quote:
Originally posted by Bluto
Interesting story, didn't realize they had insurance and scams back then ...Thanks for the link.
Another ghost ship was found here...built in 1902 disappeared in the 80's was a private yacht that was used in the Navy a couple of times...
http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/ship-lends-ghostly-history-to-paddlefest
..and here is the rest of the story:
The vessel was modified to accommodate almost 500 passengers and operated under several names, including the Sightseer, CircleLine Sightseer and Circle Line V.
Daniewicz said the vessel once again became a signature ship of the fleet and served as a sightseeing boat until the early '80s when it was stripped of its furnishings and left for dead.
Robert "Butch" Miller, who lived in Finneytown at the time, had an affinity for the old steam yachts but hadn't been able to find one for sale.
"In 1986, I finally came across one that fit the description and called the guy up," Miller, who now lives in Mexico City, said. "He said it can't sail right now, but it was once used by Thomas Edison."
When Miller saw the boat in the Hudson River in West New York, N.J., it needed some work and the man that owned it had to get rid of it quickly.
"I offered him $7,500 and promised to move it in a week," Miller said.
It took Miller 10 days to drag the boat out of the muck and make the necessary repairs, but he restored it to seaworthiness.
For several months, he traveled around New York and New Jersey, becoming a "dock pirate" to avoid the costly docking fees in the region.
Soon after he purchased the Sachem, he was on deck when a limousine pulled up.
"A guy got out and told me Madonna was shooting a video and wanted to use the boat for background," Miller said. "I couldn't believe it, but I said 'why not?'"
The Sachem appears in the video for the Madonna tune, "Papa Don't Preach."
"They offered me a little bit of money, but I told them to keep it," Miller said.
Shortly before it left New York, the vessel had one last memorable cruise. Miler filled the Sachem with people and attended the rededication of the Statue of Liberty on July 4, 1986.
Deborah Kahles, Miller's wife at the time, recalls the event fondly.
"Somebody gave us a break on docking because the statue was due to be unveiled," Kahles said. "That was an amazing celebration and people were just fascinated with the Sachem. The engine room took up part of two decks of the boat."
Boone County the final destination
Shortly after the ceremony, Miller decided to bring the Sachem to a plot of land he purchased in Boone County.
Kahles, who no longer has any ownership stake in the boat or the property on which it currently sits, only made part of the trip to Kentucky.
"It's amazing that we were able to do it," Kahles said. "We had to take the stacks off to get it under the bridges."
What may have been the final journey of the Sachem began in Staten Island and charted a course through the great lakes, including the Erie Canal, to the Mississippi River.
The crew of four and occasionally five, then traveled down the Mississippi at a top speed of about 10 miles an hour and up the Ohio, where two miles an hour was a good clip.
After passing the Markland Dam, the crew steered the ship into a narrow channel and it was later tugged into the spot where it now sits in Taylor Creek.
That was more than 20 years ago.
Now the boat that has traveled thousands of miles in almost a century of service, carried an estimated 2.9 million passengers and survived two World Wars, may be losing its final battle.
The once-majestic vessel is literally a rusted out shell of its former self.
It sits in the creek almost completely submerged in waters swollen by recent rains, listing to one side.
Some flecks of blue paint, the barely visible "C Line" emblem and the words Circle Line on her side are the only signs of the boat's glory days.
Miller said he is disappointed that the vessel has fallen into such disrepair but, as many people, he has suffered some financial setbacks in recent years and just doesn't have the resources to make repairs.
He would like to see the yacht preserved in some form because of its historical significance.
The D'Andrea LaRosa Art Foundation in Lawrenceburg, Ind. started a "Raise the Sachem" campaign, but Miller said the effort has not gained much traction.
"It would be such a shame to see a vessel with so much history just die there," Miller said.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/...040309/Storied-Sachem-wasting-away-Petersburg
