11-14 The A-Corn departed around 4 or 5 PM on the evening of the 14th.
11-13 I spotted the Adam E Cornelius unloading wheat at the General Mills
Frontier Elevator at 11AM this morning. She seemed to have just pulled in
since the ship was riding low in the water.
There was some major construction work going on at the New York State Power
Authority's new Niagara River Ice Boom storage facility on the Buffalo River.
There was new steel sheet pile being driven along the old Union Furnace ore
dock on the Buffalo River while earth moving equipment was hard at work all
over the rest of the property. The Great Lakes Towing tugs were rafted
together to make more room on the dock face for access by work crews. Large
pieces of concrete sewer pipe were stock piled all over the place and they
also had a containment boom of some sort stretched out in the water along the
length of the construction area.
11-7 The English River arrived at 3PM on the 6th for the LaFarge dock. She
departed around 12 Noon on the 7th and was downbound in the Welland Canal for
Bath, Ontario at 7:15 PM that evening.
11-5 ADAM E CORNELIUS arrived for General Mills around 11PM on November 3rd
for General Mills.
CSL Niagara was spotted at the Gateway Trade Center in Lackawanna on November 1st.
10-29 The Maumee is currently inbound for the Buffalo Main Entrance Channel at
10 AM, probably headed for the Sand Supply Corp. on the City Ship Canal.
10-27 I don't know where she was unloading today, but the Adam E Cornelius
departed Buffalo at 7:PM and gave her destination as Superior, WI. Charley
says she's due to load grain there. The Captain gave a time of around mid-
night for crossing the Long Point Line on her way Westbound on the lake tonight.
10-16 At 2:00 pm the Adam C. was headed out into the lake
Charles H.
10-16 I was surprised to see the Adam E Cornelius still unloading at General
Mills this morning at 10AM. I'm not sure what's taking so long. They've been
here since late Wednesday night.
10-14 The American Mariner was unloading stone at the Gateway trade Terminal in
Lackawanna on the morning of the 14th.
10-14 The Adam E Cornelius is Eastbound on the lake for Buffalo at this time.
She passed C.I.P. Long Point at 6:30 PM this evening, coming in for General Mills.
10-13 I got this info in today at 10:30 AM:
The English River is backing into Lafarge.
Charles H.
10-12 Paul spotted the Herbert C Jackson towed out today at 10:30 Am and he
also reports the Adam E Cornelius should be arriving soon with more grain for
General Mills. The Fall Grain Rush is on.
10-11 The Herbert C. Jackson arrived off Buffalo this morning and went to
anchor off the traffic buoy. The tug Washington went out to get her around 10
AM and she was towed up to the ADM Standard Elevator. She's coming out early
on the morning of the 12th.
10-09 The Army Corps tug Cheraw was on the move today on the Black Rock Canal.
I spotted her out and about around 12 noon. I overheard the tug captain
talking to one locks and he pronounced the name Cheraw as if it is
spelled "Sh'raw", that was news to me, since I thought it was "Chee-raw".
The Jackson was in the St. Claire River, and possibly headed for Buffalo this morning.
10-4 Canadian Progress departed for Hamilton at 6PM this evening.
10/3 Paul spotted the Canadian Progress sitting on the hook off Buffalo this
morning. She came in around 1pm and I spotted her loading coal at the Gateway
Terminal in Lackawanna at 6pm this evening.
9-30 9:05 AM The Laurentian just gave the Mariner a 5 - minute all clear, so
Mariner is now on her way in.
9-30 8:58 AM The CSL Laurentian is currently tied up to the coal loading dock
at the Gateway Metroport in Lackawanna. The captain just called the inbound
American Mariner on the radio and asked them to check down so that the
Laurentian can get her unloading boom swung back over the centerline of the
ship to allow the second vessel to pass by within the confines of the
Bethlehem Slip. The Mariner responded and will now hold position outside the
breakwater until the Laurentian is ready. They will then proceed inside Buffalo
Outer Harbor via the South Entrance, turn up the channel, stop, and then back
into the slip past the Laurentian to unload.
