Workhorses and White Flyers: The Northern Steamship Company — Spring 1999

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The Great Lakes… 84% of the continent’s fresh water… a different story in every drop.

Author: A L Miller

For more than 15 years, the passenger steamers 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 represented the best in waterborne transportation on the Great Lakes. When business or pleasure required travel between Buffalo and Duluth, the finest people — and many of their more modestly endowed brethren — always sailed on one of the twin white flyers owned by James J. Hill.

But while Hill’s Northern Steamship Company usually is remembered for its two elegant passenger steamers, it was first and foremost a freight line. Six identical package freighters shuttled cargo between Buffalo and points west. These plodding workhorses were the exact opposite of their gleaming fleetmates. While the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 carried no freight whatsoever, the package boats carried nothing but wheat, coal and assorted merchandise.

The Northern Steamship Company served as an unlikely but important link in Hill’s railroad empire. It was a relatively brief venture compared to the long lives of his railroads, but during its existence, Northern Steamship Company was a trendsetter. The 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 arguably were the finest passenger steamers to ever sail the Lakes. Although usually derided as unprofitable, company records show these boats earned more money than they cost to operate during much of their existence. Hill’s freight boats engaged in work far less glamourous than the passenger trade, but they were fast, efficient and profitable. Combined, these vessels helped link the upper Midwest to the East and the West during an important period in the nation’s growth.

The Northern Steamship Company was one of the nautical ventures of James Jerome Hill, who was born in Canada but moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1856 to try his hand at business. He became involved in organizing a riverboat line in Winnipeg, then formed a company to supply coal to railroads. By 1878 he had amassed enough money to join some associates in buying the Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad. They snapped up other small lines over the next few years, and soon had a railroad system stretching from St. Paul north to Canada and west to Seattle.¹

During these years Hill also invested in several eastern railroads, and that eventually presented an opportunity which fit nicely into his careful plans. These eastern roads had terminals in Buffalo. Hill wanted to establish a link between them and his railroad’s terminal in Duluth so he could ship freight from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific and keep the profits to himself.

There also was a matter of competition. Buffalo was emerging as the center of the Great Lakes grain trade. To take advantage of this, several rival railroads were attempting to pool their elevators there so they could raise shipping fees charged to other railroads and steamboat lines. Hill decided to act first. He formed the Great Northern Elevator Company to build a modern steel grain elevator and a dock in Buffalo. Then, on June 12, 1888, he incorporated the Northern Steamship Company in Wisconsin.²

Hill set up his steamship line with $1.5 million in stock. Almost all of it was owned by his St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway Company, which later would be known as the Great Northern. To keep an eye on matters, he awarded himself a seat on the steamship company’s board of directors. Then Hill and John Gordon, his general manager in Buffalo, set about negotiating with the Globe Ship Building Company in Cleveland to build six identical package freighters for Great Lakes service. Globe officials agreed to build the boats for $220,000 each.³

Hill believed he could transport goods more cheaply by water than he could by rail — provided the ship was big enough. “A vessel that carries only 1,000 tons cannot compete with a boxcar. With a steamer carrying 10,000 tons, you have it beaten,” he once said. “The difference in cost between the operation of a boat of 3,000 and one of 12,000 tons is only so much as will cover the employment of two extra firemen, two more deckhands and the purchase of about 10 tons of coal additional per day; in all some $28.”⁴

As a result of his philosophy, Hill’s new steamships were large, handsome vessels that represented the height of design for package freighters at that time. Each was 310 feet in overall length, with a 40-foot beam and 21-foot draft. On the outside, they resembled most lake freighters, with engine, boilers, cabins and smokestack located at the stern, and cabins and pilothouse forward behind a raised forecastle. A small deckhouse was located amidships. Three tall masts added to the boats’ stately appearance and also carried booms to assist in working the cargo. Inside, each ship had three holds and ‘tween decks spaces with capacity for about 60,000 bushels of bulk wheat or more than 17,000 barrels of flour. In keeping with the flavor of the company’s name, the vessels were named 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘞𝘢𝘷𝘦, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳. Each bore a large, white star on its single black smokestack.

