'Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald' is more than a song for Ogdensburg woman

May 4—OGDENSBURG — Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who died Monday at the age of 84, had several hit songs. But around the Great Lakes, none of his songs have surpassed the popularity of his haunting six-minute ballad "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

The song, which in 1976 spent 21 weeks on the U.S. Billboard charts, peaking at No. 2, is especially popular with a particular Ogdensburg service organization.

"We have Moose club here, and some of the people always play that song on the juke box if I'm there," said Ogdensburg resident Kathleen M. McSorley.

Her uncle, Ernest M. McSorley, a seasoned pilot, was captain of the 729-foot ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald that went down in Canadian waters on Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975, one day after leaving Burlington Northern Railroad Dock No. 1, Superior, Wisconsin. Capt. McSorley was managing a load of 26 long tons (26 x 2,240 pounds) of taconite pellets, made of processed iron ore, heated and rolled into marble-size balls. It was described by veteran pilots as a "potentially dangerous cargo" in that form, with the nuggets able to possibly shift in high seas, throwing the ship out of balance.

The Edmund Fitzgerald was facing 25-foot waves and 50-mph winds, with gusts up to 75 mph, when she disappeared from radar at about 7 p.m. According to the Associated Press, among the last words radioed by Capt. McSorley were, "I've never seen anything like it in my life ..." Other transmissions indicated that he felt the 17-year-old "Fitz," named after the president and chairman of the board of Northwestern Mutual, was holding up well in the howling tempest. No distress call was sent.

Ms. McSorley has one sibling, younger brother Michael J. McSorley, also of Ogdensburg. Both are members of the local Moose club, where "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is a favorite selection by patrons. At her Ogdensburg home, Ms. McSorley has several items of memorabilia to mark the 1975 tragedy and to recall her uncle.

"It's just part of my life, and I'm proud of it," Ms. McSorley said. "I'm proud of my ancestry."

Capt. McSorley was a native of Spencerville, Ontario, less than 20 miles over the U.S.-Canada border from Ogdensburg. Ernest moved to Ogdensburg with his parents, Michael and Alice Dunnery McSorley, at a young age. When older, Ernest moved to Toledo, Ohio, but visited Ogdensburg in winters. His father, Michael J. McSorley who died in 1971, worked for Standard Shade Roller Corp. in Ogdensburg. Capt. McSorley's brother, John (Jack) F., the father of Kathleen and Michael, died in 1993. He was five years older than Ernest.

The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Whitefish Bay, in Canadian waters, 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan. Whitefish Point is the site of the Whitefish Point Light Station and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Ms. McSorley and her stepsister visited the museum about a dozen years ago. The museum calls the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald "the most mysterious and controversial of all shipwreck tales heard around the Great Lakes."

At the museum, Ms. McSorley purchased a limited edition print of the painting, "Every Man Knew," by David Conklin which had been signed by Mr. Lightfoot. The title of the painting is from the line in his song, "And every man knew, as the captain did too / T'was the witch of November come stealin'." Ms. McSorley has the print hanging in her dining room.

Also during her museum visit, Ms. McSorley said she was given sonar images that show the ship on the bottom of Lake Superior. "It's cut in two," she said.

In May 1976, a U.S. Navy underwater vehicle took photos and videos of the wreck, 535 feet below the surface of the lake. In July 1977, the U.S. Coast Guard released a Marine Casualty Report on the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The report says, "The most probable cause of the sinking was the loss of buoyancy resulting from massive flooding of the cargo hold. This flooding most likely took place through ineffective hatch closures. The vessel dove in a wall of water and never recovered, with the breaking up of the ship occurring as it plunged or as the ship struck the bottom."

"However, the Lake Carrier's Association vigorously disagreed with the Coast Guard's suggestion that the lack of attention to properly closing the hatch covers by the crew was responsible for the disaster," according to an essay by Sean Ley on the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum website.

