The ''Tashmoo'' was a

sidewheeler A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

Lake St. Clair Lake St. Clair () is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast day they first saw the lake. ...

and

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the lake is derived from early French ex ...

. It was famous for being one of the fastest ships, at the time, on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

Construction

The ''Tashmoo'' was the first ship constructed in 1900 and was launched on December 31, 1899. It was built by the Detroit Shipbuilding Company in

Wyandotte, Michigan Wyandotte ( ) is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 25,058 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Wyandotte is located in southeastern Michigan, approximately south of Detro ...

for Detroit's White Star Steamship Company. The ''Tashmoo'' was nicknamed the "White Flyer" and, because of the number of windows on the ship, the "Glass Hack."

Operations

The ''Tashmoos regular route was from

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in and seat of government of St. Clair County, Michigan, United States. The population was 28,983 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the west by Port Huron Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Po ...

. It made several stops along the way, including at its namesake, Tashmoo Park.

Steamboat race

After a race between the ''City of Chicago'' and the ''City of Milwaukee'' in September 1900, a Chicago–newspaper boasted that the winner (the ''City of Chicago'') was the "fastest on the lakes". A paper in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

subsequently listed nine vessels that could have easily beaten the ''City of Chicago''. The list did not mention the ''Tashmoo''. A. A. Parker, the president of the White Star Line, offered $1,000 to any ship that could beat the ''Tashmoo'' in a race. The president of the Cleveland Buffalo Transit Company accepted the challenge on behalf of his ship, the ''City of Erie''. The course was long and went from

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...

. The ''Tashmoo'' fell behind at the start of the race but quickly regained ground. It was forced to slow after going out of sight of the shore because the "wheelman was not used to steering nlyby compass." The ''Tashmoo'' was later forced to slow again due to an overheating condenser. The ''City of Erie'' eventually beat the ''Tashmoo'' by 45 seconds, but the ''Tashmoo'' had been catching up to the ''City of Erie'' before the finish. A. A. Parker offered the owners of the ''City of Erie'' $10,000 for a rematch, but they refused the offer, although they later admitted that the ''Tashmoo'' was the faster ship.

End of service

On December 8, 1927, the ''Tashmoo'' snapped its

moorings A mooring is any permanent structure to which a seaborne vessel (such as a boat, ship, or amphibious aircraft) may be secured. Examples include quays, wharfs, jetties, piers, anchor buoys, and mooring buoys. A ship is secured to a mooring to ...

during a

gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface wind moving at a speed between .

and starting drifting up the

Detroit River The Detroit River is an List of international river borders, international river in North America. The river, which forms part of the border between the U.S. state of Michigan and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ont ...

. It collided with a ferry and was found further upstream, stopped by the Belle Isle Bridge. Two

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

s pulled the ''Tashmoo'' away from bridge, but the cables broke again and the ship once again headed for the bridge. The ship was away from the bridge before the tugboats were able to get the ''Tashmoo'' secured again. The ship was eventually repaired. On June 18, 1936, the ''Tashmoo'' struck a submerged rock as it was leaving Sugar Island. The ship was able to dock in

Amherstburg, Ontario Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site. The town ...

, and be evacuated before it sank in of water. It was eventually scrapped. It was entered into the National Maritime Hall of Fame in 1985.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tashmoo 1899 ships History of Detroit Great Lakes ships Ships built in Wyandotte, Michigan Paddle steamers Passenger ships of the United States Maritime incidents in 1936 Shipwrecks of Canada