9-30 There's a boat coming in for Lackawanna at 8:36AM, not sure who it is, but
I *think* it's the American Mariner.
Paul spotted the Jackson on the list to load grain in Big "D" for Buffalo
this coming weekend. She would probably make it down here by some time around
Oct. 8th, give or take a day or so, if she doesn't blow away in the wind somewhere..........
9-28 A sustained, heavy west wind piled water into the eastern basin of Lake
Erie today swamping the shore side areas with high water. Huge breakers were
slamming over the Outer Harbor Seawall in Buffalo and waves were even crossing
the short distance to land and flooding the shore all along the lakefront. Dan
reported major problems at the local boat marinas with pleasure craft listing
from moorings stretched too tight, boats getting away from docks and even
submerged piers.
This is a MUST SEE photo of Lower Main St.
http://www.shorpy.com/node/6884?size=_original
9-26 The Cornelius departed at about 8PM on the night of September 26th.
Interesting article on the old Union Furnace Dock, current home to Great lakes Towing:
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/808131.html
9-25 American Steamship’s ADAM E CORNELIUS arrived with wheat from Cennex
Harvest States in Duluth at 9AM on the cool morning of September 25th. She
pulled straight in for General Mills without tug assistance by using her
thrusters to maneuver upriver and make the dock at the Frontier Elevator.
Saginaw tow, additional info:
The 639-foot steamer SAGINAW arrived off Buffalo at 3PM on the 19th of
September but was forced to go to anchor off the Fairway Buoy instead of being
towed up to the ADM Standard Elevator due to a lack of security guards at the
dock. Once ADM had their act together, the tug WASHINGTON was finally called
out at 10 PM that night to take her in. The stern first tow ran into trouble
off the Buffalo Naval Park when the tug led the SAGINAW into a silt deposit
abeam of the USS LITTLE ROCK. After about 10 minutes of maneuvering the ship,
the WASHINGTON was able to get the tow moving again and they were secured at
the Standard by 12-Midnight. Unofficial reports from local pleasure boaters
that I talked to after the incident stated that their commercial grade sonar
units, or “Fish Finders” if you will, are picking up a reading of about 15
feet of good water in the outside edges of the shipping channel inside the old
Watson Basin near the Naval Park. The depth is better toward the center of the
river with readings closer to the Army Corps control depth of 22 to 23 feet
down the middle. This area has always been a source for shoaling because of
the presence of the museum ships as it would seem that they are having some
effect on the way the silt gets deposited in the turn of the riverbank located
there. This section of the river would be a good candidate for future dredging
the next time work is bid out for Buffalo.
Dan contributed to this information with his informal soundings of the Buffalo River from his boat after he witnessed the trouble with the tow.
9-20 The Saginaw departed at 7PM this evening headed for Toledo, OH.
9-19 The steamer Saginaw is at anchor off Buffalo Harbor and waiting for the
tug Washington to tow her up to the ADM Standard Elevator at 12 midnight
tonight. They have been out there on the hook since 3PM because the ADM mill
does not have a security guard on the property until midnight. The English
River is due to arrive in the morning from Port Colborne and the captain on
the Saginaw would like to go up the river first so that they do not have to
deal with another ship in their way at the Ohio St. bend. The English River
was still upbound in the Welland Canal around the Thorold area at 10Pm tonight.
9-15 Late Update: Apparently, the Herbert C Jackson was delayed by a problem
with the Ohio St. Lift Bridge and was not towed up the river to the ADM
Standard Elevator until 3 PM today. She will probably head out either late
Wednesday morning or in the early afternoon hours.
9-15 Paul spotted the Rebecca Lynn and her barge heading out of the Black Rock Canal around 2PM.
