There are numerous stories of the supposed appearance of strange
creatures, unexplained vanishings, time standing still, slowing to a crawl, or speeding up, or other unusual happenings. One well-known and often repeated case is that of Captain George R. Donner, who commanded the Great Lakes freighter O.S. McFarland. While on a journey back from Erie, Pennsylvania after picking up 9,800 tons of coal, the ship made course westward through the lakes. It was slow going due to late-spring ice floes, but the ship was making steady progress toward its destination, Port Washington, Wisconsin, when Donner disappeared.
