2021.46

Found in Collection

A envelope of these flyers were discovered in a drawer in the Old School House map room in July 2021.

Author unknown.

The history of the Francis boat is quite a yarn. The Francis boat was delivered -- about 150 years ago -- to the U.S. Kalamazoo Harbor Lighthouse when Timothy S. Coates was the keeper (1853-1860). Coates signed the delivery papers a century and a half ago! Research of the records of U.S. Life-Saving Service show that the U.S. government purchased and delivered a total of 48 of these boats to Great Lakes locations about 1854. There are only two [Francis boats] still in existence today. These boats were the brain-child of inventor Joseph Francis. The Francis boat was a real innovation because the hull was fabricated in pieces from thin steel metal sheets that were form-shaped in a large hydraulic press. The finished parts were then coated with molten tin and then zinc and riveted together. Due the unique material -- an early form of galvanized metal -- today the hull is nearly as sound as when it came out of the press some 150 years ago. Advantages were light weight and low maintenance but the boasts cost $475 -- twice what the annual earnings of a worker at that time. But the price did not deter the Government from buying the boats for lifeboats and to outfit lifesaving and lighthouse locations. Fast forward in tome to the winter of 1930-31. The lighthouse had been decommissioned since 1915, John Bird was a Sea Scout and the younger brother of Carl Bird, local boat builder. John later related that the boat was dug from the sand near the old Saugatuck lighthouse. With the help of the local Sea Scouts, it was skidded across the ice on the old harbor lagoon and transported by sleigh to the Bird boat shop on Main St. There, new woodwork and a centerboard were installed thereby converting the former lifeboat to a sailboat. Captain Leonard Britton named her the Gallinipper (meaning giant mosquito) and she was presented to the local Sea Scout troop who at that time were an active group and thrilled to have the boat. However she was not the most responsive of sailboats and gradually faded into obscurity. For twenty years, John and Carl had plans to restore her that never quite got going. Fast forward again to 1996. Bob Johnson and Bob Simonds threatened, cajoled and pleaded with the SDHC to restore the Gallinipper! Finally in 2003 funds were set aside and the expert crew of Dick Lyons, Dean Batchelor, Dave Mauger, Walter Rietveld and Al Lyon began work. R.J. Peterson generously contributed heated space and critical support at Tower Marina. The boat is 26 feel long , with a beam of six feet. The project was finished early in the spring of 2006 and was unveiled at the opening of the society's museum in May. Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society

Peg Sanford speech from 2006: I'd like to introduce to you the Francis Lifeboat crew: Thomas R. Lyons, Alan J Lyon, Dean Batchelor and David W. Mauger. Many years ago the Van Dis family donated the rusted hulk of the Francis lifeboat to the SDHS. This final Francis Lifeboat crew took the dreams of Bob Johnson and Bob Simonds and made that dream come true. With the encouragement of Dick Lyons who always believed it could be done - the team spent over a 1000 hours working on the restoration. Their research included a trip to Put-in-Bay, Ohio to see the only other known restored Francis Lifeboat. Now the research trip sounded like a lot of fun for them, but we all know the hours that were spent measuring, cutting, chipping, scraping, sanding, priming and painting did nothing to add to their beauty! They cleaned up nicely though. With the assistance of RJ Peterson who supplied the crew with a workspace and sand blasting and with the advice from Dave Anderson (boat builder) they brought the boat back from a rusty wreck to a valuable artifact. We hope you will be able to attend the first public showing of the restored life boat at the museum opening on Saturday, May 27.