As
sailing vessels became obsolete at the turn of the 20th
century, hulls that could be converted to barges were plentiful
and cheap. This was already the case when the Ida Corning (U.
S. Registry 44283) was constructed as a purpose-built
schooner-barge
by Thomas Arnold in East Saginaw, Mich., in 1881. Two
masts, a
fore
and a
mizzen
, gave this 168 by 31 by 11-foot
vessel the configuration of a Grand Haven rig.
 |
The Ida
Corning takes on a load of lumber in her early days. Credit
Milwaukee Public Library. |
Photographs
reveal that the vessel carried an after cabin on the main
deck and had a
forecastle
deck forward, which housed the
winch and perhaps a steam boiler and
donkey engine
. The deck
cabin and small forecastle deck insured that internal hull
space was not wasted on crew quarters or machinery, for more
cargo equated to more profit. The cavernous hull could be
entirely filled with cargo.
The Ida Corning's history
clearly reflects turn-of-the-century economics on the Great
Lakes. The vessel was never intended to free sail the lakes,
but was built to be towed in "consort" with other barges.
She supplemented the cargo capacity of her escort and provided
added flexibility because she could be dropped at any port
for unloading while the escort continued to a different destination.
The Ida Corning changed ownership several times
during her early career but continued in the lumber trade
until after the turn of the century. By this time, however,
the lumber industry was approaching hard times. Seventy years
of laissez-faire government and commercial management had
severely depleted the once seemingly limitless resource,
forcing many lumber companies to divest while others moved
west. Consequently, in 1908, the Ida Corning was
sold to the Sturgeon Bay Stone Company and added to its flotilla
of barges.
 |
| The Ida
Corning at Buffalo , New York .
Credit: Wisconsin Maritime Museum. |
As
a barge, the Ida Corning was often found in tow of
the steamer I.N. Foster, delivering stone to various
locations on the lakes. The vessel faced the usual problems
associated with hauling stone. Bad weather and small leaks
were a constant worry for her small crew, and winter dry
dock and caulking were routine.
Although
grounding or collisions with other vessels were unusual,
the Ida Corning ran aground at least once, in
November of 1908. In a dense fog seven miles south of the
entrance to the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, the barge and
her escort tug, Duncan City, struck a shoal in
an area known as Clay Banks. Apparently, Captain Fred Johnson
of the Duncan
City failed to take into account the increased speed
of the tow because the schooner barge was both empty and
under full sail. As the vessels were being pulled from
the banks by the tug Smith under a Captain Anderson,
the Ida
Corning struck a rock and broke off its shoe and rudder,
necessitating a considerable repair. |
