Good old days

[hausen]

Was there something going on that created traffic jam at the Soo, or just a fluke that day?

1953 was a tremendously busy season for shipping from Lake Superior and for the iron ore trade specifically. Duluth-Superior saw 5,700 ships that season and made two all-time port records: 70 million metric tons of total cargo handled including 58 million tons of outbound iron ore. For comparison, during a busy year these days Duluth-Superior handles about 40 million metric tons of cargo including around 17 million tons of taconite pellets. With that overall level of traffic in 1953 it wouldn't take much of a delay (maybe the rush after a period of heavy fog or high winds) to push the vessel count through the roof.

[Guest]

Or how about August 6, 1953 when a record 176 vessels used the Soo Locks.

If they moved them like this, it wouldn't be hard to lock through 176 in one day!

[Guest]

Don't forget that is for a 24 hours, not just daylight hours. Which still adds up to seven boats per hour.

[Guest]

that statement comes from the news page for August 6, Today on Great Lakes History. It does not specify if this was just for the American locks, nor whether other factors contributed to that number. I simply made reference to it since we were discussing the good old days.

[Ray]

Wow, that would have been a day to see. Was that 176 vessel count just for the American locks or did that include the Canadian side?

Was there something going on that created traffic jam at the Soo, or just a fluke that day?

[mcnearney]

Yes but the old Poe lock was used for upbounds and the 3rd and 4th lock locked doubles and sometimes triples if they were small.

[Larry]

Were all four locks operational when the 176 boats went through the locks in one day? That sure is a pile of passages.

[Guest]

Or how about August 6, 1953 when a record 176 vessels used the Soo Locks.

[eddyfitz]

I sailed in the mid 50's and there were 405 U.S. flagged freighters, many Canadian freighters, plenty of small canallers and quite a few cruise ships sailing at that time. I beleve this is about the time when Mr. Manse was taking pictures at the Soo for his original KYS magazine.

[Ray]

Was looking over the microfilm today for the June 3, 1913 Superior (WI) Evening Telegram. The port happenings lists 18 arrivals and 14 departures for Duluth-Superior that day. Sure would have been a different scene with that kind of ship traffic.