Waugoshance Lightship - Located in Lake Michigan

Lighthouses and lightships have been around for

probably as long as man has sailed the oceans to warn

sailors of their closeness to shores and shoals as

well as ports of call. In the 19th century before

electricity and automation candles and large mirrors

(called a Fresnel Lens) at night, to announce ports

during clear weather, and bells during foggy weather,

as well as jagged rocks.

Such was the case of Captain James Davenport who, for

a whopping wage of $400 and seven months after being

hired to man the lightship called Waugoshance

Lightship located in Lake Michigan, the Chicago fire

broke out. There are two stories of what happened

during the fire and no one, to this day, is sure which

is true or just exactly what happened.

The first tale states that smoke from the Chicago

fire, blown in by severe winds, caused a dense fog

over Lake Michigan. Now the differences in the

stories are in Captain Davenport's actions during this

time. The first story says that he sat in a rocking

chair for three days and three nights ringing the

bell. He kept himself awake by holding pots and pans

in his lap--every time he would doze off, the pots and

pans would clatter to the ground waking him.

The other account is that while this dense fog was

over Lake Michigan a schooner ran aground on the

Waugoshance Reef and the crew swam ashore. For three

long and tiresome weeks they ate beans as Captain

Davenport played his violin with the sounds of Lake

Michigan for background.

One fact remains, thanks to the valiant efforts of

Captain Davenport, only seven ships ran aground during

the whole ordeal. To this day no one is sure whether

it was three days or three weeks or even if it was the

violin or the pots and pans and the bell that saved

the ships. Although, sometimes if you listen closely,

you might hear the faint music of a lone violin mixed

in with the sound of the waves on a foggy night or the

faint sound of pots, pans and a lone bell to the

backdrop of the lapping of the waves on the sides of

the lightship.

Yet there is one other story of the Waugoshance

Lightship .... After Captain Davenport retired in 1885

one other lightship keeper was hired. His name is

John Herman. At this time, the information on Mr.

Herman's exact start date or the date of his early

demise is not known. The only known fact is that his

employment as Waugoshance Lightship keeper was cut

short. It seems that one night Mr. Herman stumbled

out of the lightship in a drunken stooper and fell off

of the short pier and drowned. His ghost is said to

wander the the lightship, Waugoshance, on Lake

Michigan.

by catcrazylady