Event

Bottled Goodbyes

Bottled messages have been discovered on shore nearly as long as glass containers have
been invented. They bring tidings from ocean voyagers, invitations for pen-pals, tragic
attempts for rescue and floating farewells from long lost souls.
Based on Ric Mixters new book, Bottled Goodbyes chronicles the most famous messages
ever recovered, including three bottles found after the Titanic disaster. One of those messages
was allegedly from a White House aide who served two U.S. presidents!
Ric also investigates five messages that floated ashore from the Great Storm of 1913 and
shares in-depth information on the barge Plymouth and Lightship 82 notes. Both ships were
lost with their entire crews, so the messages recovered made national headlines.
Each of the Great Lakes are highlighted, making this a lecture that can be shared anywhere on
the inland seas. Of particular interest are the near crashes of Balloonist Washington Donaldson
in lakes Ontario and Michigan and the final flight that took his life off the Michigan coast in
1875.
Ric also investigates the development of radio on the Great Lakes and how that led to a
decrease in bottles recovered. The rescue of the Pere Marquette 18 Carferry is specifically
highlighted as an example. That ship was discovered in the summer of 2020 in 500 feet of
water off the coast of Wisconsin.