ISLAND WATERFRONT - Then and Now - Richter Ferry Line - Part XVIII

Ferry dock aerial 1978 -  Jon Gunnlaugson's  tanker Griffin is docked at
Hansen's Standard Oil (the concrete surface looks new in this photo) and the
 crew of the Eyrarbakki, largest of the three remaining ferries then, and in
its eighth year of service, prepares to discharge a Coke truck and other vehicles.  
Adjustable, hydraulic ramp in foreground is in its 4th season of use, the only
spot on the dock then set up for bow loading/unloading.  Voyageur (top) and
C. G. Richter are idled on this day.  Bob Bell's orange International Scout is
parked next to the ferry office, foreground.  A telephone booth is
handy, alongside the building for patrons coming off  the ferry.

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

We continue with the story of the Richter ownership and operation of the Ferry Line, now in its 75th year in this year, 2015.

The schedule comparison shown above is interesting for a couple of reasons.  For one, there was deference paid to Carl in 1940, with credit paid to "Carl Richter & Son."  This would soon change, and maybe it was more practicality than anything, acquiring a business name that would be readily associated with Washington Island.  But over time it was still the Richter name, Arni Richter's name, that would be closely associated with Island ferry service, and in a general sense, with Washington Island as a whole.  Arni's involvement in the Door County Chamber of Commerce, his role as a director for the Bank of Sturgeon Bay, and his staunch support of the Republican Party (that brought him in contact with several Republican governors, state legislators, and Congressional representatives) held both social and business implications for the Richters and the Ferry company. 

Another interesting comparison is found in examining the rates, where one-way passenger fares ($1.00 in 1940 vs. 87 cents in 1953) and auto rates were actually less in 1953 than in 1940.   Perhaps increased volume had something to do with those rates, but in 1953 there were two, relatively new ferries, Griffin (1946) and C. G. Richter (1950), still working off construction debt.   Farming and fishing were then two booming Island industries, with dairy and potato farming continuing apace, and commercial fishing was the king industry in terms of incomes and steady employment.  Those industries translated to a great deal of freight hauled, meaningful in terms of revenue for both the Anderson Transit Co. and the Ferry Line.  Perhaps the freight revenues helped to meaningfully support the business overall. 

The construction of the Voyageur in 1960 departed from the side-loading ferries that required wooden planks (later replaced by a steel plate) to span the gap between vessel and shore.  Although the Voyageur had only a single ramp, located in the bow, loading could be accomplished quickly by directing drivers and backing autos on board.  A creative crew with the right mix of traffic could load a dozen vehicles in a short time.  Oftentimes, the load was a mix of autos, trucks and trailers, and occasionally large equipment that earlier ferries simply were unable to carry.   

Hauling a semi by ferry was novel, unheard of until the Voyageur.  That was
why this first-time photo was taken of a J. W. Cartage truck aboard early in the
1960 season.   The design of a larger, open-deck ferry today seems a no-brainer,
but Percy Johnson spoke often of Arni's agonizing the day before he had to
sign a contract to build the Voyageur at Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and
Dry Dock. Financing was always a challenge, and Arni's business style was
to first have the major percentage of new construction costs in hand before laying
a keel, a pattern that has been followed to this day in keeping debt
to a minimum.

By 1970 traffic justified a second open-deck ferry, an even longer vessel named Eyrarbakki.  If the Voyageur had been a grand improvement for carrying vehicles of all sizes, the Eyrarbakki went one better.  She had both a bow and stern ramp, and rather than the restrictive open deck of 50 feet of the Voyageur,  at 87 feet LOA the Eyrarbakki had approximately a 70-foot opening, making possible the loading of just about any combination of truck and trailer that could be brought over the bow.  (Eyrarbakki still has the largest unrestricted height, open deck space of all of the ferries.)   Standard vehicles (if they required less than a 9-foot overhead clearance) could be easily loaded in a drive-on, drive-off arrangement, and overall capacity came to 18-20 autos.  There were still large "Detroit boats" being driven for comfort rather than concern for fuel prices in those days, but new, smaller Japanese models had joined the highway mix, plus Detroit's "compacts" that provided options for crews to load an extra car here and there, maximizing usable deck space on a busy day.  

