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Autos Across Mackinac: 1881 Ariel Quickly Upgraded, Sent North to the Straits
The Walkerville Ferry Company was the brainchild of Hiram Walker (1816-1899), who moved westward to Michigan and settled in Detroit around 1838. Starting as a grocery clerk, he advanced to grocer, grain importer, and the manufacture and sale of whiskey. But poor timing placed his business directly in the way of the temperance movement in the United States. Walker's business dealings often took him to the Detroit waterfront on the river's edge, and he quickly realized that moving his distillery across to the Canadian side would allow him to avoid tightening US Government regulations. He set the plant on the shoreline just east of Windsor, Ontario. In addition to the distillery itself, his company built housing for his workers and set up community services such as fire and police protection, a church, a bank, and even a railway to connect the company's shipments to the outside world. Soon, the community around the distillery became known as Walkerville.
The company was first called the "Walker and Sons Ferry" after its primary users. But a second boat was needed if more regular service was to be offered to Walker employees and the public, so the Ariel was ordered. The business name was changed in 1888 to the more respectable "Walkerville and Detroit Ferry Company." As built in 1881, the Ariel had a wooden hull 95-feet, 6-inches long, with a beam of 28.9 feet. Officially numbered (US) 106032, the ship was equipped with a firebox 8d x 15-1/2 boiler built by Desotelle & Hutton of Detroit. Its 90 pound operating pressure powered a Detroit Frontier Iron Works 360 horsepower, high-pressure steam engine with a 20-inch cylinder that moved a 24-inch stroke. It turned her single screw at 90 revolutions per minute. She was registered at 201 gross tons and 119 net tons, with an 11-foot, 1-inch draft. The Ariel cost $30,000. When she first entered service in 1882, Ariel served a triangular run between Walkerville, Belle Isle (a park-like island in the river featuring numerous attractions), and Detroit. The run's success lay in that it provided direct access to the island for Canadian passengers. Previously, the island could be reached only from the American side via a bridge, meaning Canadian visitors had to travel some distance from the older Detroit ferry landing to reach it. Soon, a third ferry, the Sapho, was acquired to replace the Essex on the Detroit to Walkerville run while the Ariel continued the triangle route. Later, the island stop became less frequent. While the Ariel plied back and forth across the river, the century turned, and with the new century came a new innovation - automobile travel. Detroit, of course, was the cradle of the auto industry in North America, and so as local auto sales expanded, an early demand for ferriage across the river developed. It soon became apparent that the Ariel was not equipped for handling this type of traffic or the volume it generated, and so in 1912 another ship was ordered. The new, all-steel boat would be wider, allowing autos to turn around a center cabin on the lower deck. The new ship, also named Essex in honor of the line's first vessel, was launched in June 1913. She immediately was so successful that she became the blueprint for all subsequent river ferries. In 1912, the Ariel was similarly modified with widening sponsons and some enclosed areas were opened on the main deck to "allow for the carriage of autos," thus making her a true automobile ferry. Her new dimensions were 110 feet by 36 feet with a 12-foot, 6-inch maximum draft. Following World War I, another steel ferry was ordered. The Wayne entered service in 1923 and the 41- year-old wooden Ariel was laid up and offered for sale. The buyer was the State of Michigan, which wasted no time in having her modified for her new duties as a Michigan State Ferry at the Straits of Mackinac. John Stevenson knew the Ariel was not going to be the perfect boat for the new state service. She was old and she wasn't very big. By now she was capable of 15 miles per hour. With a 1902 Scotch boiler allowing 125 pounds of operating pressure, the engine generated 550 horsepower. But she could only carry about 20 cars. She would also need several modifications to allow her to ferry across the Straits. The Steamship Inspection Service ordered that at least three steel bulkheads be installed transversely through her hold, to strengthen it and to provide some semblance of watertight compartmentalization. They also required more life saving equipment, a larger anchor, and an anchor windlass with a longer chain. There were no crew quarters aboard the boat. Stevenson noted that a lounge could be converted to crew quarters and a dining room and kitchen could be fitted on part of the promenade deck at a later time, if needed. He suggested that for the first season, the crew could live ashore and come aboard just for their watches, if the governor wanted the boat in a hurry. It appeared the Ariel was the best quick solution, and after purchasing the option on it, Stevenson wired Governor Groesbeck to send a warrant for the full $10,000 purchase