Race of the Moonlight and the Porter
Eugene Hermann
Eugene Hermann
It was in the summer of 1880 when the captains of two crack Milwaukee schooners agreed to race their vessels down the lakes to Buffalo, and back again.
The Moonlight, in command of Captain Denis Sullivan, and the Porter, in command of Captain Orville Green, set sail from Milwaukee at the same time, both loaded with wheat. The race attracted a great deal of attention from vessel men up and down the lakes, and no little money changed hands. Their run down the lakes was without incident. The big schooners went through the rivers at Detroit in the same tow, and entered the harbor at Buffalo almost side by side. As their crews made ready for the trip back up, the excitement increased. In shipping offices and chandlery stores around the lakes, the only thing talked of was the race of the big Milwaukee schooners. When the vessels were ready for sea, they were towed outside the harbor. The piers at Buffalo were crowded, as were the tugs. The tow-lines were cast off, amid the blowing of whistles and the cheering of those on the breakwater. There was little to report until Lake Michigan was reached. Passing Mackinac Island, a stiff breeze was encountered, yet both vessels carried every rag, and keeled over in the breeze. Stronger the wind came, and the water came sloshing through the scuppers, but the skippers and men were in no mood for shortening down. "Drive her through," was the one thought of all. But instead of a blow, the storm turned into a summer gale, as the schooners beat down the west shore. They were almost abreast off Sheboygan, when the news was flashed to Milwaukee by telegraph operators, who had been on the lookout. As they approached Port Washington, the wind was blowing in cyclonic gusts. The time had come to either run for shelter or take desperate chances of piling the schooners on the beach. Captain Sullivan was the first to weaken. He ordered the Moonlight into Port Washington, while Captain Green ordered the Porter to keep on for the goal, under shortened sail. Then came the crash. Caught in a gust heavier than the rest, the spars were whipped out of the Porter, and she was a helpless wreck on the tossing seas. This happened off North Point, where hundreds witnessed the accident. Tugs were sent to the rescue, and they towed the Porter into Milwaukee. Some say the Porter won the race by reaching Milwaukee first, but her victory cost her owners a stack of dollars to refit her, to say nothing of the loss in time. The owners, however, took great pride in the achievement of their schooner, and Captain Green was highly complimented for his bravery and daring. It was the next day that Captain Sullivan and the Moonlight sailed into port, and while he and his vessel had lost the glory of winning the race, he felt repaid by the profits of the trip, and the fact that there was no extraordinary outlay necessary before the schooner made her next run. |