A major drawback in loading the C. G. Richter- especially in low water,
and especially with a heavy load - dealt with regularly throughout winter,
was to drive loaded trucks over the side ramp, timing the roll of the boat so that
the rebound in buoyancy would support the rear axle's wheels as the major
weight came into play.

On a cold winter's day, the Noble's hull was moved
from a construction shed to an opening and turned upright.
using two cranes.  Shown with the upright hull at PBI
are Arni Richter, Dick Purinton and Harry Purinton, who
represented R. A. Stearn, Inc. Naval
Architects.  Harry did much of the structural design and
engineering on this ferry, and the Washington in 1989 when
working for Tim Graul Marine Design.
At the time the Robert Noble was constructed, Tim Graul
headed up the PBI commercial design division,
completing Robert Noble design details. 

With a new ferry C. G. Richter in 1950, another in 1960 (Voyageur) and a third in 1970 (Eyrarbakki), there came a public tendency to believe that a new ferry would be built "about every ten years."  Pushing this theory along (and based solely on the coincidental rise in tourism and the need to keep pace with summer traffic, not a pre-ordained circumstance) was yet another ferry designed and built for launch in early 1979.  

Robert Noble launch, April 30, 1979 at PBI.  90' x 36', with
two, 365 hp Cummins engines, with 175 passengers, and 10'6" overhead
on the aft vehicle deck, made this ferry quite versatile,
the best in the fleet at the time.

The Robert Noble's design would enlarge, slightly, upon the dimensions and capacity of the Eyrarbakki, and in so doing it would render the C. G. Richter less useful - almost obsolete - as a summertime vehicular ferry. 

The answer, in order to get use from an aging vessel that still had many nautical miles left under her keel, was to convert the C. G. to summer passenger-only use.  

By 1984, an extension of 70 feet had been made to the Northport Pier, and as a result Gills Rock became a "passenger excursion" port, with the C. G. competing in summer, first with the Yankee Clipper, owned by Charles Voight, then after 1987, with Voight's new, aluminum Island Clipper.   

One fact of business Arni liked to recite was that each new ferry exceeded in cost the sum total of dollars spent on all previous ferries.  This reflected not only the nature of new construction, with increased complexity in safety equipment and design features intended to meet U. S. Coast Guard regulation, but also the tendency to improve each new ferry in size and utility.  With increased size came increased horsepower, and larger transmissions, all with added cost.   Each new construction contract was supported with the optimism that it would prove to be the right decision, and that a new ferry would help to sustain, if not increase, business for the Ferry Line and the Island.

Adding to the "ten year cycle" myth circulating in Door waters would be yet another ferry, Washington, also built by Peterson Builders, Inc., this one designed start-to-finish by Tim Graul Marine Design (TGMD).  It should be noted that during this period, Peterson Builders was attempting to transition from a heavy dependency on U. S. Naval contracts, which were becoming harder to obtain, while at Bay Shipbuilding nearly all shipbuilding efforts were going into the large commercial ship construction or repairs for the laker fleet.  Bay Ship didn't seek new, small vessel construction at this time, although that approach would change again in time.  

The Washington's design was a departure from previous ferries, most notably for the use of a center pedestal, or trunk, that supported a substantial superstructure.   The Washington had greater length and beam (100-ft. x 37-ft.) than previous ferries, but the increased overall dimensions, as it turned out, were somewhat offset by cramped lane conditions alongside the trunk, which incorporated public heads, engine room and passenger deck access stairs, piping and wiring runs, and light cargo storage.

Every vessel results in compromises, however, and overall, this ferry became a summertime savior by taking on long lines of vehicles and passengers, loading them with ease.   In certain instances, she's also been used in the freeze-up stages of December, having good sea keeping abilities, with less propensity to toss spray over the deck.  But, summertime use was its main purpose, to meet with the still-increasing patterns in traffic.   The 1990s, with dot.com financial bubbles not yet ready to burst, also brought increasing tourism, very much on the rise in Door County as a whole. This ferry, Washington, coupled with a new break wall built in 1994 that surrounded the Northport dock and made landings much less subject to wind and waves, became a very useful piece of equipment.  

Washington set to depart.   Crew: (L to R)  Jeff Cornell, Laura (Shellswick)
Lerner and Erik Foss.