All six vessels made their maiden voyages between April 28 and June 18, 1889. During their first season, the boats each made 15 to 18 trips between Buffalo and Duluth. Trips took 12 to 18 days as the boats stopped along the way at Cleveland; Fairport, Ohio; Detroit; the Soo; and Houghton, Michigan, to pick up or drop off freight. 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 set the pace for efficiency the first season, making 18 trips over 226 days. Its average daily operating cost was $97.18, including wages and coal.⁵

The Northern Steamship boats were moneymakers right from the start. During its first several trips in 1889, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳 earned $3,100 to $5,900 per trip while expenses were only $1,600 to $1,800. Results were even better the following season as the service became established. In its first season 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳 earned $19,280 in profits, but in 1890 that amount climbed to $25,497. The other boats showed similar increases.

Each vessel began its trips from Northern Steamship’s Buffalo terminal, which was linked to the Erie Railroad and the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Westbound cargo consisted largely of merchandise bound for Duluth and West Superior. There it was distributed to merchants or loaded aboard Jim Hill’s trains for shipment to St. Paul and Minneapolis. From the Twin Cities, a significant amount of cargo was shipped to cities farther west. Tonnage for April and May in 1892 consisted of 2,929 tons: 24 tons for ports between Buffalo and Duluth, 664 tons earmarked for merchants in Duluth, 60 tons for those in Superior and 2,181 tons for shipment to the Twin Cities and forwarding to the west. In addition to merchandise, the boats carried hundreds of tons of sugar, coffee and tobacco as well as 41 tons of bagged cement and 15,755 tons of coal.⁶

Much of the cargo bound for Duluth ended up in wholesale warehouses. All of the city’s prominent wholesalers used the Northern Steamship Company’s services. In April and May 1892, Chapin Wells Hardware received 88 tons of merchandise; Wells Stone Mercantile Company, 105 tons; Duluth Dry Goods, 21 tons; Stone and Ordean, 19 tons; and Duluth Shoe Company, 6 tons. Stone and Ordean also took delivery of 2 tons of tobacco, while another 43 tons was forwarded to the Twin Cities. The well-known Arbuckle Coffee Company received 200 tons of coffee just for its Minneapolis warehouse.

On their downbound trips, the package boats generally served as bulk carriers, hauling the golden bounty of the newly opened prairies to the mills of Buffalo. In 1889 the fleet carried 939,000 bushels of wheat. The following year that amount climbed to 1.2 million bushels.

For the crewmen, wages and working conditions on the Northern Steamship boats were comparable to those on any of the other modern vessels on the lakes. Aboard the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, Captain G.W. Stoddard earned $1,500 a year for overseeing his vessel and a crew that ranged in size from 24 to 27 men. The men worked a two-watch system, with six hours on duty followed by six hours off. Manning the forward end were a first and second mate, two wheelsmen, two lookouts, six deckhands and a watchman. The after end was manned by a first and second engineer, two oilers and four firemen. The galley crew consisted of a steward, porter and waiter. For their labors, pay ranged from $90 a month for the first mate down to $35 for firemen and $20 a month for deckhands. Like other fleets, Northern Steamship cut sailors’ pay when times were tough and unemployed sailors plentiful. During the depression year of 1893, for instance, skilled first mates still earned $90 a month while wages for easy-to-find deckhands were cut to just $15 a month — paltry wages even by the standards of the day.⁷

Although the individual boats made a profit during their first year, start-up costs pushed the company into the red. But with plenty of cargo to haul, the fleet quickly became a lucrative venture. In 1890 the company turned a $156,000 profit. That amount climbed to $321,000 by 1893. Even in the depression-wracked year of 1894, the boats still ran $154,000 in the black.⁸

