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Similar to her contemporaries in most respects, the CELTIC measured 131.0 x 21.0 x 14.7, with a gross tonnage of 698 and net 440. Her low pressure engine was 34 x 34 and was built by Thos. Wilson & Co., Dundas, being the ninth engine of this type supplied by Wilson in three years. Steam was generated in a return-tube boiler having three fires. The cost of this vessel was $48,000. and the mortgage was held by Capt. John B. Fairgrieve. When the CELTIC was safely returned to the yard, the launching party adjourned to the carpenter shop, where a lunch was served. This was, of course, accompanied by the usual succession of toasts and responses. Toasts were given to: The Queen, The Governor-General, Mr. MacKay, Mr. Robertson, The Press, Capt. Sinclair, Thos. Wilson & Co., Mr. Blain, of Galt, Mr. Abbey, of Pt. Robinson, Mr. Adam Hope, Capt. P. Larkin and finally, The Ladies. With this, the party ended and the carriages wended their way up the dusty hill, toward their respective destinations. In 1875, the Merchants Line and the Lake & River Steamship Co. joined forces, and on 8 April, an advertisement listing the vessels, services and agents, was published. Nine propellers were assigned to the daily freight and passenger run from Montreal to Lake Ontario ports and St. Catharines. These were the CELTIC, CANADA, CALABRIA, DROMEDARY, DOMINION, LAKE ERIE, LAKE MICHIGAN, PERSIA and PRUSSIA. The agents were: at Montreal and Toronto, G. E. Jaques & Co.; at Prescott, R. McCarthy & Co.; at Kingston, J. Swift & Co.; at Hamilton, A. D. MacKay and Capt. J. B. Fairgrieve, and at St. Catharines, Jas. Norris, Sylvester Neelon, J. Graham and Capt. P. Larkin. Tri-weekly freight and passenger service to Chicago, Fort William and Duluth was to be provided by the ASIA, ARGYLE, COLUMBIA, CALIFORNIA, EUROPE, LAKE ONTARIO, OCEAN, SOVEREIGN and SCOTIA. The agents for this Upper Lakes business were: John L. Ranney (eastbound freight) and Philip Wadsworth(westbound freight & passengers), both at Chicago; at Milwaukee, John L. Ranney; C. K. Dickson & Co., at Detroit; E. R. Williams & Co., at Toledo; G. W. Girdlestone at Windsor and W. J. Keays, at Sarnia. Passenger and cargo service from Montreal to Hamilton were being offered not only by the combined lines mentioned above, but also by the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Co., with their sidewheel steamers, as well as the Western Express Line and the Dominion Line. The Western Express Line consisted of the propellers ACADIA, AFRICA, ALMA MUNRO, ARMENIA, GEORGIAN, BRUNO, CUBA, D. R. VAN ALLEN, CITY OF ST. CATHARINES, ZEALAND and L. SHICKLUNA. The Dominion Line was running the AMERICA, BRISTOL, CITY OF MONTREAL, EAST and R. W. STANDLY. Whether all this enthusiasm was wise, remained to be seen. Some of the trunk-line railroads in the U. S. had driven the rate on eastbound grain to a rather low point, but were now suffering from a general shortage of rolling stock. The price of Scotch pig iron had dropped, which would be good for the up-trade out of Montreal while cutting down on the tonnage of that commodity shipped from Cleveland and Rochester. One particularly bright spot in the westbound picture was the expected movement of rails for the Canadian Pacific Ry. construction in the western provinces. Many vessels did, in fact, make very good profits in this trade, since the C. P. R. took ten years to tie their east and west systems together, through Northern Ontario. There were plenty of cargoes of -15-