"Many a Midnight Ship" brings to life the powerful history of the greatest northern waterway of the North American continent.These fourteen stories illustrate the majesty of the Great Lakes and the tragedy bestowed upon its waters. From the "coffin" ship "Atlantic," which foundered in 1852 along with some 300 lives, and which salvagers say still has millions of dollars of gold on board, to the burning of the "Erie" and some 250 Dutch immigrants, to the violent storm that tore the "Algoma" apart off Isle Royale, where crew and passengers clamored for their lives only twenty yards form shore as treacherous currents prevented most of them from reaching land.These stories recount not only the calamities the Great Lakes have seen, but the remarkable acts of heroism, courage, and survival that have arisen when humans defy nature.