He also noticed that the Jackson was still at anchor this morning, but was no
longer on the lake around 4PM. We do not know if she came in, or if she left
at this time.
9-14 The Rt. Hon. Paul J Martin was Eastbound on the lake through Long Point at
9PM on the night of the 14th.
09-13 The Herbert C Jackson arrived off Buffalo for the ADM Standard Elevator
this morning. She was sitting on the hook a few miles out on the lake at 1PM
this afternoon. There was nothing else in the river at the time, and also no
activity at the tug dock, so I have no clue why they have not come in yet.
9-11 Charley mentioned that the A-Corn 7 Jackson are both due with grain soon.
9-10 The American Mariner was at the Gateway Terminal with more Pet-Coke on the 10th.
Don't forget to vote for the hometown favorite SHENANDOAH at this weekend's Tug Roundup:
www.tugboatroundup.com
9-3 From Paul at 12 noon : Rebecca Lynn and A 397 just departed thru the NE.
8-31 Paul spotted the American Mariner heading into the Gateway Trade
Terminal in Lackawanna with Pet Coke out of Chicago at 5 PM today. I hope this
means the Summer Slump is finally over.............
New movie being filmed on the waterfront:
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/775142.html
8-19 The English River arrived this morning for the Lafarge Cement dock on Ganson St.
8-14 The tug barge unit Barbara Andrie - A-390 departed this afternoon. We
chased her from Black Rock to the Entrance Channel. They departed for Toledo
at about 2:30 PM with a ETA for Long Point of 2300 hours tonight.
The Summer 2009 Western New York Heritage magazine has an excellent set of
photos of the Buffalo River showing the area around the Skyway Bridge with
lots of boats to be seen.
8-8 Late update: This just in from Paul:
The early today tug/barge combo was the Innovation and she has already
departed today at 3:45pm.
8-8 I compiled this list of activity from Paul, Kevin, & Dave's sighting reports.
There was an unknown tug-barge off the Buffalo Traffic Buoy around 7AM today.
The Rebbecca Lynn and the barge A-397 departed at 7:30 AM this morning. She
and the Karen Andrie-Endeavor were seen rafted together at the Noco dock last
night ! That's a first ! The Karen Andrie also departed some time this morning.
The English river departed at 10 PM on the 6th.
The A-Corn departed at 8:15 on the 5th.
8-5 Paul spotted the English River being towed in by the Washington at 4:30PM
on the 5th.
He also spotted the A-Corn at General Mills unloading between the 4th & 5th.
Navy's newest Destroyer named for town of Scio soldier:
http://www.buffalonews.com/180/story/751373.html
8-2 The A-corn should be here within a day or so with wheat for General Mills.
7-28 The CSL Laurentian was loading out coal at the Gateway Trade Terminal in
Lackawanna at 6PM today. The mystery boat from the 26th was the American
Mariner with Pet Coke at Gateway, not the H. Lee White.
I thought last year’s stories of the “Surfing Santa” or the one about a man
driving his car into the water in an attempt to jump an open draw bridge were
the craziest waterfront news reports that I had heard in a long time, but
strange things continue to happen on a regular basis.
http://www.buffalonews.com/437/story/744770.html
Next time he decides to break and enter Mr. Wiebe should remember to bring
his inflatable arm floaties for a faster get away. -BW
7-27 The Adam E Cornelius should be arriving at the Gateway Terminal in
Lackawanna with more coal from Duluth-Superior some time on the 27th.
7-26 The English River was unloading at the LaFarge plant on Ganson St. this
morning. There was also an unknown American Steamship boat at the Gateway
trade Terminal in Lackawanna, probably either H. Lee White or the American
Mariner.
Here's an interesting story from the news
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/742880.html
7-18 The Adam E Cornelius arrived at 3:30 PM this afternoon for General Mills.
7-17 The A-Corn should be back with grain for General Mills overnight
tonight, or at least by tomarrow (18th) morning.
