History:
The Huletts are giant automatic ore unloaders that run on two sets of rail tracks, which run parallel to the docks. A huge beam with a scoop bucket on one end extends over the dock and is capable of moving up to ten tons of ore at one time. The ore is then dumped into a traveling hopper which takes it to a waiting hopper train car.The Huletts, invented in the late 1880s by Ohioan George Hulett, changed the shape of Great Lakes iron ore shipping. The Huletts were able to unload a freighter for 5 cents a ton, over two-thirds less than was possible using previous methods. The Huletts were installed throughout the southern shore of Lake Erie, in Toledo, Lorain, Huron, Cleveland, Ashtabula, and Conneaut.The Huletts were used along the Great Lakes until 1992, when self-unloading ships became the norm. The four Huletts at the Port of Cleveland were the last to be retired. A made-to-scale model of a hulett may be viewed at the Maritime Museum, located at Ashtabula harbor.Controversy:
The Cleveland Huletts were designated Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Despite this honor and despite the efforts of many Cleveland preservationists, the Huletts were removed in 2000 to make way for the proposed development on Whiskey Island.Demolition and Future for the Huletts:
The four Cleveland Huletts were the last to be used on the Great Lakes. In 2000, two of these machines were destroyed and the other two disassembled for reconstruction on another site. As of 2009, they are still in storage.(last update 10-16-09)
