Marquette Ore Docks and Hulett Oar Unloaders

Videos of loading and unloading some Great Lakes taconite boats.

Loading at the Marquette ore dock. I have been out on this dock when it was shut down for the winter. The ice on Lake Superior would be crystal clear and the water under a beautiful aqua marine color. Pretty indescribably beautiful. Guess you'd have to be there to appreciate it. Dave

Really great video of the unloading operations and the machines used.

The Huletts were highly efficient materials handling machines unique to the Great Lakes. Invented by Clevelander George H. Hulette (1846-1923). The first was steam-powered with a 10-ton-capacity grab bucket that went into service at Conneaut Ohio in 1899. It could unload an ore boat at the rate of 275 tons an hour.

later Huletts were electrically powered. The various motions of the

170ton More..bucket were controlled by an operator riding in a small cab in the vertical leg just above the bucket (5.50!) Each machine could unload 1,000 tons an hour.

The Hulett's clear superiority over existing mechanical unloaders revolutionized ore handling and led to its rapid adoption throughout the lower-lake ore ports. Through 1960 more than 75 were built by Cleveland's Wellman-Seaver-Morgan Co. and its predecessor and successor firms. With the advent of self-unloading ore boats most Huletts have been dismantled. 4 were preserved as heritage machines.

When you see the bucket-grab lower a large CAT into the ships hold (7.08) it gives you an idea of the size of this monster!