The New York State Power Authority finalized a deal with Killian Bulk
Transport to purchase their property at 40 Hamburg St. during mid-July. The
Niagara River Ice Boom will be moved there from it’s current location at
Seaway Piers once arrangements are made. The old storage property will be
included in redevelopment plans for the Outer Harbor as a public access area.
The Killian site was originally owned by the Buffalo Union Furnace Company and
was the location of Buffalo’s first blast furnace. The plant closed back in
the 1940’s or 50’s, the three furnaces on site were soon scrapped, and the
property was sub divided into what is now Killian, AIRCO, Great Lakes Towing,
and the future BIDCO yard, located along Katherine St. All that remains from
the former steel making operation is the long dock face and slip walls along
the Buffalo River where raw materials were once unloaded by large bridge
cranes from Great Lakes freighters.
7-14 The US Coast Guard Cutter Neah Bay arrived at the Visiting Ship's Berth at
the North Pier (Erie Basin) at 6PM this evening under the escort of the motor
life boat from the Buffalo base.
7-12:
There was an unknown laker at the Gateway Terminal in Lackawanna this
afternoon. Paul saw it come in around 4PM, I saw it in the slip, but it's so
grown in back there you can't see anything without a pleasure boat. Looked like an
American Steamship pilothouse, but I'm guessing, only saw it for a 1/2 second
at 55 MPH. Possibly H. Lee White?
7-10 The ever elusive Barbara Andrie was in town today. I finally spotted her
outbound on the Black Rock Canal in the notch of the A-390 around 12 noon.
this was the first time I have been able to catch this particular vessel while
underway in Buffalo. They will be abeam of Long Point by midnight tonight and
their destination is the Marathon Asphalt Dock on the River Rouge to load more cargo.
7-8
There's some new photos I posted on today's news page of the Rebellion tug
Shenandoah. They are a local firm that operates on the lakes, Erie Canal, and
East Coast.
http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbsb/html1/newsthumbs_858.htm
They're web site is www.rebelliontug.com
7-7 The Maumee was unloading at the Sand Supply Co. on the afternoon of the
7th. She will probably head out overnight or early next morning.
7-6 Paul spotted English River being towed up to LaFarge with two G-tugs last
night around 9PM , they used two tugs instead of one due to a bow thruster
problem-hey just like they used to do in the good old days! Charles H. said
that she was still unloading this morning around 8AM.
Here's an interesting story on the old DL&W City Branch line that runs from the
NFTA train sheds along the Buffalo River to the site of the old Buffalo River
Draw bridge:
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/724003.html
Here's a story about new security cameras around the Upper Niagara River. Kinda
scary if you ask me:
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/niagaracounty/story/724072.html
7-3 4:40 PM The Rt. Hon. Paul J Martin just gave a Security Call and will be
departing the Gateway Metroport Main Dock in Lackawanna in about 15 mins
headed for the lake.
7-3 Paul spotted the English River outbound at 11AM after having come in to
unload at the LaFarge plant last night (2nd).
6-22 The Jackson should be here by this evening.
Mitch spotted the A-corn at General Mills yesterday, around 3:30PM.
6-21 The A-Corn & the Jackson seem to be loading wheat this weekend in Duluth, but I'm
not sure yet when they might get here.
Here's an interesting article from today's snews.
http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/709996.html?imw=Y
6-16 The English River was towed up to Lafarge at 2PM by the tug New Jersey and
the Spruceglenn departed this this afternoon as well.
6-14 The Spruceglenn was Eastbound on the lake for the Gateway Trade Terminal
in Lackawanna at 6:30PM. She should be inside the South Entrance Channel by 7PM.
The Karen Andrie-Endeavor will not be leaving until after midnight tonight.
