I was perplexed last Friday and throughout the weekend because the anniversary memorial didn't get any local coverage. I was ready to post some little missive about the service with a link to the Detroit News or whatever TV affiliate covered it but none did.
Until Monday.
This year's memorial service turned out to be the stuff of urban legend and whether you believe what you're about to read or not, several people in attendance gave the same chilling account.
The old-timers are well-aware, but for the new generation, it will help to know that the Old Mariner's Church in Detroit holds an anniversary memorial in remembrance of those who lost their lives when the Edmund Fitzgerald broke in two and sank in Lake Superior. Traditionally, the service included 29 bell-tolls, one for each soul.
In 2005 the Canadian Parliament successfully legislated the sanctity of the underwater tomb, making it illegal to explore or try to salvage the wreck. With the crewmen's souls protected in perpetuity, it was decided that a new tradition be adopted to honor all the 10,000 ships (and their crews) lost on the Great Lakes.
The 29 bell-tolls has been abandoned and from this year forward, a bell in the chapel will be tolled eight times to symbolize eight different aspects of life and loss on the Great Lakes.
This is where it gets chilling.
Near the end of the service, some parishioners said they heard a
second bell toll... 29 times!
The bell atop the church tower had been scheduled to remain silent during the ceremony but it didn't. Only the officiating Reverend and the church organist had access to electronic levers that ring the tower bell and both deny any involvement.
Creepy or cool or balderdash, it
is the stuff of urban legend!
If you're interested,
here's Monday's Detroit News article.