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7. Ship of the Month - cont'd. located on an island downriver. She was refurbished, perhaps right at the Muir Brothers shipyard at Port Dalhousie before she left, and soon entered service on her new day excursion route, but without any change in name. She apparently ran well in this service, but we have few details and only one photograph of her during this period. GARDEN CITY's ownership was transfer­ red on April 30, 1927, to Joseph and J. Herve Rinfret, Montreal, who at that time operated a ferry service from downtown Montreal to St. Helen's Island. During the 1929 season, GARDEN CITY reportedly lay idle in Montreal's Bickerdike Basin. On May 31, 1930, GARDEN CITY was sold to Joseph Henri Beaudoin, of Rosemount, Montreal, but on September 19, 1930, Beaudoin was declared bankrupt. The trustee in bankruptcy, J. Paul Vermette, Montreal, sold the steamer on November 24, 1932, to Martineau Lacomee who, on June 8, 1935, sold her to J. L. Lachance Ltee., Montreal. On July 25, 1935, her re­ gistry finally was transferred from Toronto to Montreal. We have no confir­ mation as to what the steamer did during these years of ownership transfers, but we suspect that she was not in operation. On December 1, 1936, GARDEN CITY was acquired by Les Chantiers Manseau Ltee., which operated the shipyard at Sorel, Quebec, and which dismantled many vessels that were sold for scrapping, especially from the C. S. L. fleet, during the latter years of the Great Depression. GARDEN CITY was towed to Sorel and, as far as we know, she subsequently was broken up there. It was an ignominious end for a steamer that had brought so much pleasure to excur­ sionists on Lake Ontario for so many years. One part of GARDEN CITY, however, survives. Her melodious, triple-chime steam whistle was removed and placed aboard NORTHUMBERLAND when the latter made her debut on Lake Ontario. Then, after NORTHUMBERLAND'S fiery demise at Port Dalhousie on June 2, 1949, the whistle was acquired by Harold Dixon, proprietor of the Toronto Drydock Company, and he placed it on the company's steam tug J. C. STEWART, where it served for many more years. After the Toronto Drydock tugs were retired in the 1960s, the whistle was on display in the Marine Museum of Upper Canada, where curator and longtime T. M. H. S. member Alan Howard delighted in blowing it (using forced air) for the enjoy­ ment of museum visitors. Since the closure of the museum, the whistle has been languishing in Heritage Toronto's storage facilities. It was, without doubt, the most melodious steam whistle ever heard regularly in Toronto Harbour, and your Editor has always thought that this was the whistle that should have been placed aboard the 1910 steam sidewheel ferry TRILLIUM when she was reactivated in 1975. Maybe someday we can make that happen, so that once again the wondrous tones of that beautiful whistle may again echo around Toronto Bay... * * * Ed. Note: Much of the information for this feature came from the records of the late John Bascom and Jim Kidd. Capt. Gerry Ouderkirk was of much assistance, as were items from Bill McNeil's vessel extracts courtesy of Jack Messmer. Some of Rick Nielson's notes came courtesy of Walter Lewis, and and also useful were items from "Prominent Men of the Great Lakes" on Walter Lewis' web site. As always, additional information would be welcomed. * * * * * WELLAND CANAL VIDEO The Welland Canals Foundation has asked us to mention that now available are copies of the documentary film Conquering Niagara which the Foundation and Norflicks Productions, Toronto, created in 2003, and which recently aired on TVO. It features the evolution of the famous canal. Cost is Can $21. 54 in­ cluding tax. For details, address Welland Canals Foundation, 400 - 63 Church Street, St. Catharines, Ont. L2R 3C4. Phone 905-682-7203, Fax 905-682-7481 or e-mail wcf@oeb. com * * * * * mailto:wcf@oeb.com