Building the St. Helena II: Rebirth of a Nineteenth-Century Canal Boat

Chapter 7. The St. Helena II Is Born

78 building the st. helena ii Chapter 7 The St. Helena II Is Born ••• For several weeks, water leaked in and filled the bottom of the hull, causingsomeofusapprehension,butsoontheplanksswelled,andafteran electric bilge pump emptied it, the hull became as tight as a drum, thanks totheexpertcaulkingjob.Temporarybracingwasthenremovedfromthe hull. In August 1969, as soon as they dried out, interior hull timbers were coated with red lead paint. This month was filled with news reports of the gruesome Charles Manson Family murders in California (August 9), and the Woodstock festival in upstate New York (August 15). Overthenextmonth,awoodenframeworkwasbuiltdirectlyontothe hullandcoveredwithplasticsheeting.ByOctober,afloatinggreenhouse with an efficient space heater was ready, allowing construction throughout the winter. The hull was now ready for its final transformation into a replica canal boat. The final phase of construction called for the planking of the deck; building three cabins and furnishing their interiors; roofing the cabins; buildinggunwales,catwalks,transom,tillerandtillerdeck,andrudderassembly ;forgingassortedcustomironhardware;andpaintingeverything. NorthCantoncontractorDickMohlerbeganpreparationworkinOctober 1969byhavingwoodcutandmilledfromtheoaklogsatNichter’ssawmill. Deck planking and heavy cabin framing timbers were sawn and milled to shape. Deck planks were of 1½" x 6½" tongue-and-grooved oak. Most of . 78 . Gantz text.indb 78 6/25/12 3:09 PM the st. helena ii is born 79 the vertical oak cabin timbers were rough sawn to four by six inches but for the horizontal rafters, four-by-twelve-inch timbers were required, so theycouldbeshapedtomatchthecurvatureoftheroof.DickMohlerand othersworkedtomyexactplans,whichincludedfivehundredindividual components and accessories, including hatches, hardware, ladders, pike poles, shutters, et cetera, all scaled from the McLaughlin model of the St. Helena at the Stark County Museum. Jim Guest and his daughter Cindy survey the bracing removed from the hull and the bilge pump works to empty water that had leaked into the boat. The winter greenhouse is again ready for work. Gantz text.indb 79 6/25/12 3:09 PM 80 building the st. helena ii By January 1970, Dick Mohler began actual construction work on the boat, starting with the main deck and gunwales, and by the end of March these were both essentially done. The three cabins had all been framed withheavytimbers.Theyweretobeleftinrough-sawn,unfinishedwood. Crew had traditionally occupied the forward cabin, and the captain and his family the aft cabin, with its rear access stairway to the tiller deck. Hatches on the fore and aft cabin roofs allowed the crew to climb on top, where they could walk the length of the boat on catwalks, over the two main cargo holds between cabins. Decks were now constructed in these holds to provide seating space for sixty passengers and to allow them to walk the length of the deck to all cabins. The middle cabin traditionally accommodatedthemule“powersystem,”sothiscabinfeaturedfeedbins andcompartmentsforgrainbutwouldalsobecometheprimaryboarding point for passengers. The main deck and gunwales are under construction. Gantz text.indb 80 6/25/12 3:09 PM the st. helena ii is born 81 Throughoutthewinter,tofabricatethemanycustomironboatfittings, including deadeyes, rudder fittings, bow stem fittings, mooring rings, handrails,lanternmounts,andpikepolehooks,RoyPreeceSr.,PaulBaird, WalterSmith,PaulMarks,andPeteNeidertworkedinamakeshiftblacksmith shop in Pete’s tractor-service shop. At the same time, patterns for thehugecapstancastingswerepreparedattheHooverCompanypattern Dick Mohler does janitor work in the partially framed middle cabin. The catwalk above him connects cabins. From left: Roy Preece Sr., Paul Baird, and Walter Smith fabricate iron fittings for the boat. Gantz text.indb 81 6/25/12 3:09 PM 82 building the st. helena ii shop;thesewerelatercastinironattheUnitedEngineeringandFoundry Company.Allhardwareitemswereexactfull-sizereplicasofthoseonthe McLaughlin St. Helena boat model. Ahistoricallycorrectpowersystemwasofcourseneeded,andaMarch 22visitbymembersoftheStarkCountyHistoricalSociety’sCanalBranch BoardtoRalphGore’sfarminCarrollCountyresultedinthepurchaseof twobigmules,“Red”and“Itchy,”whoneededtobetrainedforcanalboat towing duty—a bit more demanding than farm work, since they needed be taught to work as a team. A mule, the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, is considered more patient, sure-footed, hardy, and longlived than a horse, and is believed to be less obstinate, faster, and more intelligent than a donkey. In April, the Canal Fulton boat acquired its formal name, following a public naming contest. A committee reviewed 150 submitted names. The winner, the St. Helena II of Canal Fulton, was the most appropriate name possible, recognizing the new canal boat as a reincarnation of the originalSt.Helena.Donationstotaling$50,000hadbeenreceivedfromthe Al Simpson gets acquainted with “Red,” one of the two mules purchased at Ralph Gore’s farm. The other mule was “Itchy.” Gantz text.indb 82 6/25/12 3:09 PM the st. helena ii is born 83 Hoover,Timken,andStarkCountyfoundations;theseenabledthehiring...