Following the initial success of their freight boats, Hill and the directors of Northern Steamship Company decided to add two passenger ships to their fleet. Hill wanted to funnel eastern passengers into his railroad system just as he brought in freight. With the economic depression hanging heavily on the land, it was an unfortunate time to be building ships, but the company went ahead anyway. The Globe Ship Building Company launched the first passenger boat, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵, on January 6, 1894. Chosen for the envious task of commanding the new steamer was Captain W.H. Campau. Before his boat was launched, Captain Campau booked passage on seagoing vessels of the Cunard, White Star and Inman lines to learn how they treated their passengers and to spread the word about Hill’s new Great Lakes boats. A year later the Globe yard completed a twin vessel, the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥. Captain Wesley C. Brown, Northern Steamship’s marine superintendent, took command of that vessel.⁹

As Hill had intended, both vessels were marvels that were built, equipped and decorated to compare favorably with any passenger liner in the saltwater trade. Each was 385 feet in overall length, with a beam of 44 feet and a draft of 34 feet. Their hulls were painted a gleaming white and their cabins were topped by three light-yellow smokestacks. Adorning the center stack was a white star that was illuminated at night.

Below decks, the boats were powered by two quadruple expansion steam engines capable of developing 7,000 horsepower and driving the boat at up to 22 knots. Providing steam for the engines, auxiliary motors and pumps were 28 French Belleville water tube boilers. These boilers were divided into three groups of eight, with each group feeding its exhaust into one of the three smokestacks. Each vessel boasted 1,200 electric lights, which was 300 more than the largest ocean steamer then in existence.

The 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 each were built to carry more than 400 passengers in stylish luxury and to feed them in a top-quality restaurant. To do this, the boats needed big crews. Each vessel employed 147 men and women. The navigation crew consisted of a master, a chief mate in charge of maintenance, second and third mates, two wheelsmen, a bosun, two lookouts, and 12 seamen. Manning the engine room were a chief mate, four assistant engineers, 10 oilers and 34 firemen, coalpassers and watertenders. The remaining 77 crew members worked in the hotel portion of the boat — cooking, serving food, cleaning rooms and caring for the passengers.¹⁰

Early plans for the vessels show a berthing area for steerage passengers on the boats’ lowest deck. This space apparently was never used for that purpose, however, and instead housed crew members. But even with the additional space the crew’s quarters were nothing fancy. Two large cabins each held three-tiered bunks for up to 18 engine room crewmen while another cabin berthed 12 deckhands. Deckhands and firemen also had separate mess rooms.

While the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 were bright and powerful, their true claim to fame lay in their passenger quarters. These spaces were decorated in a style the steamship line termed “modified rococo,” which was described as being in “a refined and quiet taste, striving for harmony of color and avoiding the vulgarity which comes with overloading ornament.”¹¹

Passengers entered the boat through a gangway in the side of the hull near the stern. Once inside they found themselves in the vestibule, a compartment spanning the width of the vessel and containing the purser’s ticket window and a cloak room. Here, passengers exchanged their tickets for a purser’s check and room key. A round-trip ticket between Buffalo and Duluth in the best accommodations cost $30. Meals were extra. The boat’s clerk also had train schedules available for all railroads and could sell train tickets to help passengers complete their connections. Once they had their keys, passengers could ascend the grand staircase leading to the upper decks. Gentlemen might first seek quick relief by simply walking aft a few paces from the vestibule to the bar room and the small men’s cafe. The remainder of this deck was used for crew berthing except for the large passenger dining room at the bow.¹³

The upper decks were devoted largely to passenger cabins and various lounges and promenades. For instance, the boats had a women’s deck saloon, featuring a grand piano and a fireplace, and a large men’s smoking room. Everything — including the bathrooms — was paneled in mahogany.