price. Title to the Ariel was transferred to the State of Michigan on July 13, 1923, and work was begun to add the extra equipment and make the needed repairs. The modifications at Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, cost another five or six thousand dollars. Unaware of the time constraints the state's new service faced, when the media at the Straits learned of the purchase, they had a field day. In their reports, several editors suggested that Michigan wasn't really serious about operating a ferry. Scathing columns blasted the Gov. Groesbeck, Rogers, Stevenson, and the state as a whole for the sham they were about to present to the traveling public. The normally-supportive St. Ignace Enterprise headlined a story in the July 12 issue, "State Buys a Boat - Or at Least it Was a Boat 48 Years Ago." The article went on to explain (inaccurately) that Ariel was actually 40 feet shorter than the Islander, a passenger ship on the Mackinac Island run. "It would appear that the state is about to inaugurate the service as a farce," the paper complained. "Governor Groesbeck is quoted as being in favor of making no charge for autos, and it is likely that some such concession will have to be made as an inducement for making passage on her. The land sailors who have had charge of the matter will know more about steamboating after they have had a little experience with the Ariel and perhaps a better and more suitable boat will result." The "land sailors" were still working to find more suitable ferries, but with the summer season half over already, the little Ariel was upgraded as quickly as possible to meet the Steamboat Inspectors' requirements and sent north toward the Straits. The Enterprise announced the service was projected to begin on Monday morning, July 16. As it turned out, that date was a bit premature. Work to upgrade the ship took longer than expected, but the citizenry was not informed. The newspapers reported the ship as being expected hourly, but for nearly two weeks it did not appear. Rogers wired the MCRR's Deimling that the planking needed to be put across the tracks at the railroad dock immediately. His message said the new ferry would arrive in Mackinaw City July 23, but again on that date, no ferry appeared. What did appear was a release from the Governor's Office saying he and Highway Commissioner Rogers had settled on the matter of rates to be charged on the new ferry. Papers that week carried the following table: CAPACITY OF TRUCK AND RATES: One ton and under . . . $5.00 Over one ton and including two tons . . . 9.00 Over two tons and including three tons . . . 11.00 Over three tons to and including four tons . . . 13.00 Over four tons to and including five tons . . . 15.00 PASSENGER AUTOMOILES: Cars having wheel base up to and including 114" . . . $2.50 Cars having wheel base over 114" . . . 3.50 There will be no extra charge for passengers traveling in automobiles not in excess of the seating capacity of the car. Passengers not traveling in automobiles . . . 25¢ each way No package freight other than that carried in automobiles and trucks will be handled. The rates were said to be only temporary, as final rates would be determined by the actual cost to transport vehicles between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace. Those would be calculated as soon as possible after the ferry went into service. The stated policy was to keep the rates to as near the actual cost as possible, charging only the bare minimum necessary. By publishing the fares, the state spurred even more public interest, and each day more and more people asked when the service would begin. Everyone at the Straits tried to be the first to catch a glimpse of the new boat, but the wait dragged on by the hour. At last, on Sunday morning, July 29, the little steamer finally puffed into view. Bright and shiny in a new coat of white paint, she steamed into St. Ignace under the command of Captain John Ivers, who apparently had commanded the vessel on her Detroit/Walkerville run. Ivers proudly guided her up to the Chambers Dock, now renamed the State Dock, but found his charge could not properly land. No one had checked to determine the freeboard of the ship compared to the height of the dock, and in order to load or discharge autos, the height of the pier deck would have to be lowered by cutting away some of the support pilings. The work to modify the pier and to make proper fittings and adjustments delayed the start of ferry service until the first week of August. *Captain John Ivers: The State's first ferry captain had a distinguished record on the Great Lakes. Born in Port Huron, in 1846, he began sailing at the age of 14. His career interrupted only to fight in the Civil War, he resumed sailing and rose through the ranks to command a number of ships, including the Fountain City. While in that position, he heard of a fellow officer's death in Buffalo, New York. On visiting the widow, he learned the family needed $50 for funeral expenses. Ivers called a meeting of fellow ships officers and raised $125 for the family. That meeting ultimately lead to the formation of the group that evolved into the Great Lakes Shipmasters' Association. Nevertheless, over