Making our way from the sunken dredge we embarked on a long journey across the Quincy stamp sands towards the Reclamation Plant. Like most other sand deposits in the region these have been recently “rehabilitated” by the government – essentially covering the sands with dirt and planting various types of grass. Instead of the alien terrain that greeted us at the Gay sands, here we faced a sprawling grassland punctuated by the occasional tree or bush. It was quite the alternate experience.
Before we could even reach the plant ruins themselves we stumbled across some very mysterious artifacts in the sand. It looked to be a box – or crate – which was partially buried in the sands. A series of flat boards in varying states of decay sat across its top face. Sprinkled across those boards were a collection of iron bolts and brackets, which were no longer holding on to anything. As strange as the crate was by itself, the true mystery was the line of identical crates that accompanied it.
There were about half a dozen of these crates, all half-buried and all featuring the same brackets on their tops. The crates sat in a line, each one an identical distance from the next one. Our first thought was that this was part of a coal dock, but as far out along the sands that we were that seemed unlikely. There was also the fact that these crates were landlocked, surrounded by the sands on all sides.
Whatever these crates were once part of, it looked like there job was to support some type of structure running along their tops. Each featured a series of brackets which supported vertical posts – post that look like they were cut off.
Besides the large vertical posts, the crates featured a large amount of smaller brackets on their edges. There was also a great deal of these brackets scattered across the sands nearby.
Turning back towards the distant reclamation plant, the lines of crates stretched out towards a small pond which had formed inside the sands. Following their lead, we ended up at the small pond ourselves and noticed one last crate.
This one was half in the water and half out, which seemed to help bolster the idea that it was part of a dock structure. This small body of water might mean that this crates were once sitting out on the water, perhaps as part of a dock or other structure. If that was the case, the sands that currently surround the crates could have just migrated here over the years. (similar to how the old Isle Royale Coal Dock is now landlocked as well). But that still brings up the same problem – why a dock way out here?
Here’s an aerial image from Terraserver, showing our mystery crates in relation to the ruins of the plant (to the left). If these crates were part of a dock, we’re sure a good distance out from the plant. But this image brought up another possibility, if perhaps a tad bit crazy one. Could these crates be remains of the old pontoon line that once fed the Dredge? Could they have been abandoned and beached here, only to be buried after decades of sand erosion? Crazy for sure, but we’ve found crazier stuff…
Before our pontoon theory could be further examened, we ran across another relic along the edge of that small body of water. This time it was a concrete structure, set in a “T” shape and protruding out from the ponds south-western shore. On its surface were a series of iron bolts, which once again most likely were used to attach some other structure down to the concrete. This relic was also in line with those crates – which would help bolster the dock theory. Obviously still a mystery for someone else to figure out…
I think that they are part of the pontoon line, The brackets in the center, still have a couple pieces of wood attached, and from the dredge post, showing the pontoon line, they look extremely similar, they are missing the block in the corner,
Any idea how tall they where?
I’m sure these are the pontoons.
If you compare the second picture in this post to the one with the tugboat/pontoon line in the drege post all of the brackets are in the same exact place.
And for further proof, look at the 5th pic here you can see the holes for the rectangular caps in the tugboat pic.
Huh… I’m surprised that these were left out on the sands, even when the rehabilitation was taking place. Incidentally, for the ponds, I know that some such ponds were created intentionally for wildlife, during the rehabilitation. But those are usually very obvious, because they’re basically rectangular.
Nonetheless, a neat find!
The pontoon portion was steel pipe, and if I remember right, some of them were constructed out of the old water pipes for the old Tamarack/Osceola Mills. But because of the shortage of steel once again, the tops were constructed of wood. C&H once again was builder of these for Quincy.
Judging from the photo with the tug and the guys on the tug, I would guess they are about 10-15 feet tall above the deck of the pontoon.
I would venture to guess that may have been a “dock” in that last picture, probably where the floating pipeline become a land pipeline.
I had meant the boxes,
Another reason i think that they are pontoons, look at the second picture, on the “back” side they have a round notch in them like the pipeline would rest on it
These boxes were buried but I would guess they were about a foot high, give or take. The interior of the boxes are hollow and filled with water currently. Most likely the water is trapped rainwater.