The age of the C. G. Richter, having design qualities unacceptable to owners of longer and higher vehicles, and with increased bulk freight demand in the dead of winter (fewer Island goods were being stockpiled in advance, with less small package freight), and without the mass and horsepower to bull through frequently encountered ice conditions, and with its less-than-adequate passenger accommodations  (both heads and cabin space) her days were numbered.

But, it would take substantially more capital, plus the right design - whatever that might be - before a contract would be signed for a new winter ferry.  That timing proved to be 2002, a decision that followed much internal discussion and regular, annual deposits into a construction fund.  By that time, Arni Richter had retired (after making an official retirement statement, but one not always heeded!), and the new ferry to bear his name would have greater size, horsepower, and capacity than any of the other ferries.  And as before, it would result in greater expense than all previous ferry vessels combined!   

This card appeared anonymously one day at the Ferry Line office.
Its creator was quite perceptive of the divergence of opinion as
construction of the Arni J. Richter took shape in Nov. 2002.
(Taken on day of keel-laying at Bay Shipbuilding.)

The Arni J., as this ferry quickly became known, at 104-ft. LOA could carry 18 vehicles with ease, having broad vehicle lanes nearly 10 feet wide, with passenger cabins and passenger deck access, heads and engine room access offset in a structure along the starboard rail, giving it capability to carry several semi trucks by driving them straight through - this ferry came to be a considerable improvement for  winter and summer ferry service.  

Capt. Bill Jorgenson at wheel of Arni J., in ice.  Hull speed is
a consistent several knots, even in solid ice 10' thick.

Best of all, as it turned out the Arni J.  exhibited wonderful icebreaking capabilities.   This was due, in no small part, through copying the lines of the successful design of the most recent Drummond Islander ferry at Point DeTour, Michigan, also designed by TGMD.  A flight to Drummond Island in a small plane piloted by Graul convinced Arni there just might be a new and better design possible, rather than repeating or enlarging the C. G. Richter design.  (At one point, several years earlier, Arni had stroked his chin while he mused, "I don't think you'll ever find another design as good as the C. G. Richter for winter work!")

If Arni hadn't entirely agreed with the general design and parameters for the new ferry as they were developed with Tim Graul's expertise, he did go so far as to agree to put his name to it, and then to strike the bottle of champagne against a gangway upright when the moment for public approval was ripe.  His oft-repeated statement at age 92, and later, and not without intended humor, was:  "If my name's on it, it better be good!"  

-  Dick Purinton

Arni joked, after his first swing produced only a thud, that
he "might be getting a bit weak."  The occasion was
witnessed and enjoyed by several hundred people, and
accompanied by music, stories and adulations.

ISLAND WATERFRONT - Then and Now - Part IV

Washington Island -

Continuing the theme of looking at the Washington Island waterfront as time changed, I've come across photos that interest me, and I hope readers who have a connection to Washington Island are similarly interested.

My personal knowledge, and the photos readily available to me help me to make connections.  Most of these photos center on Detroit Harbor, but there are occasional, interesting side trips to other harbors and piers.   I'll admit these are not placed in a chronological sequence.  Rather, I've followed what piques my interest, and also what pops up that seems to make a connected story or sub-theme.

The photo above, for instance, is a fairly recent one.  I've received aerial photos over the years from pilots (Jack Cornell, Tim Graul and Ed Graf, to name a few) but I believe I took this one seated in the rear seat of an ultralight, behind pilot Butch Gordon, in February 1990.  (If anyone believes I'm wrong, please let me know!)

I was interested in obtaining photos for the book Over and Back (published later that summer), and Butch offered to take me up in his small plane one late afternoon when the sun's angle was low in the sky.  At the island ferry dock as shown above are five ferries, with the C. G. Richter moored on the end of the pier, and the Voyageur moored at the Standard Oil dock's north side.  (Both of those ferries were sold years later.)  At this time, all Hansen Oil product tanks were still in place, and you can see autos parked south of the tanks, in the general area that is now open pavement leading to the new ferry terminal entrance (completed in1996).  The old ferry office on the dock was still painted white, later to become "federal blue."