Most passengers slept in the 108 tiny two-berth cabins located on the saloon deck. These were of a size common to Great Lakes steamers of the day, but Northern Steamship Company’s promotional brochures described them as “light and airy.” Those of better means could choose one of four larger cabins on the saloon deck, or one of the 18 larger cabins and nine parlor suites found on the upper deck. “The 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 has several suites of apartments which boast of luxury and comfort,” one promotional booklet read. “They … are finished in white mahogany and furnished with full-sized brass bedsteads in special designs. Rich rugs, beautiful lace spreads, tables and lately, elegant private bathrooms, secure a luxurious comfort.” The private bathrooms were perhaps the boats’ biggest luxuries because only two public bathtubs, both located in the barbershop, were available for use by occupants of the smaller cabins.¹⁴

Efforts to provide distinctive service extended to all phases of the boats’ operation. Crewmen wore uniforms. A stewardess looked after the needs of first-class ladies and their children. The boats carried only passengers — there was no freight to cause delays or noisy inconvenience during the night. In later years, the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥’s master took to putting on his own small drama for the passengers. Shortly before departure, he would appear on the bridge and look aft toward the gangplank, where the first officer stood with watch in hand. A few seconds before the scheduled departure time, the captain would raise his arm, pause, then drop it at the exact moment the ship was to depart. As his arm came down, the first officer stepped aboard and the vessel got under way.

Initially, Northern Steamship Company ran the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 on opposing schedules between Buffalo and Duluth, making stops in Cleveland, Detroit, Sault Ste. Marie and West Superior. It was a popular service, and many of the famous and well-to-do took advantage of it. During the first couple years of operation, passenger lists for each arriving boat were printed in the Duluth newspapers as though the vessels were docking after a run across the North Atlantic. On June 7, 1895, one of the boats arrived in Duluth carrying a large party of men bound for northern Minnesota to inspect the properties of the Minnesota Iron Company. The group included 150 top industrialists, investors, managers and “fully a score of millionaires,” including Philip Armour, the meatpacker; Marshall Field, department store owner and steel company investor; George Pullman, sleeping car manufacturer; Robert McCormack, manufacturer of reapers; Charlemagne Tower, investor in ore lands; Henry C. Frick, coke producer; Peter White, iron mining pioneer; and John W. Gates, president of Illinois Steel Company. Many of these men were accustomed to having the best, and it was no coincidence that James J. Hill used the trip to show off what his steamboats could offer.¹⁶

𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 operated from June 15 to September 15, making about a dozen trips each season. It wasn’t much time to make money, and the Northern Steamship Company suffered because of it. In 1895, the passenger boats cost $284,963 to operate but earned only $190,845. The company lost $20,000 that year and posted losses of $103,000 in 1896 and $153,000 in 1897 — all because of losses incurred operating the passenger steamers. It wasn’t until 1898 that the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 finally made money — an $8,000 profit. It was a small contribution toward the company’s robust overall profit that year of $174,886. The following year, profits from the passenger steamers climbed to $16,000 and Northern Steamship again enjoyed a healthy bottom line.¹⁷

During the 1901 navigation season, Northern Steamship Company made a radical shift in its routes. The 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 were put into service between Chicago and Buffalo to handle heavy passenger traffic to the Buffalo Exposition. To serve the Lake Superior cities, the company chartered the 289-foot steamer 𝘔𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘪. This certainly was a let-down for Lake Superior passengers because 𝘔𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘪 was smaller and considerably less grand than its fleetmates.¹⁸

The following year, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 underwent major changes. Their water tube Belleville boilers had proven troublesome from the start. The tubes frequently exploded, scalding firemen. The boilers also were notoriously hard-firing, making it difficult to hire and keep firemen. So while still relatively new, both vessels went into the shipyard to have their 28 original boilers replaced with just 10 Scotch boilers. With fewer boilers on board, one of the smokestacks could be removed from each vessel. That freed space on the upper deck for the addition of cabins containing more parlor suites.¹⁹

While the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 garnered most of the publicity for Northern Steamship Company, the six package boats were earning most of the money. In 1902 the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘞𝘢𝘷𝘦, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳 combined to earn $747,489 while costing only $382,753 to operate. Nonetheless, on February 9, 1903, the company’s directors met and agreed to sell the six freight boats, two lighters and some land to Eastern Trunk Lines for $2.8 million. The company’s minute book offers no explanation for the decision. Eastern Trunk Lines began operating the six boats under the name of the Mutual Transit Company.²⁰