There might of been a dock here (perhaps the concrete structure was part of it), but there’s no other evidence of one. Its also quite a ways out from the plant, almost half way across the lake. I doubt they were floating here, since the same forces that would of shifted the sands around them would of pushed them aside as well. Perhaps they washed up here and then were covered with shifting sands. I’m not sure.
The pond seen here is natural. I believe its just the remains of a channel which no doubt lead back to the mill. Of course this channel would of been where those pontoons would of lead, so finding them in this location makes sense.
One last thing however. The pontoons you see in the archive image in the previous post were not Quincy’s. Those pontoons were C&’s Quincy’s pontoons looked much different, and not at all like these babies. You can see those pontoons HERE. They don’t feature the same wood platforms as the C&H type.
If you look at that photo closely, there are different models of the pontoons. I think the two of them right by the tugboat had the wood box type deck, also has a more solid looking mast for the power cables. Also in the part of the photo with the sunken dredge, one of the pontoons sticking up in the air looks to have the box like deck.
I would venture to guess some of these were former C&H. But then if you look at this photo of the dredge pontoon line at C&H’s mill, it has the wood walking deck on it.
http://digarch.lib.mtu.edu/showbib.aspx?bib_id=599857#
Also that floating dredge is the former C&H dredge probably being readied for work after the Quincy dredge sank.
Its interesting to look at the photos of the C&H dredge working for C&H at the Calumet tailings, the roof line looks to have changed before Quincy got it. Also note the smokestack is inside the housing in the Quincy shot and on the outside in the newer shot Mike posted.
Funny how a search can pop up some interesting things, like all you would ever want to know about a C&H dredge and how it worked. This was the former C&H dredge, the one beached at Mason.
The boiler was to heat the dredge and provide power while the dredge was disconnected and moved. It was moved by using anchor lines and winches. Good reading
http://books.google.com/books?id=ER8rAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA811&dq=%22calumet+and+hecla+dredge%22&lr=&as_brr=1#PRA1-PA811,M1
Great find Gordy! Its also interesting how the article talks about the swinging bridge that I just wrote a post about. It seems that bridge was used to suck up a “reserve bank” of sands deposited near the shore plant for use during the winter months.
Thats a really interesting artcile,
That dredge has always caught my attention ever since I first came up here when I was five or six,
I learned more about that dredge in 5 minutes of reading than I ever knew about it. What I hate more than anything is driving past it and seeing it rot away more and more. Although it so hard to think of it as a museum piece also, I mean it was a big floating building with some electrical gear and a couple of big pumps. Personally, I would be happy to see it leveled out and maybe out of the water. But until I win the big lotto……….
Well, the article says that the hull was made of steel so that eliminates the theory that water leaked through the joints in the wood. Although it obviously had a pretty serious leak.
I heard through the grapevine (the originator being one of the divers that were tasked with maintaining the dredge) that the drains for the gutters ran through the interior, and through one or two of the compartments to the underside of the ship in order to keep the drains from freezing in winter… When the dredge sat unheated the downspouts froze and spilt allowing melt water to slowly fill the compartments (I believe there are 9 compartments) in the spring. As the dredge listed eventually the hatches to one of the compartments reached lake level, and down she went.
His theory was that the old girl would still float due to the thickness of the hull, and the fact he feels it wasn’t compromised, long enough to pull it into a permanent slip to stabilize the structure… If he’s right it wouldn’t take much money to prove, or disprove, just a salvage diver and an air compressor to pressurize the compartments…
Refloating the dredge…OH HOW COOL!!!!!!
If the dredge were ever refloated, we’d be obligated to march out there and scream “It is ALLLLIIIIIIIVE!” as it comes up…
If I didn’t bore you with all the info of the former C&H dredge the first time, you can read even more about it, after 5 years in operation. This tells all about C&H’s reclamation plant, so this will help with how things worked. The dredge did work all winter according to this article and how they improved it as time went by.
Enjoy
http://books.google.com/books?id=OHdOAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA3-PA68&dq=%22calumet+%26+hecla+reclamation+plant%22&lr=&as_brr=1