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Belaying Pin This belaying pin was once aboard the steamer Frontenac that was regarded as the queen of the fleet among the other steamers that navigated the waters of Cayuga Lake. The Frontenac was the oldest and largest craft on Cayuga Lake. The ship, a side-wheel steamer, was built in 1860 at a cost of $50,000. It was in continuous service until Saturday, July 27, 1907 when it was consumed by fire. The Frontenac was heading toward Union Springs on the day of the fateful voyage when a fire erupted on the upper deck of the ship. Due to the very strong winds, Captain M. P. Brown was unable to fight the escalating blaze. Since any attempt to stifle it was fruitless, the Captain ordered the ship to make for the shore. The Frontenac was beached on a sandbar at a spot called Dill's Cove near Farley's Point. The estimates of the distance to shore were between 100 yards and "2 city blocks". Lifeboats aboard the Frontenac were in such poor condition that many passengers were forced to jump into the water to escape Allen H. Treman donated this belaying pin to the DeWitt Historical Society in 1961. The direct correlation between him and the Frontenac is unclear. A belaying pin is a nautical piece of equipment used to secure running gear. Belaying pins are short heavy lengths of wood or iron that ropes holding sails in position were tied to. The pins were fitted into holes on deck rails and the ropes were twisted and secured around them. Even though the Frontenac was a steamer - not a sailship, it still had uses for a belaying pin to secure ropes. Sources Cited: DeWitt Historical Society Collection files; Cayuga Lake Boating Collection V-2-3-10. DeWitt Historical Society Collection files; Allen H. Treman Collection V-1-8-11. Internet sources: bartleby.com, kalifax.com, downtosea.com, encarta online encyclopedia.
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the blaze. There were only a few life preservers, also in a decrepit state. Fortunately those who could swim made it to shore and helped others, while those who could not clung to floating boards waiting to be rescued. The blaze could be seen for miles in either direction along the opposite shore. While a dozen people were injured, the death toll was small, but still tragic. Of the estimated 40 to 70 passengers aboard (mostly women and children) eight people drowned, and of those eight, four were from Tompkins County. The cause of the fire was never determined, but there was speculation it came from a boiler blowing up. The Frontenac was never rebuilt, and regular steamer traffic on the lake decreased from that time on. The tragedy of the Frontenac was seen as the greatest marine tragedy in the history of the Finger Lakes region.