So Terrible a Storm: A Tale of Fury on Lake Superior

By Curt Brown

Book Overview

It was Thanksgiving 1905 and thirty-one ships were on Lake Superior, making the season's last, daring run--a run old salts had warned against, but to no avail against the shipping companies' demands. What none of the sailors knew until it was far too late was that they would soon face the worst storm ever to hit the Great Lake, a storm that nearly half of their number would not survive. This is the story of that fateful storm, and of one of the worst shipping disasters in the nation's history. As the storm strikes without warning, readers are taken aboard the SS Mataafa as it crashes into Duluth's piers, half of the crew freezing to death overnight as the other half survives by dancing through the dark around bathtubs set ablaze with scuttled pieces of the ship--all while 10,000 Duluthians set bonfires on shore to guide ships to safety. Next we find ourselves aboard the SS Ira H. Owen , crashing into the cliff where Split Rock Lighthouse would later be built, too late for these men. And here too are the many ships, from Canadian shores to Michigan, where all hands were lost. It is a story drawn from the accounts of witnesses and survivors. It is a tale of people pitted against the elements, of a disaster so extreme that, in its wake, weather forecasting, shipbuilding, and compass-reading in light of the Iron Range's magnetism were forever changed.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0760332436
• ISBN13: 9780760332436
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group USA
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

So Terrible A Storm. A Tale of Fury on Lake Superior.

I couldn't put the book down. Very well written, in Hemmingway fashion. So descriptive, I felt that I was back in 1905. The story will send chills to the bone. Had to finish the book next to a crackling fire while sipping a shot of hot whiskey. For anyone who has sailed on Lake Superior or any of you history buffs, this read is a must. Well done Brown. Well done.

A Superior Storm

Curt Brown masterfully transports the reader to 1905 aboard a battered freighter trapped in roiling waters during one of the worst storms in Lake Superior history. This true tale of storm-tossed ships, corporate greed, human bravery -- and weakness too -- brings movie-like impact to the written page. Great Lakes history buffs and those familiar with Duluth, Minnesota, will particularly relish the author's attention to detail and setting. The rich collection of century-old photos complementing the story is equally intriguing on its own.

THE BIG LAKE THEY CALL GITCHEGOMME

Curt Brown has created a wonderful book about the struggles of man and nature. The book about the November 1905 Great Lakes Storm reads like fiction. Brown captures the drama of men fighting for survival against impossible odds. He also puts the story in a time context and how it affected many who were not sailors. The book is well researched and footnoted for further study.

A fascinating saga of the big lake

This book tells the story of the "Maatafa Blow", a severe winter storm on Lake Superior in November 1905 in which many ships were damaged or lost. Loaded with photographs and first-person accounts, the book primes us with some introductory chapters on the culture and history of Duluth, Minnesota. Then it goes on to tell gripping accounts of trial and survival in the grip of the storm. One of the most interesting is the story of the Maatafa as it retreats from the fury of the storm and turns around attempting to re-enter the narrow passage of the Duluth harbor, only to be pushed up sideways against the piers by the fury of the storm and held helpless there for long hours while the townspeople and crew try in vain to effect a rescue. There are many photos of this event that I had not seen before. Another account from this storm is the wreck of the Maderia along Minnesota's north shore, an event that precipitated the construction of Minnesota's famous Split Rock lighthouse a few years later. The book tells stories of individuals involved in the events and what became of them, including an interprid newspaperwoman who covered the events and provided many of the first-person material through her interviews. This is a great read for anyone interested in the lore of the lakes, particularly Lake Superior, and it tells stories and has photographs that few have seen.

You felt like you were there

This is a remarkable, well researched book, written in such a way that one can almost feel the horror of that awful storm of 1905. I can only imagine what those poor men experienced with the high waves, strong wind, blowing snow, and being wet and almost frozen out on that lake. It takes a special breed of men to be able to do this work. I did notice a couple editing errors of dates, however. One on page 243 which said Edward Honnor's son was born on 3/2/1947 instead of 1847. And another date on page 252 that states that the Corey was put into service in June of 2005 instead of, I presume, 1905. Small matters of little consequence in this terric book.