6-13 Paul spotted the brand spankin' new asphalt barge Endevour with the newly
rebuilt tug Karen Andrie in the notch and inbound for Tonawanda with her first
cargo at 4:30PM this afternoon. I found them tied up at the Noco Product
Terminal with the tug outboard from the barge at 8:30PM. At that time they
were just getting finished with the final attachments to the discharge line on
the barge. I have no idea how long they will be in port, since this is the
first trip. She sure looks good.
Site clearing operations began during early June at the old Buffalo Color
Corp. plant along South Park Ave. The Buffalo River side of the property was
cleared of contaminates by Allied Chemical back in the 1990’s but the rest of
the nearly 75 acre parcel of land still needs to be cleaned up. Many large
structures remain standing with various amounts of contamination throughout.
The remediation plan supposedly includes a large amount of land being set
aside for public access to the Buffalo River. If a park setting is developed
along the river it would have great views of the railroad draw bridges that
cross through the area that have previously been off limits to the public.
The park and bike path improvements to the Union Ship Canal may finally get
underway over the summer of 2009. The canal was originally constructed by a
partnership between the Buffalo & Susquehanna Rail Road and the Pennsylvania
Rail Road around 1903 to bring marine transportation via Great Lakes vessels
to their adjoined raw materials docks surrounding the property. This land was
originally a swampy bog dating back to ancient times that was back filled with
various materials to construct the plant. An original set of two blast
furnaces, owned by the Buffalo & Susquehanna Iron Company were eventually
complimented by two additional, higher capacity furnaces when the plant
reached full production with nearly 800 workers employed there. The South side
of the property went through ownership changes throughout the years,
eventually being called Buffalo Union Furnace Company, and then Hanna Furnace.
Shenango Steel got involved on the East side of the canal when they built a
ingot mould making facility there in the 1950’s. Many years of industrial
pollution and illegal scrapping activity have left the entire area loaded with
hazardous wastes that are only now being cleaned up in stages due to the
extreme costs involved in such a large scale operation. Initial site work to
remediate left over industrial contamination has been funded and planned out
by the New York State DEC as of early June. The final OK was to be given by
July with contractor bidding to follow. The first phase will involve the
treatment of furnace ash and other hazardous material along the old
Pennsylvania Rail Road Ore Dock on the North side of the canal. These
substances were deposited along the length of the old ore storage area there
after Hanna Furnace bought this section of land from the railroad in 1960.
Deposits are listed on the DEC web site to be up to six feet deep and covering
many acres in that area. It is unknown at this time whether the materials will
be removed from the site, or covered and capped. Boring samples revealed the
fact that major filling was done to the old bog in an effort to level the land
during the first stages of construction in the early 1900’s and then over the
years, more material was deposited over this initial fill as heavy industry
flourished there. These borings are like a time capsule showing a layer of
mixed contamination at the top, followed by the first backfill further down
including sand, slag, and stone, then the swamp material which lays on top of
some clay before reaching all the way down to shale and bedrock such as that
seen in the ancient outcroppings near Hamburg Beach from the very formation of
the Great Lakes. A large amount of assorted garbage remains around the area
including buried rail road tracks, demolition debris, and household waste
dumped by trespassers to the site. The plans shown on line involve debris
removal, clearing and flattening of the land around the canal, installation of
a fabric barrier over the contaminated soil, and then clean fill to top off
the entire park around the water. Sewers located throughout the property have
also become contaminated with ground water that is flowing into the canal and
these pipes may have to be dug up, or at least sealed off. Wastes located in
the sediment, under water, on the bottom of the canal bed itself may also have
to be covered and capped. There is also quite a bit of debris in the canal as
well including stolen vehicles and the remains of some of the old timber crib
dock walls that have rotted out and fallen into the water. The cars will need
to be removed and the old dock walls leveled out, possibly by filling in and
smoothing out the bottom surface with sand. This major effort is needed to
make the ground, water, and air safe for the public to be able to use the land
without coming in contact with dangerous materials. The second phase will then
involve the installation of public access amenities including landscaping,
bike trails, a footbridge, a boardwalk, vehicle parking, and fishing areas.
