A GREAT LAKES SAILOR
Remembered
Honoring Captain Walter C. Iler, Part 1
by Janis Stein

The Great Storm of 1913 forever lived on in the minds of those sailors who survived. Walter C. Iler was one such sailor. Captain Iler’s memory of the storm lives on through documented marine historical accounts as well as through his family members, namely his granddaughter, Wilma (Iler) Kempf and Laurel De La Rosa, his great-granddaughter, who so graciously assisted me in honoring and remembering this Great Lakes sailor.

Captain Walter C. Iler took great pride in sailing on the Great Lakes, and much of the 47 years he would spend on the lake freighters, he worked as master of the various ships he sailed. In a half century’s time, one event – a horrific one – would forever be relived in his mind.

November on the Great Lakes could make a sailor nervous with its extraordinary winds and waves. On November 7 - 10, 1913, sailors of the day – those that were fated to survive – would look back and relive the mother of all storms on the Great Lakes.

Captain Walter C. Iler worked for the Pittsburgh Steamship Company, and he piloted the George G. Crawford, (formerly the Le Grand S. De Graff). The George G. Crawford passed through the St. Clair River a few hours past midnight in the early morning hours on Sunday, November 9, 1913. Traveling light, though with ballast, Captain Iler noted the weather was cloudy but clear as he plied across the waters of Lake Huron, upbound toward Pointe aux Barques. The weather bureau had already issued its standard storm warnings, so Captain Iler continually monitored conditions.

While the Crawford made her way, a horrific storm was already brewing to the north as evidenced in a March 1914 supplement to The Marine Review. “The storm really began on Friday night, Nov. 7, striking Lake Superior from the northwest. It was accompanied by a blinding snow storm, which made navigation impossible without great risk. The maximum velocity of the wind at the west end of Lake Superior on Saturday, Nov. 9, was at the rate of 68 miles an hour, with a heavy sea running. The sea ran pretty high all day Saturday and vessels remained in port. Those that were out sought shelter.”

By mid-morning on Sunday, November 9, the Crawford passed Pointe aux Barques. Captain Iler noted the wind had changed from a light westerly wind when he had passed the Fort Gratiot Light seven hours prior to a northwest wind that was blowing hard. By 11 a.m. the wind came from the north and was increasing in force. The gale continued to increase in force as each hour thereafter passed.

Still making his way upbound, by 4 p.m., Captain Iler ran into incredibly high seas and winds so strong the Crawford had great difficulty keeping her head into the wind. During the next 30 minutes, the Crawford began her struggle forward with earnest.

By 4:30 p.m., the Crawford blew around in a trough of a raging Lake Huron. Unable to resume his position heading into the wind, Captain Iler allowed Mother Nature the win on this battle. Checking down to slow speed, Captain Iler decided to head back south toward the foot of Lake Huron where conditions had been more favorable earlier that day.

In an effort to keep out of the trough of the sea, Captain Iler, though checked down, would then ring up half and full speed every few minutes to adjust to Lake Huron’s waves. Blinding snow and hurricane winds plagued the Crawford, and for the next three hours, Captain Iler steered south by east, and then south. Iler logged that he ran 50 miles south and then tried again to turn around but with no success.

She would not come any farther around than E. by N. one-half N. or West by North one-half N., and then go back to east or west and roll, and every time I would use the chadburn to signal the engineer I could tell she was laboring for some time, the wires would be so tight I could not move the lever.

Be sure to look for the continuation next month as the Great Storm of 1913 roars on, while Captain Walter C. Iler grows weary.

© 2010 Stein Expressions, LLC