The first picture is of one of the five original generators that was in the building that has now been renovated and made into the Maritime Museum. They wanted to keep a part of the history of the area in place.
The next picture is of a model of the Niagara, as she would have appeared under full sail. The topsails would not have been used unless the winds were very light and the captain was trying to take advantage of what little wind there was.
The next two pictures show just how many lines it took to sail this ship. In all there are about 10 miles of working lines.
The last picture represents what would likely have been the damage caused by a cannonball hit in the area. You can imagine what would likely have been the fate of those firing this cannon.
8/25 Saturday We have been visiting the Erie, PA area for the last four days. We came down out of New York and some really nice cool weather into hot and humid conditions. No, it is not near as hot as some are enduring in places like Texas and Florida. We found a nice park in Lake City to hang out for a week. The sites are gravel with 50-amp power but no sewer connections. No real problem as we will go though the dump station on the way out.
We toured the Maritime Museum that was opened in a former power plant on the waters edge. They kept one of the smoke stacks in place as well as one of the five generators. It traced the history of Lake Erie and the battles fought on the lake between the French, English, and the Indians against the Americans. Much of the history focuses on the 1812 War at this museum.
Outside is the Sailing Ship Niagara that fought a decisive battle and established the Americans as a military force to be respected. This ship is about 110 feet long, 30 feet wide and draws about 10 feet of water. There are three levels of sails on three masts. The resulting running lines (ropes) to control the sails, booms, etc. total about 10 miles of lines. There are four men who live on the ship most of the year. The few months that the ship is draped for the winter, these men move to homes or apartments they have in town near the ship.
We went below and found that, because this is a training ship that goes out frequently with experienced and new crew members who are just beginning their training, the Coast Guard required that the ship be equipped with water tight doors. They look a little strange on a ship that goes back to 1812.
We toured below deck and saw the officer’s quarters and those used by approximately the other 180 men. About 70 men manned the guns and 110 operated the ship. There were two crews on 12-hour shifts, so there were at least 80 men below in a space that really looked as if it could not accommodate the number. Each man had his own duffle bag that included his hammock. The advantage of the hammock was its ability to remain fairly stationary from side to side on a pitching ship. The men put a stick in the ends of the hammock to keep it open, otherwise it would close around them and they could not turn, and getting out was almost impossible.
When looking through the officer’s quarters, we were told this is where they took the injured men to be patched up by the surgeon or even to have surgery. It was interesting that this surgeon thought his instruments cut well when he washed them with hot, soapy water before use. Without knowing why, we now know that cleaning the instruments made them more sanitary, so this doctor had a better percentage of sailors he performed amputations on who survived vs. his counterparts who did not clean their instruments.