Eric Bonow,  from Superior, Wisconsin, who enjoys digging into history, especially anything to do with regional maritime activity, visited last week.  In our conversation Eric reminded me how as operators we had to avoid a shoal area located directly astern of where the C. G. Richter is moored.  This shoal wasn't dredged until around the year 2000.   To safely leave the channel and head in to the pier, we used a range consisting of the light pole in line with the old office door.   Then we were assured of staying in deep enough water.  This shallow hump (with about 6-8 feet of water over it) also had to be avoided during ice breaking around the docks -  just one more deterrent that, when eventually removed, was longer thought about.

The relationship of the current ferry dock to the adjacent Standard Oil pier, and to the Island Outpost dock north of that, is clearly shown in this photo, and that's the main reason why I chose to feature it here.

Below is a May 1930 survey of the ferry dock property (the earliest survey I've seen), courtesy of Eric's sleuthing at the Courthouse.   I believe this survey was produced because of an impending sale of land from  Ole Christiansen to Captain William Jepson, who before that sale operated his ferries from the far eastern side of Detroit Harbor.   Ole's marine railway is indicated in the survey.

May 1930 survey of Standard Oil (previously the Cornell Tract)
and Ole Christiansen tracts  (later Wm. Jepson's, then WIFL)
in Detroit Harbor.

In a previous blog, I wrote that Ole was co-owner of a pier in Jackson Harbor, along with Bo Anderson, and a chart and photos Eric passed along show where that pier was located.  The photo is an old postcard, and although its not entirely clear in this version, piled lumber can be seen on shore and an unidentified small sailing vessel is at the pier, presumably loading - year unknown.

Related text reprints from the Advocate newspaper follow:

 Door County Advocate - 2.28.1903:
   The bulk of the Forster Lumber Co. lands have been sold mostly to settlers, the heaviest investors being Bo L. Anderson and Capt. Ole Christianson (sp), who secured about 500 acres.  These gentlemen are now engaged in building a dock inside the east point near the entrance to Jackson Harbor.  The cribs have all been completed and the stringers are now being laid.  There are two gangways to the main structure, which will prevent all backing or turning by teams.  Three vessels will be able to lay at the dock at the same time.  Captain Christianson is superintending the work which is a full guarantee that the structure will be put up in good shape.   The entrance to Jackson Harbor is shallow, so that only light going craft are able to pass in our out.  The owners contemplate removing the bar, which is only a few yards wide. They will likely have a small dredge do this work, although Captain Christianson has told us that he could remove the bar by other means, but at all events it will require a good outlay, but when this obstruction is away, allowing large vessels to load at the dock, it will fully pay for the outlay.  Besides that several of those owning timber lands on the northeast side have expressed their willingness to help pay for the expense in deepening the inlet. The enterprise of Messrs. A & C is sure to have the effect to build up Jackson Harbor.  There are thousands of cords of wood to go over the dock, and shipping is bound to be lively for some time to come.

Jackson Harbor shown on 1922 Lake Survey
Chart.  (Courtesy of Eric Bonow)

Door County Advocate - 7.30.1904:
Capt. Ole Cristianson is and has been engaged in the wood trade between Jackson Harbor and Milwaukee with the schooner Madonna. The Lucy Graham, Capt. Goodletson, is also carrying fuel from the same place to Manitowoc.  She came here on Saturday night for the sixth time so far this year.  The crew report that the yards are filling up rapidly, and the delivery will have to stop soon until more room can be secured.  Although 36 years old the Lucy is as sound as a trivet, having been well taken care of by her owner.  She was built at Sturgeon Bay in the winter of 1868 by the late Capt. Robert Graham, one of the pioneer residents of the county.

Door County Advocate - 12.3.1904:
The portable sawmill for Christianson & Anderson has arrived, and is now being set up.  The firm has enough orders ahead to keep the outfit busy the greater part of the winter.  Strange to say the demand all comes from the islanders, who are rather adverse to sawing their stove wood by the old and laborious method when it can be done by steam in one fraction of the time.  The buck saw is a thing of the past.

Door County Advocate - 3.4.1905
A good deal of cordwood is being banked every working day at Jackson Harbor, and the owners anticipate god prices again for this commodity.  There are two piers over which the wood will be shipped, that of Anderson & Christianson and Ras. Hansen.  The latter, which formerly belonged to Capt. Denio, is undergoing a substantial rebuild this season.