Now the Northern Steamship Company consisted only of 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥. For the next decade, the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 generally ran in weekly service between Buffalo and Duluth while 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 operated between Buffalo and Chicago, with stops at the northern Michigan resorts of Harbor Springs and Mackinac Island. The vessels remained popular among travelers. In 1905, for instance, the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 carried 7,184 passengers and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 carried 8,325. Their peak loads came between July and mid-August, when the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 carried as many as 417 passengers on westbound trips and 356 eastbound. Trips early in the season weren’t so lucrative, however, with one eastbound voyage including only 65 passengers.²¹

With the profitable package freighters no longer part of the fleet, the Northern Steamship Company suffered. Beginning in 1904, it lost from $50,000 to $145,000 a year for the remainder of its existence.²²

The 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 have a long-standing reputation for being “Hill’s white elephants” that never made a profit. But Northern Steamship Company’s meticulous financial records show the steamships actually made more money than they cost to operate during much of their careers. For instance, a 1910 report by the company’s accounting department shows the boats’ revenue ahead of expenses by $64,000 in 1906, $48,000 in 1907, $48,000 in 1908, $52,000 in 1909 and $34,000 in 1910.

However, the company’s overall financial statement counted vessel operations as only one of its operating expenses. Also included were the cost of maintaining equipment and terminals, unspecified “traffic expenses,” terminal operations, taxes, dock rental, and depreciation. When all these figures were combined, the Northern Steamship Company was hopelessly unprofitable.

The 1912 operating year provides an illustration. That year the two passenger steamers earned revenue of $149,417 while costing $114,800 to operate — a profit of just over $34,000. But also figured into the category of “operating expenses” was maintenance of equipment, $72,500; maintenance of terminals, $794; traffic expenses, $15,757; and operation of terminals, $1,583. Add in taxes, rent paid on docks and depreciation, and the company’s overall loss that year amounts to $127,452. The 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 could operate profitably, but making just 12 trips a season they couldn’t generate enough revenue to pay Northern Steamship Company’s overhead.

The fleet’s precarious financial situation wasn’t helped by some of the odd expenses it incurred. In 1907 the company paid out $26,072 to settle claims by people who contracted typhoid fever aboard the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵. This was a common illness in Great Lakes cities at the turn of the century, largely because untreated sewage was dumped into water from which cities and steamboats drew their drinking water. Nor did L.H. Wood of Buffalo, the company’s cashier, help matters. The fleet’s books were never audited from the time of its formation until 1912. Wood started making false entries in the books in 1902. By the time auditors caught him a decade later, he had embezzled $94,000 and used the money to buy two houses in Buffalo, a vineyard in western New York and a tidy amount of stock. He turned it all over to company officials when he was caught and ended up serving a year in prison.²³

Despite its financial troubles, the Northern Steamship Company continued to maintain high standards aboard 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 and 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥. By 1911, both boats had been modernized to include a wireless room and telephones linking parlor rooms with the purser’s office. “It has been the aim of the management since inaugurating this line to improve the service whenever possible,” the company asserted in its timetable, “and the effect has been that today it equals or surpasses that of the best clubs and hotels in this or any other country.”

Finally, the Northern Steamship Company and its glorious twin white flyers simply sputtered to an ignominious end. The biggest blow came June 3, 1911, as workers were fitting out the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 in Buffalo for the coming navigation season. During the night a can of oil was left near a heat source below decks. The can exploded, spraying hot oil around the compartment and igniting 200 gallons of paint that had been brought aboard a few days earlier. The boat quickly turned into an inferno. After several hours, crewmen scuttled the vessel to prevent it from capsizing as firefighters poured water onto the flames.²⁴

