• Tuesday-What'sUP November 14 - 10:52 pm

Aladino Mandoli looks to be up on a rooftop taking this picture of Washington Street at night. Note the historic Delft marquee, which is the original from the theater's opening in 1914 as a single screen movie house. It's since been converted to a modern five screen cinema while still retaining its historic setting. Heading down to the Lower Harbor, Aladino was able to capture a scene we've often seen, but not usually under the cover of night. Again, he seems to be up high somewhere. Our photographer finally had his feet on the ground when he snapped this last shot -- the ore dock in the harbor with the lights all sparkly. Thanks for the tour of Marquette after dark, Aladino!

Good morning from high atop the General Motors Vec tower in Warren Mi. Cool here but dry.

This is Marquette, isn't it?

Yes, Deb, it's Marquette.

Truly great album, Aladino! Especially love all the Marquette photos... thank you!

What's really impressive is to see an ore carrier loading up at those docks at night.

Great shots today indeed. It's always fun to walk Washington St. at night, especially wearing your MTU jersey just after they beat the cats ;-)

Are these ore docks still in use, or is there another dock? I see train cars at the top of the dock in the pictures in Aladino's albums, but I don't see how they got up there!!! LOL

true colors shown

Kenty, that's a different ore dock in the album. The one they use to load the ore cars is at the Upper Harbor.

Great, great nightime pictures today. Yes there are 2 ore docks in Marquette..The one in the lower harbor (downtown) is no longer used and they are discussing other uses for the dock..i.e. entertainment center of some sort..The second dock that is still in use is up at Presque Isle Park and can be seen in the 4 th picture in Aladino album. It can load 1,000'freighters with taconite..which is equal to over 3 football fields long or 250' higher than the Ren Center in Detroit..

The top shot brings back memories of Taka's laying down in the street shot of Houghton at night. Haven't been able to find him on the internet anymore. Are you out there, Taka?

Eddyfitz, I like reading your facts,

Marquette, my home away from home, maybe I'll live there again one day.

The iron ore is dumped from the rail cars into pockets in the dock. Chutes are lowered and the ore slides down into the ships' holds. Usually they start the stream of ore at the outside of the ship letting the chute lower to keep the ship level and then the chute is winched back up when the pockets are empty. At the same time on the ship pumps are busy dumping the ballast water that lowered the ship so it could approach the dock low and level. When the ballast tanks are stripped and the load evenly distributed and the ship has its maximum load for the season it is ready to depart.

The Delft was one of my favorite hang outs when I was a teen in the 70's. The other was the ice rink. Does anyone know if the Marquette Iron Rangers still play Hockey? Thank you for the stroll down memory lane.

A number of years ago the ships used bobcats to equalize the loads of iron ore, coal, or whatever inside the cargo holds. I got to see one being loaded and it was funny to watch all those little bobcats inside the ship moving about to level the load. These days it's all computerized at the more modern docks, which is equally impressive. I'm not sure if Marquette has updated yet or not??

My dad punched oar. It was a cold job.

I was amazed on my first trip into Indiana Harbor to see them lower Bulldozers into the hold. Course in the late 50's there were no Bobcats

Margaret: OK, what is an ore puncher, somebody that makes sure it flows from the pockets or from the cars into the pockets??? Something else entirely?

Capt. Paul: I've only seen them use bobcats to clear the gleanings from the bottom of an empty hold. On the Cason J. Callaway (early 70's)the Mate on watch leveled the load and there was a long metal needle that was loosened in the engine room that indicated listing port or starboard(it was fastened back down before we left port so it wouldn't swing from wave action). Depth fore, aft and centership was monitored by the plimsoll lines and from the radio and clipboard he carried I assumed the Mate monitored the weight of ore delivered from the dock figures. I worked in the engine room and wasn't privy to the operations of the deck crew. My father worked in the LS&I rail yard for a time as weighmaster and tallied the weight of each car coming down the hill from the mines.

Ok notroll, you may be right; I was little when I saw the bobcats in the belly of the ship so my memory may be hazy and I thought they were levelling it.

An ore puncher is a person who works at an ore dock and "punches" or loosens up the ore in the cars so it will flow into the pockets at the dock. The pockets then slide the ore into the hold of the ship.

Marsha: like you, I have thought of Taka often and wondered where he is and what he is doing. He was such a great photographer, and his comments, as an Asian at Tech, were so interesting. I'm hoping one day he'll check in here and see one of us inquiring about him. Or that someone who has kept in contact will answer one of us.

Taka's web site (http://www.cutonion.com) seems to have vanished from the internet as well! I sure hope he hasn't met with some serious misfortune!

Greetings from South Dakota Dino! Thanks for the pictures, I miss my old college town!

Captain Paul, you sure are ORE-NERY today, ha, ha.

Hmm, that was so bad Joanie, I may have to send the copper after you......

Thanks Capt. Paul. Actually, my dad rode on the ore cars and had a steel rod. When the car was made to pour the ore into the dock pockets, he then would "punch" the pocket to make it come unlatched and dump the ore into the boat--like on the Fitz. Thanks for asking guys and taking an interest in something that is almost gone from existence.

Way to go Dino! We always love your photos...and you are a great teacher too. Your younger cousin is watching and learning from you!

Just checking in for the first time today. How nice to see pictures
of my hometown!

Those photos are a comfort! Just what i need today.

Marquette is such a nice town. Presque Isle and Sugarloaf Mountain are just gems, and if you want more natural beauty it's just across the highway.

Oh man, I was away for a few days and I get this. Wonderful pictures! I miss Marquette, my old home town. These pix are wonderful, thanks!

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