Fire on Board: It could still be a few more days before investigators are able to get below deck of the St. Clair to investigate the cause of a fire in the stern that took two days to bring under control, according to Fire Chief Denny Hartman of the Oregon, Ohio, Fire Department. The American Steamship Company’s 770-foot freighter, which typically carries iron ore pellets, coal and limestone and frequently visits in the Twin Ports, was in winter layup along the Maumee River at the CSX Torco terminal, Port of Toledo, in Oregon. Fifteen fire departments and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the blaze, called in after the winter keeper on another freighter noticed the smoke Saturday night. “It’s a very significant fire, very significant damage,” Denny said Tuesday, adding that “We have declared the fire out. There is a little bit of smoldering.” The interior of the vessel has significant water and firefighting foam inside and needed to be “dewatered” before a cause could be investigated, as the chief explains. The St. Clair’s own keeper stays on the vessel most nights, but happened to be away, which delayed emergency calls. Also, the hydrant system at the terminal is private and only one of the six hydrants could be accessed, the chief notes. The high number of responding fire departments was in part because they needed to relay water in tank trucks from a city source. The river itself was frozen there and not useful to fight the blaze. No official estimate of damage has been released, but there were no injuries. No people or cargo were on board. The U.S. Coast Guard sent a helicopter early Sunday to assess environmental damage and determined that no damage to the river. In the photo here taken from the helicopter, the St. Clair is at the top of the photo and the two nearby vessels were not damaged. The other photo, also taken by Master Chief Petty Officer Alan Haraf, shows first responders dousing the fire. The U.S. EPA also did an air-quality assessment and declared the area free of air pollution. Both the Coast Guard and EPA continue to monitor the situation.
Meanwhile, a ship's keeper on the Algoma Guardian, laid up in Port Colburne, Ontario, is credited with sounding the alarm about a smoke-filled control room on Wednesday. He shut down power to the ship and called emergency services, which determined an overheated transformer to be the cause of the problem, reported the Welland Times' Dave Johnson, published in the Niagara Falls Review. Firefighters, entering single-file below deck as a safety precaution, ventilated the control room. The keeper inhaled some smoke, but declined medical help, according to the story. The nearly 729-foot Algoma Guardian is one of eight gearless bulk carriers in the fleet of Algoma Central Corporation. Another of those gearless bulk carriers, Tim S. Drool, is in winter layup in Fraser Shipyards in Superior. Algoma operates other vessels, including ocean freighters.
More about the St. Clair: The St. Clair was launched July 24, 1975, at Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., and remains the largest hull to be side launched on the Great Lakes. It was christened on April 22, 1976, and named for the port of St. Clair, Michigan. It has a hauling capacity of 44,800 gross tons and is one of 12 Great Lakes vessels operated by American Steamship Company. According to the company website, “the St. Clair is powered by three 3500 HP General Motors Electro Motive Division diesel engines. The vessel uses a twin conveyor system below its cargo holds to transport cargo to an inclined conveyor belt that elevates the cargo to the deck-mounted boom conveyor. For maneuvering in port, the vessel is equipped with 1,000 HP bow and stern thrusters.” BoatNerd.com posted several pictures of the fire and additional history about the vessel. “The St. Clair was built primarily to deliver western low sulfur coal from Superior, WI to Detroit Edison’s Belle River Power Plant near St. Clair, MI,” according to the site. In this photo by Paul Scinocca sent by the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, the St. Clair sails by the north pier of the Duluth Ship Canal.
Touching the Wild Side: The Wildlife and Forestry division of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa posted an intriguing trail cam video compilation showing a clash between bobcats and a coyote, as seen in the dark night image here. The tribal trail cams have produced a number of delightful encounters with wild neighbors that the band has posted on Facebook, including a fisher at Frog Bay Tribal National Park (seen here). There will be another touch of the wild this coming week when at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Red Cliff band and its Legendary Waters Resort & Casino will host a special free preview screening of a new TV documentary, "Ma'iingan: Brother Wolf," by Wisconsin Public Television. Ma'iigan means wolf in Ojibwe.
Water Launch: Moran Iron Works in Onaway, Michigan, laid the keel last week for a new boat that will be used to launch kayaks at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, according to a story by Baird Maritime. The 64-foot-by-19-foot tour boat will be delivered this summer. This boat, with a first-ever custom kayak launching system, will be able to handle 72 passengers and 36 kayaks. "It’s a revolutionary way of experiencing the beauty that Northern Michigan, particularly Pictured Rocks, has to offer," Lee Fayssoux, project manager at Moran, said in a statement reported by Aleanna Siacon of the Detroit Free Press earlier this month.