the next few days the boat made several demonstration runs, tying up at St. Ignace, her newly designated homeport, each night. On Sunday, August 5, the governor and commissioner both visited Mackinaw City while the boat was there. They inspected the Ariel and familiarized themselves with traffic conditions and looked to see what would be required for regular service and future expansion. The next morning she sailed from St. Ignace at 6 o'clock on her first regularly scheduled crossing. Unfortunately, news of the new ferry service took a back seat throughout Michigan to the death of U.S. President Warren G. Harding, who had died the week before. Once inaugurated, the state's plan was to make a crossing from St. Ignace every three hours starting at 6 a.m. The last sailing would leave Mackinaw City each night at 10:30. To keep that schedule, a second crew, commanded by Captain Anthony T. May, was hired. Like Capt. Ivers, May also had a distinguished Great Lakes career before coming to the Straits ferry route. Born in 1858, he began sailing at age 12. He may have also sailed the Ariel in Detroit prior to her being purchased by the state. The two crews increased the population of St. Ignace somewhat when their families moved to the town to establish homes. The state also hired dockworkers to handle lines and direct traffic at the terminals on each side. Local residents Murray Quinn and Albert Murray were named the ship's first pursers. Their duties included counting passengers and recording every car transported, including its make, name of owner, and license number. Stevenson, in his newly created post of Ferry Superintendent, handled the senior hiring, mostly through his office in the garage in Detroit. The ship's captains apparently hired their own crews. But applications for positions with the ferry poured into the governor's office, the Highway Commissioner's office, and to just about every official who had a title in the state. The officials, themselves, suggested other names. Even Mayor Highstone sent recommendations of "good, staunch Republicans" who would support the governor while doing justice to their appointed office. In outlining his hiring plans, Stevenson specifically mentioned that he would try to keep the ferry free from partisan politics. To his credit, it appears he did a fairly good job. The Ariel only required a crew of eight, but could carry up to 400 passengers in 5-foot by 34-foot cabins on both sides of the main deck and one 26-foot by 39-foot cabin on the deck above. Even with the 1912 modifications, the Ariel could carry only 20 cars per crossing, and everyone quickly learned just how inadequate that was. After just a week of operation, the state ferry was leaving motorists stranded on the dock at an alarming rate. It was not uncommon for autos to wait all day for a chance to board. One party coming from the Lower Peninsula reported they'd arrived at Mackinaw City on Friday morning at 11 a.m., but so many cars were already waiting in line that they didn't get aboard the ferry until 7:30 that night. They finally arrived at St. Ignace at 9 p.m. The waits were long all month, but once patrons got on board, they showered Captains Ivers and May and the rest of the officers and crew with abundant praise. According to one published report, "Everyone connected with the boat endeavors to make the trip as pleasant and comfortable as possible. The patrons are accorded gentlemanly treatment and given such information as to the route to be taken, places to stop, etc., at their command." But making the trip comfortable could be a challenge. With her low freeboard designed for calmer river waters, Ariel easily took rougher water from the Straits right onto the car deck. Her wide beam caused her to roll and wallow sickeningly in anything but the calmest seas. In just the first two weeks of operations, several days were lost when the ship had to lie in at the dock waiting for the weather to calm. As predicted, under certain conditions it was unsafe for her to land at the Railroad Dock's north side in Mackinaw City. Captain May was sent to scout locations for a more permanent terminal. While the Mackinaw City Village Council had also offered their own town dock, the state worried about potential land grabs such as experienced in St. Ignace. May, instead, picked a location south of the railroad landing, on the water off the end of "J" street. When word got out, Mackinaw City merchants were upset, fearing ferry travelers would be kept out of the business district by trains on the crossing. May defended his choice by saying a pier at that location would be somewhat protected from the north by the existing railroad dock. Not everyone was satisfied with the ferry operation. The Cheboygan Tribune headlined a story, "State Ferry Fizzles!" The article complained that despite the state's best intentions, the Ariel was just not an adequate boat for the service, and that too many days had been lost when the weather proved undependable. The paper predicted a quick demise to the state-run operation. Fortunately the paper was wrong. Next week: The Ariel's success spells her retirement. |
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