The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

3. to be true. Marine News - cont'd. The "Chicago Tribune" reported in January that the future of the former p as senger steamer MILWAUKEE CLIPPER, (a) JUNIATA (II)(41), may be in jeopardy. Owned by the Hammond (Indiana) Port Authority for five years now, the CLIP PER is moored at a marina behind a new breakwater. It had been intended that she become a complete convention, restaurant and shopping complex, but so far she has housed only one restaurant, a gift shop, and an aquatic research centre. Faced with escalating maintenance costs and the anticipated arrival of gambling boat operations in the Hammond area shortly, the Port Authority is agonizing over what to do with the venerable ship, now designated as a National Historic Landmark. Even the removal of the CLIPPER would be diff i cult now that she is trapped behind the breakwater unless she were scrapped where she lies. We hope that a way may be found to preserve the ship. The cement-carrying barge ST. MARYS CEMENT III, the former CLARKSON CARRIER, is undergoing a major refit this winter at the Welland Dock. We understand that much of the work is internal, and that the barge's pilothouse was re moved to shore during the refit. Photographers along the Welland Canal will be pleased to hear that at long last, the old Peter Street bridge at the head of the west side road at Lock Seven, will soon be replaced. The work is slated to begin on March 13th, and it is hoped that the new bridge will be open to traffic about July 1st. The 1994 Canadian lake navigation season was much better than the last seve ral years, and shipping observers will be pleased to hear that the prospects for the 1995 season are even better, particularly for the straight-deck bulk carriers in the grain trade. Things are looking up for all of the fleets, we are told, and the demand for active tonnage is very strong. On January 1st, the former ULS lake self-unloader AMBASSADOR, (a) CANADIAN AMBASSADOR (86), suffered a serious fire in her unloading gear while at Belledune, New Brunswick. We understand that the blaze began in the conveyor tunnel and at least one report indicated that it spread into the accommoda tions. Local firefighters extinguished the fire with considerable difficulty and C. C. G . S. SIMON FRASER, which has firefighting capabilities, was sent to the scene from Charlottetown, P. E. I., although she proved not to be needed. After lying idle at Point Edward, Nova Scotia, since September, 1991, the self-unloading barge SEA BARGE ONE, (a) ADAM E. CORNELIUS (III)(89), (b) CAPT. EDWARD V. SMITH (91), arrived at Halifax on December 7, 1994, in tow of the tug IRVING CEDAR. After her conversion to a barge at Halifax in 19881989, she was owned by Keybulk Transportation Ltd., and later operated by Secunda Marine, and Transport Desgagnes acquired her at auction in February of 1992 but never operated her. SEA BARGE ONE will now be used by Halifax Grain Elevator Ltd. for the loading and unloading of grain, and particularly for the transfer of grain from lakers. In a windstorm on January 7th, SEA BARGE ONE parted her lines and tugs had to be called to corral the wayward barge and return her to her berth. On December 24, 1994, Lee Marine Ltd., Port Lambton, acquired the 54-foot, 1992-built SCRIMP & SCROUNGE (C. 815553) from Donald M. Mummery of Port Dover. Renamed (b) HAMMOND BAY, she arrived at Port Lambton on December 27, and after modifications over the winter, she will begin group charters in the spring on the St. Clair River and the Chenal Ecarte. The boat originally was a private pleasure craft. On February 9th, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the Canadian Naval Historical Society was negotiating with the Canadian govern ment for the purchase of the the idled H. M. C. S. FRASER, the last of the ST. LAURENT class of destroyer-escorts which served the Canadian Forces for so many years. The rest of the members of this class have been scrapped or sunk as underwater attractions.