Off the Tracks: A derailment of a coal-carrying train on late Saturday morning has sparked rebukes this week from the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, who criticized the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway for not properly notifying band officials of the derailment on tribal land north of Cloquet, Minnesota. Fond du Lac Chairman Kevin DuPuis, in a letter dated Feb. 19, said it was about five hours before the company contacted the band about the incident on the banks of the St. Louis River. Dan Kraker of MPR News reported that about 40 cars on a 121-car train had derailed and spilled coal onto the ground and into the frozen, ice-covered river. “We have jurisdiction. It’s within the confines of our reservation. It’s within our lands. We are the lead agency and we should have been contacted,” Kevin told Dan. “There should have been collaboration to ensure that the cleanup is done the right way within the eyes of the band.” The BNSF tracks run along an easement through the reservation, but Kevin said the accident extended beyond the easement’s boundaries, spilling onto tribally controlled land. There were no injuries, and the cause of the derailment is not yet known. The tracks have been reopened to rail traffic, but clean up continues.
BNSF spokesperson Amy McBeth emailed a statement to the Duluth News Tribune, indicating the company has been working with and updating the agencies. “We’ve been working with the Fond du Lac leaders, providing regular briefings and safe access to the site since the derailment as our crews have been responding to the incident,” McBeth wrote. “As work continues there to remove the derailed cars and the spilled coal, we will continue these efforts. We’ll be assessing the quickest and safest way to remove coal in the river and will be working with the Fond du Lac officials on that plan as it is developed.” In his News Tribune story, Jimmy Lovrien quoted Fond du Lac Police Chief Herb Fineday saying that while the accident took place about 11:30 a.m., a 911 call was not made until 1:30 p.m. According to the story: “During that call, the railway reported no injuries and did not request any assistance, Fineday said. Emergency agencies and the Band weren’t notified until 5 p.m. Saturday, Fineday and Cloquet Area Fire District Chief Kevin Schroeder said.” Steve Kuchera of the Duluth News Tribune also took aerial video of the wreck site, seen here.
An Amazing Survivor: This week at the Shadows of the Mind Film Festival in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, a Thunder Bay filmmaker will speak about her latest film, "Angelique's Isle," released last fall. The film is based on the amazing true story of Angelique Mott, who with her husband, Charles, was stranded over the winter in 1845-6 when a copper miner, who promised to pick them up, never came. The island today is called Mott Island, part of the Isle Royale National Park. Faced with starvation, the couple struggled and Charles became increasingly unhinged. He even attempted an attack on Angelique, but later came to his senses. Charles died, but Angelique, an Anishinaabe woman, survived thanks to incredible perseverance and skills learned during her upbringing. Writer/director Michelle Derosier, who also is Anishinaabe, describes the plot online as a harrowing tale of survival in which "Angelique is ultimately forced to face her inner demons and beliefs as the unbelievably beautiful, yet treacherous wilderness threatens to claim her." Starring in the film, shot around Thunder Bay, are Julia Jones as Angelique, Aden Young as Charles and Tantoo Cardinal as Angelique's grandmother. Michelle, a member of the Migisi Sahgaigan First Nation, will be at the 2:30 p.m. March 2nd showing of the film at the festival and will answer audience questions. Mikel B. Classen does a detailed retelling of the Mott story online, including quotes by Angelique after her rescue.
Another Local Cinematic Achievement: Also for its 20th anniversary year, the nine-day Shadows of the Mind Film Festival will kick off tomorrow with a Toronto International Film Festival selection, “Giant Little Ones” by director/writer Keith Behrman. In the coming-of-age story, teenager Franky Winter (Josh Wiggins) faces turmoil and a break with his lifelong best friend, Ballas Kohl (Darren Mann), after an incident at a party. Kyle MacLachlan and Maria Bello play Franky’s divorced parents. The movie was filmed in and around Sault Ste. Marie. Saturday launches with 6 p.m. gala, followed by the 7 p.m. showing of the film and 9 p.m. after party. The film was also nominated for People’s Choice Award and voted among the Toronto festival’s top 10 Canadian Features.
Photo & graphic credits: MCPO Alan Haraf/U.S. Coast Guard; Paul Scinocca/Courtesy Duluth Seaway Port Authority; Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa; Baird Maritime; Steve Kuchera/Duluth News Tribune; Angelique’s Isle; Giant Little Ones