5 minute read
Lake bottom debris field showcases history
By Mark Ribble
With the wreck of the Titanic being in the news of late, the story of a debris field on Lake Erie’s bottom, east of Leamington, seems very apropos.
For many years there has been a story told by the locals of a crane that was working off the end of East Beach Road back in the 1920s or ’30s. It was left overnight and when the operator returned the next day, it had toppled over on its side.
As the story goes, it was never recovered or removed from the area and sunk away into oblivion.
Wayne King, the president of the Leamington Shoreline Association, met with the Sun last week — along with East Beach resident Joe MacLean, whose family has been making their summer home there for over 60 years.
MacLean had once described to King that he had seen what appeared to be a large crane boom sticking out of the sandy bottom near his home. MacLean, who spends his winters in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, often dives the waters off the old Hillman Beach with his sons.
“I’ve often wanted to check it out, but the conditions never seemed right, so I never got around to it,” said King. “On a recent bike ride, I reached the end of East Beach Road where I climbed onto the rocks and found the water to be crystal clear and calm. I stopped and talked to Joe and he excitingly said, let’s go check it out.”
King rushed home to get his snorkling gear and the two entered the water off the end of East Beach Road.
The water there is roughly four-to-five feet deep on calm days and the pair of explorers were excited to check out the lake bottom in that particular place.
In the back of their minds, they wondered if they’d found the fabled crane that had toppled into the lake so long ago.
Once they were in the water, it didn’t take long to realize they were in the middle of a debris field. The conditions were perfect and the water was crystal clear.
“Wherever you looked, there were metal objects of all shapes and sizes,” said King. “Most significant, three 20-feet long by three-feet wide boom-like
sections, a large shaft with two-foot diameter gears on each end, long strands of ¾ inch cable, lengths of large link sprocket chains, several large solid shafts and pipes and a host of other metal objects.”
Had they found the missing crane or remnants of an old workshop that once stood high and dry on that section of the road?
“When I was a kid, we’d run and play around that workshop and I don’t remember seeing any of these things inside it,” said MacLean. “It’s a puzzle as to where it all came from.”
Eventually the cold water got to be too much and the pair called it a day.
A couple of days later, King returned with his snorkeling gear and GoPro camera, only to find the water was not as clear as the previous day. Back in the water they went, this time searching a wider area and again there were metal objects in every direction, just not nearly as concentrated as the original debris field.
“This time we found what appears to be the frame of a vehicle, a wood burning stove, more pipes and shafts of varying lengths, a four-inch axle with two large metal spoke wheels and most curious, was what could be a very large gear box,” said King.
What certainly looked like the remains of a crane made King and MacLean wonder if the legend of the toppled crane from so many years ago was more than just local folklore.
“Had we discovered the remnants of the fabled crane?” asked King. “I really can’t say for sure, but it does make one wonder. If it wasn’t the crane, then what is it?”
King was able to take several photos — underwater and above the lake from his drone.
If any of our readers remember such a tale of the crane or have information that might shed light on the debris field in the lake, please email sun@ southpointsun.ca and we will get your contact information to Mr. King and Mr. MacLean.
