CONSUMED BY FIRE!

The passenger steamer HAMONIC was struck by a disastrous fire on the morning of July 17, 1945 while the vessel was docked at Point Edward, Ontario. Many passengers were breakfasting when a gasoline explosion on the pier ignited the upper decks. There was no loss of life, but the ship was turned into a smouldering hulk.

Here is a rare photo of the steamer PUT-IN-BAY showing it moored to the old Belle Isle Ferry dock at Detroit, Michigan circa 1949. It was waiting to load passengers for a return trip to Port Huron after a day of picnics and fun at the island park.

Older Detroiters remember when the PUT-IN-BAY ran daily excursions between Detroit and Sandusky, Ohio with stops along the way at either Put-In-Bay or Cedar Point. Back then its final destination was always Sandusky where it took on coal. The fuel was hauled aboard in hand carts and then dumped into the hold through holes temporarily opened in the main deck.

Not long after this photo was taken, the PUT-IN-BAY went out of service.

Detroit Times Photo

One evening the PUT-IN-BAY was hauled into Lake St. Clair and its wooden superstructure was burned before the steel hull was towed to the ship breakers.

The D&C sidewheel passenger steamer GREATER DETROIT is shown here moored near downtown Detroit in June of 1956, a few months before it was towed to Lake St. Clair where its wooden superstructure was torched to speed the scrapping process.