THE WHALEBACK STEAMER CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DISASTER of JUNE 30TH, 1917

By Michael Horne

Last Wednesday, June 27^th 2007, there was a most unusual sight at the confluence of the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers. The tugboat Leona B, manned by Tom Balistreri, struggled mightily to keep a barge pinned against the seawall as the Menomonee, swollen by runoff from a heavy afternoon shower, surged toward Lake Michigan.

According to Port of Milwaukee Harbor Master Joe DiGiorgio, the intent of the curious maneuver was to prevent the turbulent waters from upsetting or dislodging another nearby working barge, rendered top heavy due to a construction crane erected on its deck.

It was a reminder to the terrestrially based citizens that one of Milwaukee’s most hazardous intersections just happens to be liquid.

The dangers of the capricious Menomonee River currents were never more tragically demonstrated than on a day nearly exactly ninety years previous, when the moody river, also swollen from a recent storm, set in motion a course of events that would find 18 people crushed to death at exactly the same spot where Balistreri's craft struggled against the currents.

They were among the 400 who had been on board the Christopher Columbus, the only whaleback excursion steamer ever built, on a return trip to Chicago on June 30^th, 1917 after an excursion to Milwaukee. This giant ship, originally commissioned in 1893 to ferry passengers to the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago, was 362 feet long, 42 feet wide, weighed 1,500 tons and could carry more than 4,000 passengers. It was built in West Superior, Wisconsin. In her forty-four years of service, she would carry over 2 million passengers, more than any other ship on the Great Lakes. [You will find hundreds of photographs of the Christopher Columbus here.]

On that fateful day ninety years ago, the Columbus was being towed toward the lake by two tugboats. Suddenly, the currents of the Menomonee spun the giant ship in its frothy eddy. The ship’s protruding stern, the distinguishing feature that gave whaleback style its name, collided with two supports that had held up a dockside water tank at the Yahr Lang drug company. The ship’s snout sheared the supports, and the giant tank, with 10,000 gallons of water, crashed into the pilot house and upper deck of the ship injuring scores and killing the 18. [See a photograph of the damage at the Wisconsin Historical Society website here.]

The water tower structure remained until quite recently, as I recollect. The property is now being redeveloped as First Place Milwaukee, the twelve story building built upon the sturdy bones of the old Terminal Lofts building. The crane on the barge that Balistreri sought to protect was involved with the construction of the condominium project.

The site of the disaster is easily visible, especially if you happen to be downtown for summer events. Fine vantage points are available at the riverwalk alongside the Milwaukee Ale House. The site is also immediately west of the Water Street Bridge. It is also rather easy to find on a map: it is the point of origination of all Milwaukee street addresses, and is where the North, South, East and West sides converge.

The Christopher Columbus was eventually repaired, and sailed until 1936 when it was broken up in Manitowoc.

[The Milwaukee Public Library has much information on the Christopher Columbus and its storied history. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it over there to augment my research, and I apologize if this posting is a bit sketchy. –Ed.]