Marine History Group Signs Licensing Agreement with Dow for Old Lighthouse
Morrell Survivor Dennis Hale to Speak Nov. 20 at State Theatre
October 3, 2004
By: Dave Rogers
U.S. Coast Guard aerial photo from 1947 shows Saginaw River rear range lighthouse near mouth of river.
Dennis Hale will recall intrepid tale of survival including encounter with an apparition, "the bearded stranger on the raft."
On a storm-tossed raft on Lake Huron Nov. 29, 1966, Dennis Hale had a conversation with a bearded stranger in a black Navy pea jacket.
When Hale woke up, he was the only sailor of a crew of 29 still alive. The bearded stranger was gone. After 38 hours afloat he was rescued.
You can hear the tale of the mysterious stranger on the raft and other details of Hale's survival first hand next month in a program sponsored by the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society (SRMHS).
SRMHS has scheduled a talk by Hale, sole survivor of the 1966 sinking of the Steamer Daniel J. Morrell, on Nov. 20 at the State Theatre. Tickets for the 7 p.m. program are $8 in advance or $10 at the door and may be purchased at the theatre box office, open Tuesdays 4-6:30 p.m.
SRMHS officers recently signed a licensing agreement with The Dow Chemical Co. for restoration of the old lighthouse near the mouth of the river.
Donald Comtois, president of the society, said the licensing agreement will allow the group to receive grants and make improvements to the lighthouse approved by Dow. Public tours also will be held under special permission from the company.
In 1999 SRMHS made its first agreementwith Dow to restore the old Saginaw River Rear Range Lighthouse, located on Dow property at the foot of Wilder Road in Bangor Township.
A new roof was installed on the lighthouse in the spring of 2000. Plans are for drywall and insulation to cover the brick walls and provide a suitable environment for historical artifacts for a maritime museum.
SRMHS also plans to operate a maritime research center in the historic lighthouse.
The lighthouse was built in 1878, according to architectural historian Dale Wolicki. It features a 60-foot high tower with an octagonal cast iron lantern accessible by a circular staircase. Although service as a lighthouse ended in 1962, the building was used as a station of the U.S.Coast Guard until 1980. It is listed on the Federal Register of Historic Places.
A notable maritime innovation is connected with an earlier lighthouse. In 1865, Dewitt Brawn, 14-year-old son of lighthouse keepers Peter and Julia Brawn, devised a dual range light system still used throughout the world to guide ships. His system involved two lights, one higher than the other. A ship captain merely has to line up the two lights to keep on course.###