to Great Lakes shipping.
Shipyards expanded to produce bigger ships, and the capital
investment required to build these vessels grew proportionally. However,
attractive investment opportunities remained for small businesspeople
and mariners who could fill the low-volume, short-run niche
that was unprofitable for larger vessels. Green Bay, Oshkosh,
Two Creeks, Manitowoc, and a host of other towns in Wisconsin
and around the Great Lakes launched small
schooners
that required more skill than capital to build.
 |
The
Dolphin , a slightly larger schooner than the
Hetty Taylor, is seen here in Racine. The Dolphin
was built in 1862, also by Allen, McClelland and
Co. in Milwaukee. (Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Public
Library.) |
On
June 8, 1874, the Milwaukee Sentinel noted the launching
of one such boat.
The new schooner,
built at the junction of the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers
for Capt. James White and Henry Taylor, was successfully launched
shortly before 6 o'clock Saturday evening. She is named the
Hetty Taylor , is a vessel of 75 feet
keel
, and is intended for trading purposes.
The
trim little two-masted schooner had a length of 84 feet, a
beam
of 22 feet, and a depth of 8 feet, with one
deck
and a square
stern
. Her total
tonnage
was just under 84.5 tons.
continued
|
