Before boarding, the sunrise spits an orange glow onto the Mark W. Barker's towering side as a load of iron ore from the Cleveland Bulk Terminal’s conveyor belt spills into a metallic waterfall of reddish-brown pellets. They crash with a noisy “shhh” into the underbelly of the ship. We’re warned of the pellets, like marbles under your feet. We pay attention to where we step. The Barker, named after Interlake Steamship Co.’s current president, comes from the cargo-carrying company that traces its history to the 1880s. Today, it’s transporting 17,250 tons of iron ore to Cleveland-Cliffs, a company with roots in the 1840s. It’s doing this in a port and river that drew surveyor Moses Cleaveland’s eye in the late 1700s, establishing the city’s waterfront identity. Between Interlake’s and other freighter companies’ fleets, this relatively short jaunt in and out of the Port of Cleveland is responsible for about $4.7 billion annually in economic activity. It transports tens of millions of t...