Mentor High School - Cardinal Notes Yearbook (Mentor, OH)

Page 5 text:

ABOVE: Top hats, gold mounted walking sticks, and ruby set watches were presented to captains whose boats cleared port first. TOP LEFT: A breath of wind is enough to send Lake Erie turning somersaults (Defunct lighthouse off of Headlands Beach State Park). BOTTOM: During the 1800’s amidst competitive Great Lakes’ sailing, a sailor developed great affection for his boat. Here he worked, ate, and slept. fold along dotted line

Page 4 text:

Erie Tejocharontiong (Lake Erie) powerfully washes Mentor’s shore. 50 miles wide and deepest at 85 feet, Erie has the shortest temper. Lacking stability due to her shallowness, a breath of wind is enough to send her turning somersaults. The first boats to sail Erie were sail boats, many constructed and launched from Headland’s beach. During the 1870’s Byrn’s beach (once along Headlands Road) contained a shipyard, drydock, and platforms for launching boats. In their blue coats, brass buttons, nakcen trousers, white vests, low shoes, white silk stockings, ruffled shirts, large hats, and jingling gold watch chains, lake captains were the idol of every young lad. A number of lake captains lived along the Headlands Road in houses which still exist. These were the men along with the crews who went out in weather that scared fish, performed gallant rescues, dangerously overloaded boats, and pocessed a twinkling sense of humor. One captain when asked if men were anxious to leave a wreck replied, “Don’t know! One knocked me down, and one hit me with a suitcase coming aboard Sailing on Erie those days was a risky business. On October 20, 1916 the storm king visited Erie concentrating all his endeavor on her rather than Erie's stronger sisters. Four boats were on the open lake; all went down. Erie has her treasure ships too. On April 27, 1850 the steamer “Anthony Wayne’’ left Toledo with a cargo of immigrants. Her starboard boilers exploded, and she sank, but the $180,000 to $200,000 aboard has never been recovered.

Page 6 text:

TOP: Every safety device that science can provide, from radar to radio phone, makes sailing less hazardous today (Great Lakes’ Carriers). BOTTOM: From winter freeze up to spring break up, boats such as this plow past Mentor (Cleveland-Cliffs Iron co.). FAR RIGHT: Many of us will continue to carry on the lake tradition (Coast guardsman at Fairport Coastguard Station).