Door County Advocate - 10.10.1907
Rasmus Hansen is steadily improving and developing his Jackson Harbor property which has in late years become one of the most important shipping points in this region. 
The Lucy Graham has been lying at Jackson Harbor for more than a week waiting for a load.  Capt. Goodletson says that wood is getting very scarce in these parts, but he hopes to get in a few more trips before the end of the season.
  Chas. Anderson, Matt Swenson and Ben Jensen are building a structure on the south side of Jackson Harbor to be used for a saw mill, and as soon as it shall be completed the outfit will be removed to that place from the west side of the pond.  Business is pretty lively at that point, as there is considerable wood being banked and carried to market by the schooner Madonna, Capt. Ole Christianson.

Postcard - Jackson Harbor, inside Carlins Point, early 1900s.

After nine more years, the shipment of timber had slowed…and it was around this time the Madonna was abandoned in Detroit Harbor west of Snake Island.   Ole Christianson may have concentrated his efforts from that point forward at his shipyard on Lobdell Point.

Door county Advocate - 4.6.1916:
The Jackson Harbor Mill Co. will begin their spring sawing this week. Lumbering is nearly a thing of the past on the Island, the stock of logs being comparatively small.  But, still we wonder where so many come from.

  - Dick Purinton

ISLAND WATERFRONT - Then and Now - Part II

Ole Christiansen's boatyard, with the Flotilla in the foreground on
blocks, and the Wisconsin moored at the edge of the solid ice.
Quite possibly this photo was one of Bill Jepson's, taken around 1930, prior to
his purchase of the dock property.  Today vehicles
drive out onto this pier to board over what we
refer to as the "south ramp."

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

Watching Mike Kahr drive steel sheets with his reciprocating hydraulic hammer yesterday, and noting the relative ease with which the sheets were driven into the bottom, caused me to think back on some of the other projects we've had over the years.

Many feet of steel sheeting were driven, especially at Northport around 1982-3, when John Fitzgerald and his crew extended the Northport Pier by some 70 feet, adding a slight wedge to the north corner, the design intention being to lessen lake swell action curling around the northern side of the pier.   That project came 11 years before the stone break wall was constructed with the aid of a Wisconsin DOT grant to Door County.   Prior to the breakwater of 1994, the pier projected unprotected approximately 100 yards from shore, an obstacle to waves and moving ice.

Welder Mike Brown fabricates the corner piece
from two sheets that can't be interlocked due
to the degree of bend.  In the background, Mike
Kahr uses a hydraulic hammer to drive steel sheets.

In order to accomplish the work of extending the pier in 1982, contractor Fitzgerald rented a diesel hammer.   The solid, heavy steel head slid up and down in a steel framework, powered at the bottom of the downstroke by an explosion (combustion chamber) that caused it to rise back up several feet in the air, then drop again to repeat the process.  The hammer head rig was positioned over the sheet being driven, and the whole works was held in place by a crane.  Before that project, John used a pile driver block that was repeatedly raised by crane cable 8-10 feet and then let free-fall, with gravity doing the pounding, one tap at a time.


The hydraulic hammer arrangement used today by Mike Kahr is rapid and flexible.  It seems to do a good job until progress is stopped by a large stone, and that was the case with several sheets on the inside of the slip.  Another improvement in equipment, too, is that this hammer head can be shifted quickly from one sheet to another by just lifting the arm of the excavator.   Kahr can use the excavator arm to pull or push plates to achieve the best vertical alignment.  And, it takes only minutes to detach the breaker head and install the backhoe's bucket for other work.

Contractor John Fitzgerald extended the
Northport pier, shown here in the summer of
1982 with a diesel hammer for driving sheets.

In all, over 200 linear feet of pier were enclosed with
sheeting at Northport in 1982.  Here, worker Don Beckstrom
cuts sheets to length.  Some sheets were driven in water depths
of 16 feet.