"Conflicting theories about the cause of the tragedy remain active today," Mr. Ley wrote. "Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Societys' three expeditions to the wreck revealed that it is likely she 'submarined' bow first into an enormous sea, as damage forward is indicative of a powerful, quick force to the superstructure. But what caused the ship to take on water, enough to lose buoyancy and dive to the bottom so quickly, without a single cry for help, cannot be determined."

On July 4, 1995, in a joint expedition conducted by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, National Geographic Society, Canadian Navy, Sony Corp., and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the 200-pound, 2-foot-diameter bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald was recovered. Some relatives of crew members looked on as the bell was hoisted aboard the Canadian Navy's HMCS Cormorant. A replica bell, engraved with the names of the ship's crew, was later placed at the wreck. In 2006, the Canadian government passed a law making it illegal to dive or to remove items from the shipwreck site.

During a Nov. 10, 1995, ceremony at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, the bell was presented to the relatives of the crew and rung 30 times: once for each member of the crew and a final time in honor of all those who have lost their lives at sea. The restored bell is on display at the museum as a memorial to her lost crew and is used each Nov. 10 in a bell-ringing ceremony at the museum in memory of the 29 crewmen.

Each year, to mark the anniversary, another bell is rung at Mariner's Church in Detroit. The tradition began on Nov. 11, 1975, one day after the tragedy, when church rector Bishop Richard Ingalls rang the church's bell 29 times to honor the crew members of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a deed noted in Mr. Lightfoot's song.

Since then, in an annual observation, Mariners' Church marks the tragedy by ringing the bell for 29 chimes. But at 3 p.m. Tuesday, one day after Mr. Lightfoot's death, an extra toll was added to honor Mr. Lightfoot's legacy, with a dignified pause between the 29th and 30th ring.

'SIGNIFICANT' CONCERT

Mr. Lightfoot performed at Watertown High School in July. He had recently canceled his tour dates for this year. He was hailed as a folk legend for music that documented Canadian history and culture while garnering a devoted international following. His 1971 ballad "If You Could Read My Mind" was his breakout hit. Only one of his songs, 1974's "Sundown," reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts. His other hits, besides "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," include "Carefree Highway," "The Circle Is Small," "Did She Mention My Name?" and "Rainy Day People."

He played those songs and more, with commentary in between, at his July show at WHS. Rande S. Richardson, executive director of the Northern New York Community Foundation and school board member for the Watertown City School District, said the history of the stage was "significantly enhanced" that memorable July evening.

"You could feel the depth of admiration, affection and gratitude the audience had for him and the way his songs have touched us," Mr. Richardson said. "They sang along, they cheered him on. I think everyone was aware of the honor it was to be in the presence of such a legendary singer-songwriter. I remember telling my then 13-year-old son, who attended with me, that we were there to see a star, an icon, certainly in Canada, but in the United States and worldwide. Watertown should always be grateful that after thousands of performances over more than half a century, one of his last was here, not that far from his native Ontario. I know I am."

The Gibson Brothers, Eric and Leigh, grew up on a dairy farm in Northern New York and have won numerous awards for their bluegrass music. They've performed several times at local venues such as Concerts on the Waterfront in Sackets Harbor and the Norwood Village Green Concert Series. They live near Plattsburgh. On the brothers' Facebook page, a tribute was posted to Mr. Lightfoot:

"It boggles the mind that one man could be so prolific," Eric wrote. "Leigh and I grew up two miles from the Canadian border, so we saw Gordon on Canadian television quite often. When Red Shea would play guitar on 'The Tommy Hunter Show,' Dad would say, 'He played with Gordon Lightfoot.' The way he emphasized Gordon Lightfoot told me that he was talking about an important man — and he was. We can all debate who the greatest songwriter of all-time is, but I think there is no doubt Gord has to be in the mix, and I have said many times that he is my favorite. He was a picture-painting poet. His music will go on forever."