It was not my intention to read this book on basically the anniversary of the event in question (having had this book on various TBR lists for about five years), but I found this to be great accounting of another "perfect storm," which devastated the Great Lakes at the time. Schumacher's focus is on the battle for survival of the individual ships, but he will also give you some overview of how the region (Cleveland (OH) in particular), was flattened by the storm. The question that Schumacher leaves me with is to wonder about the accounting after the disaster, particularly how the insurance companies responded to the numerous claims, and whether they found the shipping companies negligent; this is due to rumors about ship masters being pressured to sail when weather conditions were threatening. ( )

Through thorough research and brilliant assembly of that information, Mr. Schumacher created a captivating history of catastrophe in November 1913 during such severe weather as to be considered a literal hurricane on the Great Lakes. Through amazing storytelling, he recounts the events of those four fateful days and their aftermath with a combination of objectivity and care. He understands the devastating loss but has the advantage of the distance of a century. ( )

A decent account of one of the worst storms to ever hit the Great Lakes. Rather than one account of the event, Schumacher takes the reader from Lake to Lake as the storm tears across the shores of Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, both peninsulas of Michigan and Canada. At the time, 1913, calling it a hurricane was frowned upon. However, looking at the wind velocity, the destruction the massive waves caused and the length of time the storm lasted, there really could be no other name for it than "White Hurricane" The loss of life and the freighters that simply disappeared was staggering. Shipping companies across the region were affected by the losses, all of the shores of all of the Great Lakes were strewn with wreckage.

I did not love this book, but I liked it enough to recommend to anyone who is interested in the Great Lakes, storms and history.
( )

Not a topic I knew much about, but the cover intrigued me. A fast read, well researched. Some comparisons to more recent storms would be nice. For instance, although the Carl D. Bradley and Edmund Fitzgerald are mentioned, how did the weather circumstances of their sinkings compare to this storm? What impact have the last 100 years of continually improving meteorological science made on Great Lakes shipping and ship losses? I'd like a bit more historical context also...this was prior to the beginning of WW1 after all...regarding sizes of Great Lakes shipping vs. oceangoing. While reading the book, you think, "500-odd feet is really long for a lakes freighter," yet in todays paper there was a picture of an 800-odd foot long lakes freighter. What changes have been made in the shipbuilding industry as the carriers have continued to increase in size? A book I enjoyed and would be interested in others by this author. ( )

November's Fury: The Deadly Great Lakes Hurricane of 1913 by Michael Schumacher presents a detailed account of the worst storm on the Great Lakes in recorded history. Michael Schumacher is the author of several books including The Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Biographical information on the author is scarce, but his other books include biographies of Allen Ginsberg and Eric Clapton among others.

From November 7th through November 11th a perfect storm swept though the Great Lakes region. Two major storm fronts converged over the region of warm water creating hurricane force winds and blinding snow storms and huge waves. The city of Cleveland was isolated from the rest of the world as the storm knocked out electrical and communications lines. On the waters of the Great Lakes, over 250 sailors would lose their lives as 40 ships were damaged. Among the damaged ships 12 sank and five have yet to be found.

It is hard to believe today that so many ships could be lost in a storm. The Great Lakes are no where near the size of the Gulf of Mexico or the oceans where hurricanes form. The ships on the Great Lakes hauling ore and coal were 400 – 550 feet long. These ships are huge for freshwater shipping and looking at them, its unimaginable that they could sink in a storm. This was before radar, GPS, and storm tracking. Granted the weather service did issue warnings a combination of hubris, greed, and bad planning caused a large loss of life. For the residents of Cleveland there was little that could be done. Winter storms and lake effect snow are expected yearly, however, he severity cannot prevented or at that time accurately anticipated.

Cleveland lay in white and mighty solitude, mute and death to the outside world, a city of lonesome snowiness, storm swept from end to end – The Cleveland Plain Dealer

I grew up in Cleveland and studied Cleveland history in grade school, but don't recall the reading about the storm of November 1913. We were aware or the shipping dangers of Great Lakes and lake effect storms. I am old enough to remember when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a storm on Lake Superior. Even 60 years more modern than the ships lost in 1913 and it immense size of 729 feet, it too could not stand up to the punishment the Great Lakes can dish out. This is a tragedy that hopefully can be avoided in the future with current storm tracking and navigation technology.

November's Fury is well written and tells an amazing story. At times it is hard to believe that you are reading non-fiction. The damage storm and loss of life seem beyond anything experienced real life. Schumacher weaves together the individual accounts of each ship into a compelling story. There are courageous acts as well as foolish acts (which many were just standard procedure at the time) as well. This book is a valuable history and recommended to those interested in maritime history or the Great Lakes. ( )