Fortunately, since the fire was on the dock, passengers
and crew had fair warning and were able to escape. Only one fatality
was suffered in that event.
1949, the Noronic was 36 years old, yet still considered the finest
and largest ship of her kind afloat on the Great Lakes. She had
never once been in dire peril from the weather, nor did she ever
once call for assistance while cruising the lakes.
Cruising the Inner Seas
one time there were more people asleep on boats on the Great Lakes
than on any ocean in the world.
J. Wolf, 1909-1987
the early 20th Century, lake travel had become primarily a means
of pleasure. Dozens of luxuriously equipped vessels plied the waters
of the great inland seas, offering everything from one-day
excursions to two-week cruises.
nearly 100 years, from the early 1800s, packet boats with a dual
freight and passenger role were the predominant mode of transportation
within the region. However, as vessels grew in size, and iron hulls
and steam power advanced in sophistication, the demand grew for
ships that were in fact floating hotels rather than freight boats.
became quite luxurious rivalling the quality of accommodation
on the great ocean liners of the day. Overnight cruising also came
into its own, and by the 20s and 30s, there were many
lines offering ships with all levels of accommodation.
Chicago, Duluth and Georgian Bay Transit Company operated two well
known vessels, the North American and South American
that offered 7-day cruises between Detroit and Duluth or Detroit,
Montreal and the Saguenay. The South Americans last voyage,
after 50 years service, was in 1967, to the Montreal Exposition.
Steamship Lines offered service from Detroit to Montreal and the
Saguenay Fjord, with service to Toronto and other lake ports with
their three ships the Noronic, Hamonic and
Huronic. Canadian Pacific connected their rail heads
with a cruise on either the Assiniboia or the Keewatin
between Port McNicoll and Thunder Bay.
the coming of steam, fire dangers were greatly increased and numerous
tragedies occurred from an almost lack of knowledge as to cause
and prevention. The various Steamboat Acts called for pumps and
the construction of most ships was such that even in iron and steel
steamers, there were wooden decks and minor bulkheads with combustible
paints and furnishing. The presence of long passageways and staircases
that acted as chimneys increased the ships vulnerability.
All this practically guaranteed that once any fire started, it would
sweep through the vessel with the explosive force of a blow torch.
fire fighters dread ship fires because of their complexity and difficult
access. Comments from land-based fire fighters include: its
like fighting a house fire by going down the chimney or smoke stack
and that steel box conducts heat like you wouldnt believe.
have been many famous fires on the lakes. One such catastrophe has
been referred to as the holocaust of September 8, 1934
when the U.S. Liner Munroe Castle burned in sight of
the New Jersey coast. One hundred and thirty-seven souls were lost.
Munroe Castle, just four years old, was considered the finest and
most luxurious vessel in the American passenger service, built to
1929 fire convention standards.
was the custom in all ships of the period, highly combustible linens
and furnishings in the cabins and public rooms outweighed the advantages
of the fire resistant partitions required by the convention. Fire
swept remorselessly through The Castle shortly after being detected
in the writing room. Some people were burned to death in their cabins,
some escaped by life boat and a few actually swam ashore
a distance of 8 miles.
1949, the era of passenger vessels on the Great Lakes was drawing
to a close. Ships built following a century-old tradition were almost
all ghosts, their names echoing from out of the mists of the past:
The Put-in-Bay, City of Detroit, The Western World.
one drama had yet to play out
an event that would finally bring sailing vessel fire safety on
board and into the modern era: the burning of the SS Noronic.
the summer of 49