-BW
6-2 I took a ride past the old molasses plant on Katherine St. today and
noticed some unusual activity. The rusty storage tanks there were being cut up
and a large amount of overgrowth has been cleared from the property. There
were a few small tender type vessels tied up along the former Union Furnace
Company slip that runs through the middle of the property. I believe I have
seen these particular boats before, previously parked at BIDCO's former
shipyard on the Buffalo River off Ganson St. I have the distinct feeling that
someone, possibly BIDCO may be cleaning up the site for a future use of some
kind. This area off Katherine St. was mentioned years ago in the Buffalo News
back when BIDCO was moving from their original location on Hopkins St. in
South Buffalo to their Buffalo Shipyard. After the Buffalo Shipyard ceased
operating a few years ago, BIDCO has been working out of an industrial park on
Grand Island. This may be their re-entry attempt into the maritime
construction industry, but I'm just guessing at this point. The old molasses
plant property has everything they had at the Buffalo Shipyard property, but
with a lot more slip space due to the former Union Furnace Company ore dock on
the Buffalo River. Rail access is also nearby, along with a local Thruway
connection for truck transport. This air photo shows the property as an
overgrown field in the center of the image bordered by the rusty storage tanks
to the South, Katherine St. to the East, Kleeman Bulk Transit/Great Lakes
Towing to the North, and the slip to the West. I'm not sure if the narrow
strip of overgrown land to the West side of the slip is theirs or Irish
Propane's. It should be interesting to see how this plays out. This property
was once part of the Union Furnace Company's iron making facilities, and also
the site of Buffalo's first Blast Furnace.
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTSN&cp=42.861183~-
78.859584&style=a&lvl=18&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1
6-11 Paul reports the A-corn departing General Mills Frontier Elevator at
5:30PM on the 11th.
6-9 Paul spotted the A-Corn sitting on the hook off Buffalo, possibly waiting
for the haze to clear around 3:30 PM this afternoon. He then saw it come in
around 5:30 PM for Generous Mills.
6-5 The Great Lakes first Articulated Tug Barge Unit, the Michigan-Great
Lakes transited downbound on the Welland Canal this afternoon. I'm not
certain, but I *think* this particular pair are somewhat rare there, since I
don't recall them coming this far East very much.
The Sam Laud was at mid-lake and heading for Buffalo around mid-afternoon,
they will probably make port this evening, or at least just after nightfall.
6-5 The Adam E Cornelius should be departing Big D for Buffalo some time
today, with a Sunday or Monday arrival for Generous Mills.
The Sam Laud is on her way to Lackawanna with stone at this time.
The John J Boland was here with coal on the 4th at the Gateway Trade Center,
having departed around 4PM.
6-1 Paul spotted the "Champ" backing her barge out of the river at about 11:30
PM on the night of May 31st.
5-31 The Samuel de Champlain-Innovation tug-barge unit arrived this afternoon
around 4:30 PM for the LaFarge Cement Plant. They will only be in port for a
few hours to unload a partial cargo and then depart tonight sometime. I also
noticed the new schooner Spirit of Buffalo cruising the Outer Harbor around 3PM.
5-26 Paul spotted Grande Mariner departing at 6PM. This may be the same vessel
I overheard talking to the Seaway at that time, on the South Shore Course for
Cleveland, but I'm not sure. The Rebecca Lynn also takes the same route when
leaving Buffalo.
The schooner SPIRT OF BUFFALO arrived at the Commercial Slip around 2PM on
May 16th becoming the first vessel to tie up there since it was recently
excavated and rewatered after having been filled in for nearly half a century.
She is small, but with that being said, it sure is nice to see a sailing ship
call Buffalo her home port again, especially in such a historic setting as the
Erie Canal Harbor. When standing pier side at the site, it doesn’t take much
imagination to be transported back in time and see the waterfront through the
mind’s eye the way it must have been back in the olden days.