The 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵’s hull was raised two weeks later. A survey by Babcock & Penton Naval Architects of New York showed the hull, engines and boilers were intact. However, the boat’s cabins and the passenger entrance on the main deck were heavily damaged. The naval architects recommended against restoring the boat to its original state. Northern Steamship Company took that advice and accepted a $259,000 settlement from its insurance company. The 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵’s hull remained in Buffalo for six years until Northern Steamship finally sold it for $200,000 to Charles Finnegan.²⁵

Vessel losses resulting from submarine attacks during World War I prompted ship owners to scour the Great Lakes looking for vessels to put into the saltwater trade. Despite its damage, the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵’s hull was a worthy candidate. It was cut in two and prepared for transit through the St. Lawrence River canals so it could be rebuilt for use on the Atlantic Ocean. However, the forward half sank in Lake Ontario while under tow. The stern section eventually was united with a new bow and named 𝘔𝘢𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵. The ungainly vessel that resulted served as a freighter until 1941, when it was sunk in the North Atlantic by a German submarine.

The 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 soldiered on alone after the 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 fire. Northern Steamship Company kept its lone vessel in operation between Buffalo and Chicago until 1916. After lying idle for a year, it was sold in 1918 for $240,000. The proud vessel was cut in half and taken through the St. Lawrence River canals for service in the war effort. The transit was successful, but the war ended before the vessel could be reassembled. It lay at Montreal until 1921, when it was broken up for scrap.

NOTES

1. “Hill, James Jerome,” Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia.
2. Joseph G. Pyle, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘑. 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘭, (publisher unknown, 1926), Vol 1., p. 420-423.
3. Assorted correspondence, records of the Northern Steamship Company, (Great Northern Record Group, Vol. 1-24, 136.J.8.8F), Minnesota History Center collection, St. Paul, Minn.
4. Pyle, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘑. 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘭, Vol 1., p. 420-423.
5. Earnings and Expenses of the Northern Steamship Company to July 31, 1889, records of the Northern Steamship Company, Minnesota History Center collection, St. Paul, Minn.
6. Here and next two paragraphs, Letter from F.C. Cruger, assistant auditor, records of the Northern Steamship Company, Minnesota History Center collection, St. Paul, Minn.
7. Payroll records of Steamer Northern Light and Northern Wave, records of the Northern Steamship Company, Minnesota History Center collection, St. Paul, Minn.
8. State of Income and Profit and Loss, 1889-1917, records of the Northern Steamship Company, Minnesota History Center collection, St. Paul, Minn.
9. William F. Rapprich, “The North West and the North Land,” 𝘐𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘴®, Spring 1973.
10. Ibid.
11. 𝘈 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘝𝘪𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘳 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵, (published by the Great Northern Passenger Department, date unknown).
12. Deleted.
13. Northern Steamship Company timetables, 1895, 1901, 1906, 1911.
14. Northern Steamship Company timetable, 1906.
15. Deleted.
16. Duluth News-Tribune, June 7, 1895.
17. History of the Northern Steamship Company (publisher unknown, undated), records of the Northern Steamship Company, Minnesota History Center collection, St. Paul, Minn.
18. Northern Steamship Company timetable, 1901.
19. Rapprich, “The North West and the North Land,” 𝘐𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘴®.
20. Minute Book of the Northern Steamship Company, records of the Northern Steamship Company, Minnesota History Center collection, St. Paul, Minn.
21. Record of passenger loadings, 1905, records of the Northern Steamship Company, Minnesota History Center collection, St. Paul, Minn.
22. Here and next three paragraphs, Statement of Income and Profit and Loss, 1889-1917; Report of Accounting Department of Northern Steamship Company, 1910, 1912, records of the Northern Steamship Company, Minnesota History Center collection, St. Paul, Minn.
23. Correspondence, records of the Northern Steamship Company, Minnesota History Center collection, St. Paul, Minn.
24. Rapprich, “The North West and the North Land,” 𝘐𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘴®.
25. History of the Northern Steamship Company (publisher unknown, undated), records of the Northern Steamship Company, Minnesota History Center collection, St. Paul, Minn.

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