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Iron & Steel Preservation
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This ISP Newsletter features our October 2019 tour of the riveted steam-powered lighthouse tender Lilac in New York City, and the preservation work being done on the ship.
Vern Mesler
Iron & Steel Preservation
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A dark, silent, empty street with only the crosswalk signal flashing is a sight rarely seen in New York City; it is the lively sights and sounds we look forward to when we visit the city. Our October 2019 weekend trip to NYC was filled with adventures in art, food, and a tour of the last historic steam-powered lighthouse tender Lilac.
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Oysters at The Lobster Place, Chelsea Market
New York City
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Starbucks, West 31st and Seventh Avenue
New York City
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Riveted bridges, buildings and ships, and massive riveted columns and beams surround you and New Yorkers when descending the subway station stairs, down where the sound of steel against steel get louder as cars brake, roll to a stop, and you board.
"Stand clear of the closing doors, please." Take a seat if you can, and experience the unique sounds of a New York City subway.
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Riveted Steam-Powered Lighthouse Tender: Lilac
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Lilac's Museum Director Mary Habstritt welcomed us aboard ship. We were received on the port side, through steel hatches, then the galley, across the deck, and an introduction to volunteer crew members. Port, starboard, bow, stern, head, galley: some of the naval lingo I'm familiar with from my experience in the Brooklyn Navy Yard stationed on a Navy tugboat during the mid 1950s (along with my introduction to Brooklyn pizza, long before pizza joints dominated the strip malls of many American cities).
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Lilac, moored at Pier 25 on the Hudson River,
North Moore Street, New York City.
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Luke Gayford, Mary Habstritt, a curious young shipmate, and Vern Mesler inspect a metal artifact from Lilac.
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Habstritt introduced us to Operations Director Luke Gayford, a skilled craftsman who led us on an educational tour of the ship's riveted structure and the restoration work required to make this historic ship seaworthy.
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Gayford describes the features of Lilac's riveted hull construction. He's a recent volunteer with the project, a skilled welder and mechanic who has been restoring ships since he was 12 years old.
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Gayford with Vern Mesler in Lilac's cargo hold in front of a fuel tank (probably used for diesel for Lilac's boats) and the CO2 tanks of the vintage fire suppression system.
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Vern Mesler and Nan Jackson in the lower engine room with Museum Director Mary Habstritt and volunteer Jon Zepp. Jon is a stationary steam engineer and facilities manager who has overseen restoration of Lilac's two steam engines. He also volunteers on the Liberty Ship John W. Brown.
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Cindy Wong, an engineer who has volunteered since 2016 when she was a student at NYU's Tandon School of Engineering, is helping to paint the frame of Lilac's starboard steam engine.
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We appreciate the time Mary Habstritt and her preservation crew spent with us, and we were happy to make a donation to the Lilac Preservation Project. Lilac is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is eligible to become a National Historic Landmark. Admission to Lilac is free.
We will continue to support the Lilac preservation work and look forward to visiting the ship again soon.
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Lansing Community College Craftsmen-Instructors
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"There are few all-around mechanics today such as there were sixty years ago; even good all-round machinists, valuable as they are today, are getting scarcer daily, and the present shop practice is better calculated to make machines out of men than to make good all-around mechanics." John Fritz, mechanical genius and honorary member and past president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (quoted from his autobiography, 1913).
"Yes, excessive automation at Tesla was
a mistake. To be precise, my mistake. Humans are underrated." Elon Musk, Tesla CEO (quoted from his Twitter post, April 13, 2018).
Lansing Community College craftsmen-instructors can teach men and women hands-on skills with electric arc welding and other processes, either as an introduction for a career in welding or for those in the professional fields where knowledge of the welding processes can contribute to more informed decisions.
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Iron & Steel Presentations
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Vern Mesler is available to do customized presentations related to: Preservation and Rehabilitation of Riveted Structures, Wrought Iron, Historic Steel, Cast Iron.
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Program Fund
Please consider contributing to the Iron and Steel Preservation Program Fund. This fund was established to support projects, research, conferences and scholarships related to the repair, rehabilitation, and restoration of metals. The Lansing Community College Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation.
Donate Here
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Past Iron & Steel Preservation Newsletters
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Thank you to all our donors!
We appreciate the many contributions to the Iron and Steel Preservation Program Fund during the past year.
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Sponsor
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Want to become a sponsor?
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Lansing Community College
5708 Cornerstone Drive
PO Box 40010
, MC 4100W
Lansing, MI 48917
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Copyright © 2019. All Rights Reserved.
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