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The first vessels to frequent Manistee in large numbers were schooners: two and three masted sailing vessels. Among the most beautiful of the local schooners was the ISABELLA SANDS, a schooner which was built here and which spent most of her life here. The photo shows the Historic North Pier.
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Saturday, Aug. 15, 1874 was a day of gala celebration at the sawmill of Louis Sands near Eastlake. The Schooner ISABELLA SANDS, which had been built at the mill, was launched shortly after 6 p.m. in the evening.
The launching was later reported in the Manistee Times:
"The launch was to have taken place at 4 o'clock, but the wind in the mean time had driven a large boom of logs directly in front of the vessel, and it required nearly 2 hours to remove it and clean an opening. By half past five o'clock a still larger crowd had assembled and the scene presented the appearance of a general holiday. The tugs were loaded down with the beauty, youth and old age of Manistee, and the weather being pleasant, everybody seemed in good spirits. About a quarter to six o'clock the boom was out of the way and the vessel ready to go into the water. The timbers upon which she was to slide were well reased, and a huge rope fastened to her.
The tug WILLIAMS then ran up to the dock, fastened herself to the schooner and made one pull but no headway was gained. Another pull and still no movement. a third pull with a good start produced a momentary cracking noise, and before the eye could hardly catch the first move, the proud vessel was gracefully gliding along into its water home, and a flag quickly darted up and floated off from a pole bearing the name of the new craft ISABELLA SANDS. The enthusiasm of the crowd, in the meantime being manifested by vociferous cheers and slapping hands. when it was about halfway into the water, a roll of smoke burst out from the timbers sank down under the weight, and she dropped into the water as easily as a feather and glided away like a duck, conscious to its being thrust into its congenial element. She was then caught by the tug WILLIAMS and towed back to the dock, where she will be fitted up ready for services."
Construction of the ISABELLA SANDS had been supervised by a ship carpenter named Randall. The schooner was unique in several aspects. The first was that the builders had used all Rock Elm for the primary construction material instead of the more common oak. Many sailors felt the elm was not durable enough but several experienced ship builders spoke in behalf of the elm. The second aspect making the ship unique was that Randall, while building the schooner, altered the size or shape of the many timbers "so as to secure the greatest strength or the best results." These changes added significantly to the cost of construction, but it was reported that "Sands thought it cheaper always in the end to have things done well." The schooner had a beam of 29 ft. and measured 134 ft. long with a carrying capacity of 275,000 board ft. of lumber.
Despite the cries of the critics, the ISABELLA SANDS remained with the Sands fleet for 33 years. She provided a steady, reliable service as there is very little record of her getting into trouble. The end came, not because the schooner was unreliable, but simply because the railroads and steam barges had taken over the freight market. From port records it appears that the Sands Salt and Lumber Company sold the ISABELLA SANDS in 1907. The schooner returned once more however on Oct. 22, 1907 with a load of coal.
Although her days of hauling lumber out of Manistee were over, the schooner continued in service for many years. The ISABELLA SANDS was registered to a Canadian firm, the Peninsula Tug & Towing Company of Wiarton, Ontario until after World War I. Another story reports the SANDS back on Lake Michigan as the Christmas Tree ship of the Schuenemann family in the 1920's.
Although the ISABELLA SANDS is now gone, a small momento of the proud schooner has survived. While the construction was underway in Eastlake, the ship carpenter, Randall, built a scale model of the schooner complete with rigging and sails. The model was exhibited in a Manistee saloon until prohibition when it passed into private hands. The model has survived and today is proudly exhibited in the den of its owner.
Photos of the ISABELLA SANDS, and others from Manistee's Shipping History are available at the Manistee County Historical Museum. Thanks to Steve Harold for allowing us to reprint his aritcles.
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