A PEEK AT THE PAST...
High Water Slows Lake Freighters
by Leonard DeFrain

That heading is hard to believe because today many boats cannot take on full loads to deliver their material because of low water.

A few years ago, the Benson Ford freighter, under Captain Ted Cogswell’s command, creeps down River Rouge channel at about 2 mph.

The water is up in tight bends of the turning basin at Ford Motor Company’s Rouge steel plant. Some of the problems were when the freighters were not loaded, bridges gave the large freighters a problem.

The first large Great Lakes bulk carriers to be powered with direct diesel power were the Benson Ford and Henry Ford II in 1924. The picture of the Benson Ford was taken on the River Rouge going down under the raised bridge.

The cabin of the freighter was later sold to a father and son, Jerry and Bryan Kasper. It was taken to South Bass Island on July 18, 1986, and placed on a cliff and used as a summer home. The deckhouse is over 7,000 square feet featuring five bedrooms, five bathrooms, two dining rooms, kitchen, a bar and the original wheelhouse. The house has received national attention and was featured on the travel channel and the home and garden television.