It was 1975 (now 40 years ago this June)  that the first hydraulic ramp was installed for easier, and safer, loading of ferries with bow ramps.  At that time, only the north slip was suitable for bow-loading of vehicles, in particular large trucks, buses, or trailers.   In 1960, when the first bow-loading ferry Voyageur was brought into service, enabling carriage of trucks longer than 25-feet for the first time, a pile of gravel was sculpted to roughly accommodate variations in water levels from season-to-season.  A thick rubber mat on the crest of the pile kept the steel ramp from rubbing against the gravel.   It was crude, but it worked, along with procedures that kept the vessel in  trim during loading.  Often this would mean shifting a few vehicles fore or aft to keep the bow height (and thus the bow ramp angle) in adjustment, sparing mufflers and tail pipes.

Myron LaPlant operated machinery for
John Fitzgerald.  

Ferry captain Dave Johnson backed this auto
onto the ferry (about 1972-73) over the gravel mound with rubber mat.
Mound accounted for height differences between
boat decks and dock, and with some work could be
seasonally adjusted by grading or adding more fill.

With a greater number of motor coaches, campers, trailered pleasure boats and heavy trucks, as well as an increase in general tourism traffic in summer, by the 1970s the gravel pile was no longer a good option.  



Arni Richter wanted to install a hydraulic ramp strong enough to hold a loaded semi.   R. A. Stearn Naval Architects, Sturgeon Bay, supplied engineering for the hydraulics (based, in part, on experience gained with engineering early Travelift units) and my father,  Harry Purinton, provided a fair amount of time - some personal and some through R. A. Stearn where he worked with hull and structure - to design the ramp details and footings.

Once steel was ordered, ferry captain John Hanlin cut and welded, and assembled the ramp in a level opening near the bike shop garage.  Kermit Jorgenson operated Njord Heim's crane to lift, and then turn over, the ramp.   Few pieces of equipment were available on the island at that time for such tasks, whereas now there are numerous loaders and excavators with the lifting capacity and reach for such an operation.

While the steel work progressed, a hole was excavated near the water for footings.  By late June, the foundation was ready to receive the ramp, and by the weekend of the Fourth of July, the ramp was in a pinned position, ready to be driven across, but it took several more days to complete electrical connections (Earl Frank was the electrician) and pipe the hydraulics (work by ferry crew), making the ramp fully adjustable at last.

During the construction of the foundation, ferries landed at the end of the south dock.  Today at that location, a wider, longer and heavier ramp is available,  installed in 2001.   The rams on this newer ramp permit adjustment under heavy loads, whereas the original 1975 ramp was incapable of adjustment under load, due to smaller rams and lower pump pressures.  

Kermit Jorgenson operated the crane as
Dick Hanlin offered advice.  Eldred
Ellefson, who loaned the crane from Njord Heim,
 observed in foreground as the
20 x 20 ft. ramp was turned over.

Setting wooden forms for pouring the first hydraulic ramp footings,
late June, 1975.    (l to r) Jensen brothers Norbert, Rich and Emil with
John Herschberger and Harvey Jensen, uncle of the brothers.
(Unknown observer.) 

A slightly different angle showing turning of the first adjustable ramp,
with Kermit Jorgenson at the crane controls.  Ferry crew Tim Jutila and John Hanlin
are on far side, and John Herschberger has his back to camera.  (June 1975)

Crowded near to the old office building, the foundation was poured for the
ramp.  Here, Earl Frank runs wire (far left), John Herschberger backfills
with a shovel, and at the rear of the box Arni Richter and John Hanlin
discuss installation of ramp hinges.  (June 1975)

Ferry captain John Hanlin, who was
also skilled working with steel.

Such improvements as shore ramps are quickly absorbed into the operation, becoming one more slight adjustment before loading or unloading, and a major adjustment when the load is long, low or exceedingly heavy.   The general public may not realize the benefits, but the advent of one, good hydraulic ramp on the island meant quicker and easier loading of each ferry using the bow ramp (the C. G. Richter still required side loading, until about 1989 when the Washington (dis)placed it into passenger only status).  In a few years' time, by 1980, a similar ramp was installed at Gills Rock, and early in the summer of 1985, the north ramp at Northport was installed.  In time, smaller ramps also went in at the island's south landing, and at Northport's winter landing slot.  All later ramps were based on the original 1975 structural design, with modifications made as needed.

-  Dick Purinton