The event in itself made it successful. There was then and still remains a mystery as to why the Fitz went down. There were three different findings by inquiry boards at the time. Previous to this, the last major wreck on the Lakes was the Carl Bradley and that was almost 20 years before. Additionally, the Bradley had a survivor and the cause was known.

Similar to the greart storm of 1913, the one that blew across Superior that early November, was a convergence of three weather systems. Even with the weather data available to him, McSorley still trusted his own many years of experience on the Lakes and the seaworthiness of Big Fitz which eventually led to the boats demise. She was the biggest thing on the Lakes.

Even now, as then, we still harbor a romance for the Lakes and the contact that Lakes freighters have with the shore makes them more real then ocean going ships only seen in port. So its no surprise that a song about a modern and mysterious shipwreck with no survivors and no bodies stirs the imagination and Lightfoot played that feeling to the teeth. Additionally, the chord structure and droning sound do lend a "wind in the rigging" quality and mournfulness.

Spaw