Charles W Morgan Restoration; A Volunteer's Perspective-1

[Morgan Volunteer]

He did get it free.

The Mystic Seaport Modelers had a display of model tugboats. The show will run until Sunday, so time is short.

[Morgan Volunteer]

This one drew my eye. Only because it's a fire boat. All the models were great. Really great!







Charlie borrowed my generator to light and heat a garage where he is teaching some students about rebuilding a small boat. With spring near by, he no longer needs it. So I brought it home.

Pardon me, but I want to vent!

I bought this truck new in 2017 with two wheel drive. There are two reasons for two wheel drive for me.

One, I don't need four wheel drive, and number two, four wheel drive trucks are too tall.

Well this one arrived and it's just as tall as the four wheel drive version.

So now I have a truck that I can't even reach over the side to grab things out of the center of the body. Chevrolet took care of that by installing a built in step in the bumper.

What a lot of work to just pick up a tool laying in the center of the body.

So last night I got my generator home and I needed a forklift to get it out. I just happen to have one.

I do have ramps but the grade is way too steep.

For that reason I can't get my snowblower into the body either.



I wanted a smaller truck but no one builds them anymore.

Grrrr.

Thanks.

[schoonerpacket]

The FB Duwamish can still be found afloat to day in her home city of Seattle. https://fireboatduwamish.com/

[Morgan Volunteer]

March 16, 2023

The seaport held an all volunteer meeting so we volunteers could be updated on upcoming seaport issues.

President Peter Armstrong led off with some news.

The Rossie Mill building which houses the collection of boats and marine artifacts is going to be modified so visitors can see what is hidden inside.



Not everything will be displayed, but much more than ever before.

The southern end of the building will modified with the addition of a visitors entrance.



The left hand side of the building will have two windows removed and the entrance way added.



The main part of the display will be in Hall 1 where some of the boats will be on display. Right now, Hall 1 is where the retail warehouse and shipping department for the seaport is located.

Hall 2 and 3 is where the marine engines and boats are kept now. Some of the boats will be moved into Hall 1.

It's a complicated move so we'll have to wait and see.

He also talked about the possibility of a parking garage in the south lot. During big events, parking can be tough.

Another change.

For several years there has been a boat taking tourists out on the Mystic River. They come up river to see the seaport from the water.



Of course this is of no benefit to the seaport. So a deal was made and now the seaport owns the boat and 100 feet of dock. It will be a free ride for volunteers when there is room on board.

I like that.

Many other things were talked about, but more than I can report on here.

So onto boats.

Amistad needs some work.





Now just add more wood.

Easy

[Morgan Volunteer]

Jake and I finally got one door repaired on a electrical panel for the two cranes on board.

Like everything else on board, it has been far too long between days of maintenance .

The hinges were broken so last week we ground them off.

Today we put on new ones. But the old hinges were riveted but we don't have the rivets or the tools to install them. So we had to drill holes to clear the heads of the bolts.

Crude, I know, but there is only so much we can do here.



We used washers to space the hinge out from the case so it didn't distort the hinge.



I plant to buy cap nuts to dress it up some.

I'm not really sure how this works, or even if it does work.



I took a rotary wire wheel to the rusty cabinet door. I did enough to show that it will clean up.

But that's for another day.


After lunch, Jake and I took a ride down town to see the damage done last November's fire in Mystic.

This is the local news report.

Scroll down for pictures.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/mystic-co...nts-from-homes

https://www.google.com/search?client...id:A2zPC8Zaqws

We had not seen it so here is what we found.



Someone's treasure is now just a pile of soot.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The tires are completely burned off.





This was a boom truck. These tires are gone too.



Yesterday, though a very unofficial source, it is believed that someone left and electric heater on in their boat to drive off the dampness.

If true, I'd hate to be that guy. It's gonna be expensive.

So back to the shipyard.

Tom is still building masts.



He's on the other end.



When Warren first started volunteering at the seaport, the shipwrights were very leery about letting him sharpening their tools.

Now, the is a line out the door.

Here he's working on a broad axe.

[Morgan Volunteer]

This old ship's saw has been scavenged for parts. Where it goes from here is anyone's guess.





I took a look in the Sabino new engine room.



This is the base of the motor mount.



On board Catherine A. Wedmore I found a picture of Catherine Wedmore. But if the boat if named after her, why is her middle initial not A, instead of the M in the picture?





The plot thickens, but I'll find out.

[heimlaga]

Even in it's scavenged state that ship saw is a treasure. A few home made parts and t will be ready to go. If you want a new ship saw theese days you must build it from scratch.
I really hope they don't scrap it!

[Morgan Volunteer]

March 23, 2023

Walking in, the drive was covered with "art"?

This area is where there are play ground boats for young children to play on and also a play area for kids 7 and under. So seeing this was no surprise except for the skill need to create the "art."




It was covered from one end to the other.

I don't think this was done by a young child.



Our guess was that it is an image of the Phoenix.

Who knows.

Looks like an owl.



No Idea.



A narwhal.



Perhaps a seven year old.




I only show this to demonstrate the variety of things the seaport will do to educate and inform all of it's visitors. This shows that one of the museum staff was leading a group.

We see this sort of thing all the time.

[Morgan Volunteer]

Anne is almost done cleaning up the L A Dunton's donkey engine.

She's down to the last few specks of paint.



There is still color behind the bolts.



Nate has reassembled his engine and is rigging up an electric motor to break it in very slowly.

He has done this on several engines he's worked on.



At lunch I asked how it went and he said it didn't.

The motor ran hot and smoked. It was not overloaded, something was bad in the motor.

So after lunch he was going to get it ready to start. I never got a call to come and see it running, so I guess it will happen next week.

Some of the Long Island crew came over to do some work on Fire Fighter.

Brownie is getting ready to mount one of several of Fire Fighter's spot lamps.



This didn't get finished today.

He also brought over some parts to build the air intake housings for the 16 cylinder main engines.

This is as far as this went today.



We continued work in the turnout room replacing hinges on electrical panels.

Stan is vacuuming.

[Morgan Volunteer]

The shelves above and on the left will have its door replaced.

I painted the door with primer.



Stan's suspenders let go so Jake is helping out.



All of my afternoon duties were limited to escorting visitors though the boat.

I meet some wonderful people.

Most have interesting stories of their own to tell.



Actually we were so busy there was hardly time for pictures.


Charlie has been ill for a couple of weeks so some of us are stepping up to do extra duty.

This Sunday, Wayne and I will be giving tours.

I live and hour away and commute on I-95. So normally one rush hour trip a week is all I want to deal with.

Stop by and say hello.