When the skies of Nov. turn gloomy

[2muchcoffeeman]

The Arther M. Anderson is southbound on Lake Michigan on this day.

 

[Driftwood]

First one without Gord.

Church bell needs to ring 30 times today.

 

[Starman]

The 10-day forecast for Paradise, MI (closest land point to the Fitzgerald sinking): highs between 42 and 56, a few brief showers possible.
Apparently the Gales are taking a few days off this year.

 

[Starman]

Edmund Fitzgerald remembrance from Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum to be livestreamed

https://www.freep.com/story/news/lo...eum-edmund-fitzgerald-livestream/71533816007/

 

[Starman]

The Gales of April, at the Huron Islands Lighthouse in Lake Superior. Personal disclosure note, the 259-foot George Nester was named after my great-grandfather -- and owned by his lumber company, which went bankrupt (Or very close to it) shortly after this wreck ... possibly explaining why I'm not a zillionaire today.

The story of this wreck is pretty harrowing in all it's details, although "only" 7 were lost in comparison to 29 on the Fitz, but the story is pretty gripping, including the Paul Harvey like epilogue that the lighthouse keeper, who was seriously injured (broken collarbone) in the original incident, was back on duty and recovered one of the bodies some six weeks later, apparently disproving the adage, "the lake, it is said, never gives up her dead."

https://lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=729

On April 30, 1909, the schooner barge George C. Nester was in tow of the steam schooner Schoolcraft when the tow line parted during a ferocious storm. The helpless barge was driven onto the rocks of Lighthouse Island, just north of the fog signal. Keeper Witte, who suffered a broken collar bone and a sprained ankle trying to rescue the barge's seven crew members, provided an account of the wreck:

It was such a storm as I have never seen equaled on the lakes. The spray dashed nearly 200 feet high.
It was nearing noon, when suddenly we heard the whistle of some vessel that seemed to be not over a hundred yards from the light.

My assistant, Caspar Cox [Kuhn], went with me in the direction of the sound and saw the barge rapidly drifting toward the worst part of the island. It seemed only an instant before she struck. Her bow was crushed in like an eggshell and then as the waves receded she swept back a moment. Then, with another wave the barge was hurled to pieces, and the sea was instantly filled with driving splinters.

I shall never forget the cries of the poor men in the crew. They called for a line, and I tried to give them help. But the line was like a feather in the gale and was blown upon the rocks time and time again. I could do nothing and the poor fellows drowned before my eyes.

I did all I could, but feel guilty of not saving one. I was only 50 feet above the sea and they were below me, clutching at the bare rocks.

Keeper Witte tried to enist the aid of
the lighthouse tender Marigold that was riding out the storm in the lee of the island, but due to the high seas the tender could do nothing. Keeper Witte was taken to Marquette aboard the Marigold where the injuries he sustained from the ship's wreckage hurled by the waves were treated. By June 5, 1909, Keeper Witte was back on Huron Island as on that date he found a body from the Nester floating in the lake near the north end of the island. Witte took the body to Skanee, the nearest town on the mainland, from where a description of the body was sent to the lighthouse inspector in Detroit.

In 1912, Keeper Witte was awarded a lighthouse efficiency pennant for having the model station in the district.

 

[UPChip]

Greetings from the shores of Lake Superior. It was fine here today. Supposed to be as warm as 50s middle of next week, which is very unusual for November around here.

 

[spikechiquet]

A yearly release from a Toledo brewery honors the Fitz:

 

[UPChip]

I went out to my local watering hole after deadline and before I even ordered I heard someone playing Gord on the jukebox. Sometimes Gord is playing on the jukebox in July around here.

 

[I Should Coco]

I went out to my local watering hole after deadline and before I even ordered I heard someone playing Gord on the jukebox. Sometimes Gord is playing on the jukebox in July around here.

"Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and Ted Nugent's hunting anthem "Fred Bear" were always on heavy rotation at Northern Michigan rock stations when I lived there.

 

[Driftwood]

SJ fail.

How did we let Nov. 10 go by without paying annual respects? I probably know the answer to that, and don't bring it up here, but RIP to the crew of the Fitz and Gord.

 

[Starman]

Next year will be the 50th so I would guess there will be some more substantial observances.

Talking with some other people a few days ago, we agreed it's been kind of surprising there's never been an Edmund Fitzgerald movie. I think when I was in newspapers the topic came up a couple times and the guesses were there might have been resistance from some survivor families, which over the years have been sometimes hot and cold with the attention brought by the iconic song.

Of course it is a bonafide historical event so the survivors couldn't really stop a movie, but it would be a big drag on promotion and public acceptance if the families were openly resistant.

 

[garrow]

Heck, they should do a Lightfoot biopic with Bryan Cranston.