After photos of the large piece of metal unearthed by high seas at the Rock Cut beach appeared in last week’s paper, the News-Herald was contacted by Pat Zankman of the Cook County Historical Society with details about the possible identity of the artifact.
A large piece of riveted metal believed to be from a ship’s engine that was uncovered on the shore near Cutface Creek off Highway 61 at Rock Cut beach might be from the Bob Anderson.
Destroyed by fire in 1899, the Bob
Anderson
was a tug from the Inman fleet used to raft logs.
This account comes from the Cook
County News Herald’s
1899 edition and was forwarded to us by Pat Zankman from the Cook County Historical Society:
“The tug, Bob Anderson of the Inman
fleet was totally destroyed by fire last
Saturday night in Good Harbor Bay.
“The work of rafting logs at Bartlett’s
had just been completed and it was the
intention to start early in the morning for
Duluth, the crew were all below when the
fire started and its origin is unknown. The
men managed to get into the yawl, but were
not able to save their personal effects. The
Mystic went up on Sunday and pushed the
wreck up on the beach. Captain Inman was
down during the day on the Adams and
returned at once for another tug.
“The Bob Anderson was a large tug,
113 feet long with 22 feet beamed and 12
feet depth of hold. She came with a straight
high-pressure engine and steam steering
gear. The tug was built about 40 years ago
in Cleveland. She was rebuilt in 1892 and
last year $2,000 was expended on her. The
boat was valued at $6,000 and was insured
by companies represented by Graves and
Maley for $2,000.”
Thelarge hunk of metal was unearthed during a big storm late this November and discovered by local beachcombers.
If it is from the Bob Anderson,
the large riveted metal piece may be from the year 1859, the year the Bob Anderson
was built. It lies near Rock Cut Creek nestled amongst the rocks and sand, a potential icon of a year that saw the first elevator patented, electric range patented, paper bag manufacturing patented, first solar flare observed, first successful oil well drilled, first airmail delivered via balloon, and the first intercollegiate game of baseball played by Amherst, which beat Williams 66-32.
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