Message-ID: <011801c8bab6$4cc4cfc0$4001a8c0@HP50151119617> From: "Susan McLeod" <s.mcleod@cvmuseum.com> Subject: Re: New Exhibit at the Door County Maritime Museum Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 15:15:51 -0500
Sounds great! Would love to see some gallery shots. Susan McLeod
----- Original Message -----
From: Brian Kelsey
To: localhistory@listserve.uwec.edu
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 9:57 AM
Subject: New Exhibit at the Door County Maritime Museum
Prepare to Be Blown Away!
Freshwater Fury Rages at the Door County Maritime Museum Beginning May
24, 2008
Media contact:
Brian Kelsey
920.743.5958
Photos available upon request
Freshwater Fury
"Erie, and Ontario, and Huron, and Superior, and Michigan - possess an
ocean-like expansiveness, with many of the ocean's noblest traits . . .
they are swept by Borean and dismasting blasts as direful as any that
lash the salted wave; they know what shipwrecks are, for out of sight of
land, however inland, they have drowned full many a midnight ship with
all its shrieking crew."
Herman Melville, "Moby Dick"
In his novel, Melville singles out the bitter defeat of sailors by
nature and understood the ferocity of the lake's fury. Singly each lake
is an inland sea, larger, more dangerous, and with dirtier weather than
many. Their violent winter seas can lift a steel freighter as if she
were a canoe and turn her over or set her broken on the shore.
In November of 1913, one of the worst storms in recorded history
occurred. Not only chaos on the lakes, but also the disruption of
communications and travel across seven states and Canadian provinces for
days. In Cleveland, the city hardest hit of all, commerce, public
utilities, and traffic came to a standstill.
The stories from this storm were many - some true, some false, some
overstated, some understated, but all incredible. The men who lived
through this storm never forgot the force of the wind, the blinding
blizzard, the tumult of the seas, the staggering loss of lives and
ships. How many lost will never be known - over 250 at sea and on land.
To this day, the secret of why many freighters foundered remains
buried at the bottom of the lakes. Two weeks before the navigation
season was to close and ships were safe in winter berths, practically
without warning, Freshwater Fury sent a score of modern freighters to
their doom. Twelve ships disappeared with all hands, leaving nothing to
tell of their last battle with the sea.
"There have been many storms in the past supposedly violent, but this
one was unprecedented. It raged with uncommon force, especially on Lake
Huron, and proved to be the most destructive in the history of the
lakes. As nearly as can be traced, 235 sailors lost their lives in this
storm, 44 of them on Lake Superior, 7 on Lake Michigan, 6 on Lake Erie,
and 178 of them on Lake Huron. The storm threw a great pall over lake
shipping and practically demoralized lake trade for the balance of the
season."
Annual Report, Lake Carriers Association,
Cleveland, Ohio 1913
The Door County Maritime Museum's staff and volunteers are finalizing
the new exhibit "Freshwater Fury" which tells the amazing tale of the
greatest storm ever recorded on the Great Lakes, which took place in
November 1913. Many of us living in the Great Lakes region are all too
familiar with the powerful weather we see in fall and winter. While this
occurs with some regularity, there are probably a dozen storms noted for
their severity, causing extensive losses of life and property. It is
argued as to which is the more powerful or destructive, but is generally
agreed the November 7-10th storm of 1913 was one of the worst on record
- with a death toll of 235 or more, and upwards of 40 shipwrecks, 11
sinking with all hands. Freezing water, 35-foot waves, 75 mph winds, a
lack of sophisticated communication and weather forecasting all played a
part in the disaster. And in the wake of the storm were the dead, the
stricken vessels, and the survivors. By presenting historic photographs,
newspaper articles, and the personal accounts of lake masters and their
crew, we will look at the ships and ask why they sank or how they
survived. We invite visitors to step onto the deck of a ship about to
sink; watch the storm's fury from a virtual pilothouse; or don a
life-vest and telegraph a call in distress in hopes of a returning
assurance of help.
Weather forecasters of the time did not have enough data or
understanding of atmospheric dynamics to predict the storm's growth -
data collected was already hours behind the actual weather event. With
the help of Green Bay's WLUK meteorologist Tara Hastings, we will
present a weather model recreating the storm's development and path as
it happened in 1913. We will show images along the shore and in
Cleveland where blizzards paralyzed the region under snow and ice,
causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage (1913 dollars). Power
was out for days across Michigan, northern Ohio, and Ontario, cutting
off telephone and telegraph communications.
