 A false lull in the storm ( a " sucker hole " ) allowed traffic to begin flowing again , both down the St. Marys River and up Lake Erie , and the Detroit and St. Clair rivers , into Lake Huron . Gale wind flags were raised at more than a hundred ports , but were ignored by many ship captains . Long ships traveled all that day through the St. Marys River , all night through the Straits of Mackinac , and early Sunday morning up the Detroit and St. Clair rivers . 
