White Hurricane and November storms recalled

Lake County News-Chronicle: By most accounts the storm dubbed the White Hurricane of 1913 was the largest and deadliest of its kind in Great Lakes’ recorded history.

schumacher_november'sAuthor Michael Schumacher’s passion for life on the Great Lakes and this historic storm is revealed in his latest book, November’s Fury: The Deadly Great Lakes Hurricane of 1913. Schumacher explained that poor record keeping and unreliable information made accurately piecing together the events a challenge.

“Captains were identified by initials, the absence of crew lists and mislabeled photographs were common, it was a lot of work to get it right,” he told the Lake County News-Chronicle. November’s Fury provides an account of the storm of 1913, and also describes the ships and choices faced by the vessels’ personnel as the winds whipped the Big Lake into a furious and deadly nightmare.

Also difficult, said Schumacher, was deciding which stories to include in the book since the storm affected so many lives. Records indicate that Lake Huron bore the brunt of the storm –eight ships and 196 lives were lost. The storm claimed two ships and 43 souls on Lake Superior. Historians say that several factors contributed to the heavy losses incurred during that three day period.

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Published in: Lake County News-Chronicle
By: Ken Vogel