From the aftermath we have stories of those sailors who weathered the
storm, photographs, newspaper accounts, and personal mementos. We will
show the taped interview of wheelsman Ed Kanaby of the stranded
freighter H.A. Hawgood, and actual footage a life-saving team's drill of
1914. There were also several long-tem consequences of the storm
resulting in more accurate weather forecasting and better communication
of proper storm warnings. Criticism of the shipping companies and
shipbuilders led to safer designs for vessels with greater stability and
strength. Even today, as improved as technology has become, storms act
with an unpredictable violence on the Lakes - and we have the stories
and footage of those freighters still fighting the freshwater fury of
November's Great Lakes.
Freshwater Fury opens to the public on Saturday, May 24, 2008 and will
run through Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Museum hours are 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
beginning May 24, 2008. Admission is $7 for adults and $4 for children.
The Museum's Sturgeon Bay headquarters is located at 120 N. Madison
Ave., Sturgeon Bay, WI and can be reached by phoning 920.743.5958 or via
our website at www.dcmm.org
The Door County Maritime Museum was founded in 1969 and preserves the
rich maritime heritage of Door County, Wisconsin and the Great Lakes.
Headquartered in Sturgeon Bay, WI, the Museum operates seasonal
facilities at the Cana Island Lighthouse and in Gills Rock, offering
visitors a comprehensive view to the County's local maritime legacy.
Museum information can be obtained by email at info@dcmm.org or by
accessing the Web site at www.dcmm.org.
###
This exciting exhibit includes the following:
· Large listing freighter that visitors will be able to
board (photo attached). Details include:
o a touch screen enabling visitors to view the wrecks of the ships
that didn't make it through the storm
o a period-specific radio room where guests will be encouraged to
learn Morse Code and send a distress signal to another part of the
exhibit
o replicas of the lifebelts wore by both survivors and those who
perished in the storm
o ability to step into a life boat for a wonderful photo opportunity
· View a informative video production by WLUK (an exhibit
sponsor) on what caused this amazing storm to occur
· Two custom designed, computer-based, interactive
components
o Interactive Storm Simulation. This interactive "game" will
temporarily grant the viewer "god-like" powers. The purpose is to let
the user determine different elemental choices in the simulation which
ultimately will determine the fate of the virtual ship in the storm.
How much wind, what direction is the wind coming from, how much wave
action, how much snow, what is the temperature all come together to
create the perfect storm and ultimately determine what happens to the
ship in the simulation.
o "Captain Your Vessel in the Storm". This will be an interactive,
side by side, arcade style game pitting the player against an
approaching "Fresh Water Fury" type storm. The play will engage the
"captain" in choosing a correct path to lead their vessel from Sault St.
Marie to the safety of The St. Claire River. Throughout the simulation
a storm and storm effects are approaching without pause. The "captains"
must navigate their vessel properly and quickly to avoid such pitfalls
as shallow water, reefs, and of course the storm itself that is bearing
down on them.
· 1913 Storm Survivor Stories. This is a video production
that chronicles the stories of chosen survivors of the storm.
· Over 25 highly designed and informative reader boards
including images and detailed information on the storm day by day and
what occurred in the aftermath of the storm
· Artifacts from across the Great Lakes from wrecks of the
storm
· A custom-built 16' scaled replica of the Charles S. Price.
This model will rest above the visitors heads in a flipped fashion as
that is how she was found prior to ultimately sinking to the bottom of
Lake Huron.
· "Fury on Land" - a pictorial view of the damage the storm
caused on land. This portion of the exhibit will be housed in the
Reddin Bridge Room.
As you can see, this is a detailed and intricate exhibit built and
created by the Museum staff and an incredible group of volunteers. This
exhibit is certain to please, educate and surprise individuals of all
ages.
Prepare to Be Blown Away...Freshwater Fury is Coming!
Brian Kelsey
Executive Director
Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society, Inc.
120 N. Madison Ave.
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
(920) 743-5958
(920) 743-9483 (fax)
www.dcmm.org
Prepare to Be Blown Away...Freshwater Fury is Coming!
Brian Kelsey
Executive Director
Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society, Inc.
120 N. Madison Ave.
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
(920) 743-5958
(920) 743-9483 (fax)
www.dcmm.org