5-20 The Canadian Enterprise is inbound for the Buffalo South Entrance Channel
and headed for the Lackawanna Ship Canal at 9:30 PM this evening.
Either the Grande Mariner or the Niagara Price was in port today,
departing around 6:15 PM, right behind the Rebecca Lynn and her barge via the North Entrance.
5-13 Paul spotted the Rebecca Lynn & her barge A-397 heading out at 5:15PM on the 12th.
Charley spotted an unknown stone boat at Gateway on the morning of the 12th.
Paul spotted the Maumee coming in around 11PM on the 11th, probably for the
Sand Products Landing on the City Ship Canal?
5-11 Paul also spotted this unusual Canadian boat here in Buffalo today. Not
sure what they're up to.
http://myweb.dal.ca/kelley/SLEIWEX/gallery/fieldwork2004/large/P9020205.JPG
5-10 Paul spotted the Rebecca Lynn-A-397 downbound on the Black Rock Canal at
about 12 Noon today and he also noticed the A.E. Cornelius departing General
Mills around 10:30 PM last night.
5-10 @ 5PM The Cornelius was still unloading at General Mills at 5PM. She was
only drawing 4 feet at the bow, and just slightly more aft so I would say that
she should be ready to depart this evening.
I noticed the American Mariner backed all the way up the Lackawanna Ship
Canal and unloading coal at the Gateway Trade Center this afternoon.
It's been a while since two American Steamship boats were here at the same time.
The mystery boat at the Gateway Trade Terminal on the morning of the 6th could
have been the Joyce L VanEnkervort and her barge Great Lakes Trader. Charley
seemed to think that this was the one he saw, and Scott from the Info Search
Page confirmed it. This would be her first trip to Buffalo that I know of.
5-8 Dave R. spotted the Rebecca Lynn & her barge headed down the Black Rock
Canal at 2 PM on the 7th. Charley then saw her at the Noco Product Terminal later that night.
5-6 Paul spotted the English River departing at 5PM tonight.
Charley spotted an unknown, red hulled boat at the Gateway Trade Terminal in
Lackawanna this morning, it departed at 9AM, anyone know what it was?
5-7:
It appears that the Adam E. Cornelius is loading wheat and is expected to depart Duluth Wed. morning for Buffalo.-Charles H.
5-5 6PM:
One of the La Farge ships is about to enter the North Entrance, looks
like English River.The Washington is assisting for a stern first trip up the creek.
5-4:
The Rebecca Lynn was pushing her barge out of the North Entrance at 2:30pm. Once out in the lake, Rebecca Lynn went into the pull mode.
4-26 The Herbert C Jackson arrived at 7PM this evening for the ADM Standard
Elevator. She tied up at the dock around 8:30 PM after a tow upriver by the
tug Washington. She will be unloading all night and should depart some time
around 1PM on Monday the 27th.
4-25 The Adam E Cornelius departed for Stoneport, MI at 7PM this evening. The
captain called into the Seaway with an ETA for C.I.P. Long Point of 1:45 AM on
the morning of Sunday the 26th.
4-24 I got a report in today that the Herbert C Jackson is currently loading
at the Cennex Harvest States Elevator in Duluth, hopefuly with her first of
many grain cargos for Buffalo.
I spotted the Adam E Cornelius at the General Mills Frontier Elevator this
morning with the first grain cargo of the year. I returned this evening to
find her draft readings at 20 feet. I would guess that they will be in port
overnight and leave on the 25th.
4-21 Dave & Charley report the Adam E Cornelius loading in Duluth, possible
trip with grain to Buffalo.
I got this from Ken today:
As far as I know, our first vessel of the year is heading in right now.
I see LaFarge's "English River" heading into the inner harbor. She was met by the a
tug and was pulled in aft-end first up the Buffalo River.-Ken
New sailing ship bound for Buffalo:
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/639123.html
Last line should be dated "3-27", not "3-37".
