Big Ships Prepare to Leave Erie
 Two large ships that have been undergoing yearly winter maintenance here in Erie will sail out of the harbor on Friday. The Edgar Speer and the Presque Isle will head to Lake Superior to begin 10 months of hauling iron ore around the Great Lakes. Crews at Erie Sand and Gravel spent the past 2 months overhauling the engines, machinery, and doing preventative maintenance. John Thibodeau of the Great Lakes Fleet said, "We've been doing overhauls, repairing machinery and preventative maintenance as well as repairing stuff that is broken." The work has been a big boost for Erie Sand and Gravel. Tod Eagleton of Erie Sand and Gravel said, "If we didn't have this boat work we would probably have had to layoff 3 or 4 people. So we're able to keep our work force in place, and also bring on some temporary help. So it very certainly helps us and the local economy." Great Lakes shipping was down last year because of the recession. Officials are hoping for a turnaround this year. Eagleton said, "This year more vessels are actually going to be fitted out. But in the stone trade we're really not sure yet. It will play out. It is kind of a crap shoot."
|