashmoo had made an amazing recovery, with unmatched speed to catch up to the Erie. The two ships, a trail of smoke left on the horizon, their bows throwing a spray, were too close to tell who would be the victor. But, at the finish line, it was the City of Erie barely beating out the Tashmoo!

Backers of the Tashmoo cried for a rematch. The City of Erie had too much of an advantage! The race was on her route, they knew the winds and currents, and she was stripped of weight! But, the owners of the City of Erie had seen the speed of the Tashmoo as she made up the six-length deficit and almost beat them at the finish line. They knew their ship could not beat the speed of the Tashmoo and politely declined the rematch.

The Tashmoo had had a long and illustrious career, but she had met with some adversity as well. During the 1927 winter layup, the Tashmoo was secured to shore by 14 steel cables. On the morning of December 8, a winter storm blew in. The temperature dropped and visibility was almost totally obscured by the snow. The wind steadily grew, reaching speeds in excess of 60 miles an hour.

"She's gone!" Robert McCrumb, the Tashmoo watchman said, "Gone up the river." He later reported that he remained near the ship during the storm. "Then the cables started snapping. They went one after the other, like they were grocery string." The storm had blown the Tashmoo upriver without a soul aboard. On her wild journey she first smashed into the ferry, Promise. Three men aboard the ferry were readying for that day's first crossing. They jumped to the dock after the Tashmoo struck. They feared the Promise might be smashed to bits by the larger vessel.

The ship insisted to continue on her northerly voyage. When word got out that the big ship was leaving a trail of damage on her solo trip up river, people lined the riverbank to watch. Some came out of concern, some interested and some to cheer the ship on.

The "White Flyer" continued upriver, pounding into anything in its path. There was one thing that might stop her… the Belle Isle Bridge, the 2000 plus foot steel and concrete bridge crossing from Detroit to the city-owned park on the Belle Isle. Blindly drifting in the storm, the large ship crashed into the bridge and careened off only for the wind to blow her back into the bridge again.

The snow was blowing so hard that long before the ship could be seen crashing into the bridge, onlookers heard the sound of the wood decks and cabin work cracking and splintering as the ship smashed into the concrete abutment of the bridge. The ship would surely break up if it was not soon pulled away from the bridge, and possibly the ship might take the bridge with her as well. If the Tashmoo were blown beyond the bridge, what damage would she wreak upriver? What could stop her?

Two tugs responded to calls to stop the wild vessel. They cautiously approached the Tashmoo, watching the depths, the waves, the winds and the wildly bucking passenger ship. The tug captains carefully came close enough for two men to board the Tashmoo and get two hawsers secured to the ship. The tugs poured on the coal and slowly, defiantly, the Tashmoo was pulled from the bridge. Pulling the big excursion ship into the wind required all the tugs could give. The hawsers were pulled tight as smoke bellowed from the tugboat's stacks.

Be sure to look for the continuation in next month's issue as Kadar shares his passenger ship disaster discoveries.

Wayne "Skip" Kadar's latest book titled, Great Lakes Passenger Ship Disasters can be purchased at the Corner Store in Harbor Beach, The General Store in Lexington 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 Lakes books.