3-37 Here's a short article on the Niagara River Ice Boom:
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/619552.html
Any boats possibly headed for Buffalo at the start of the season will need an
ice breaker escort for heavy ice conditions.
For those interested in the Michigan St. Bridge Collapse of 1959, the new
Lower Lakes Marine Historical Society Newsletter has a great article with
excellent rare photos & maps in the Jan/Feb issue.
3-1 While driving along the waterfront I noticed large piles of windrowed ice
outside the Buffalo breakwall. There were also long pressure ridges lined up
from North to South just outside the harbor. Any vessel movements into the
Port of Buffalo in the near future will require ice breaker assistance for
heavy ice conditions.
2-15 The Buffalo River has flushed itself of all the heavy ice since the Cotter
made her runs last week. The lakefront is another story entirely. Heavy wind
rowed ice is piled up outside the Buffalo Breakwall to a height of at least 20
to possibly 30 feet above the lake level. The highest peaks appear to be
roughly twice the height of the Outer Harbor Seawall.
Additional thoughts on the Cotter & the ice:
The Cotter’s ice breaking operations helped alleviate the pressure forming
downriver and a succession of events over the next 24 hours would result
directly from her actions. Massive ice jams in the Leydecker Rd. area of West
Seneca finally broke through on the 11th, sending huge flows downstream. The
ice was so thick that the Stevenson St. Bridge in South Buffalo over Caz Creek
had to be closed for fear of damage. Since the Cotter had been out the day
before, none of the ice was held up for very long and most of it kept flowing
to the river previously cleared by the fireboat.
02-12 The firetug Cotter made her way up the Buffalo River for an ice
breaking mission at 8AM on the 10th to the Buckeye Product Terminal. This dock
is located at the head of navigation just below the old DL&W draw bridge
between Elk St. and South Park Avenue, roughly 6 miles from the lake. Heavy
ice conditions above the South Park Lift Bridge kept the Cotter busy for most
of the morning. This section of the river is near the outlet of Cazenovia
Creek where ice jams had been forming for a day or so. The fireboat was also
held up at the CSX Railroad's C.P. Draw bridge for about an hour due to train
traffic and she did not return to her Michigan St. dock until 3PM.
02-11 I noticed a broken track in the ice at the Ohio St. Bridge yesterday so
the firetug Cotter must have made a trip up the river either on the 9th or
tenth. Did anyone happen to notice when and how far up the river she went?
2-8 The Firetug Edward M Cotter made an ice breaking trip down the Buffalo
River on the 6th. She opened the channel from her dock at the Michigan St.
Bridge out to the North Entrance. I would assume that she will need to make
the trip upriver some time this week due to the recent thaw to prevent
flooding in South Buffalo.
There was a nice shot of her in the Buffalo News on 6th in the local news section.
02-06 I finally got to the bottom of the story on the Mackinaw & her trip to
Buffalo early last week. She was coming off of a ship assist mission from
Detroit into Nanticoke and they stopped here for a crew rest period before
heading back up the lake late on the morning of the 26th of January.
1-30 The USCG Cutter Mackinaw was here on Monday the 26th, apparently to break
ice in the Buffalo River for some sort of barge movement. I have no clue who's
barge needed to be moved or where at this time, but the Mac was in and out of
town in a few hours that morning and from this photo it seems that she must
have only made a quick run up and down, but I have no idea of exactly where
she broke ice.
http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs/images-09-1/1-USCGC-Mackinaw-1-26-09-cp.jpg
Excellent article in today's news on the 1959 Michigan St. Bridge disaster:
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/554448.html
1-1 Well, another year has come & gone again. Thanks for all the good reports
and I look forward to more in the new season coming in the Spring.
I have some late season action to report today.
The CSL Assiniboine was taking on coal at the Gateway Trade Terminal at 1PM on January 1st.
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