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3. Marine News - cont'd. In the October issue, we reported the sale for scrapping of Canada Steamship Lines' WHITEFISH BAY and STADACONA (III), their purchaser being Jimmy S. Y. Chen, of Chenco-Inter Pac Trade, Puyallup, Washington, who was sending the pair to a mainland Chinese scrapyard. We noted that STADACONA, in tow of numerous McKeil Marine tugs led by KAY COLE, was downbound in the Welland Canal on September 23rd. In fact, STADACONA departed the Ojibway slip at Windsor on September 20, and she arrived at Pointe-au-Pic, Quebec, on the 29th. On September 30, the Russian tug/supply ship UMKA departed Sorel with WHITEFISH BAY in tow, and she stopped at Pointe-au-Pic to add STADACONA to the tow. Mr. Chen had advised that the tow would stop at Argentia, Newfoundland, where the two retired lakers were supposed to load cargoes of scrap before setting out on the long tow to the Orient. Those who appreciate veteran Great Lakes steamers will be pleased, indeed, to know that the last operating straight-deck "Maritime Class" vessel, the P. & H. Shipping WILLOWGLEN, (a) LEHIGH (81), (b) JOSEPH X. ROBERT (82), passed her recent survey and inspection at Port Weller Dry Docks with flying colours. While the "Maritime Class" steamers were notoriously poor ships for the carriage of grain, having been built with an interior hull configuration designed for cargoes of ore, and further considering the fact that depressed lake shipping conditions may make available other vessels which may serve to replace WILLOWGLEN in the Parrish & Heimbecker fleet, the passing of inspection by WILLOWGLEN bodes well for the immediate future of this popular and handsome steamer. The autumn season has seen at least two minor accidents in the St. L a w rence Seaway system. On September 30, the downbound CANADIAN PROGRESS struck a cable fender at the Iroquois Lock and closed the lock to traffic for some hours. On October 25, the Liberian bulk carrier DOCEGULF, upbound, struck the lower gates at the Eisenhower Lock, resulting in a 2 1 /2 hour delay for traffic through the U . S. section of the Seaway. Another salty encountering troubles in the lakes recently was LT ARGOSY, which grounded in the Saginaw River on October 16th. The grounding delayed the upbound river passage of SAM LAUD, and the downbound passage of WOLVERINE, but the salty was allowed to clear the river after stopping on October 17th, for Coast Guard inspection, at the Total Fuel dock (where JUPITER burned in 1990). Two of the very large Toronto Harbour excursion boat fleet have left the port for the winter months. The Great Lakes Schooner Company's CHALLENGE and CHIPPEWA have been taken to Port Maitland for the winter. The 1992 season was a very tough one on Toronto Bay, with a great deal of competition for a smaller trade than in previous years. As noted in the October issue, things have not gone well for the Canadian lake fleet in the latter half of the 1992 lake navigation season. The self unloader trade has fallen on bad times, and many vessels one would expect to see inoperation have been lying idle, such as CANADIAN CENTURY, which laid up at Toronto's Pier 35 on October 1st. The Canadian grain trade continues indifferent, with little prospect of improvement. WINDOC arrived on September 30 at Toronto, to lay up at Pier 52 in the Eastern Gap. The one apparent ray of sunshine has involved Seaway Bulk Carriers, which received a contract to carry American grain down the lakes and reactivated many of its vessels (even including SEAWAY QUEEN, which had been laid up at Toronto) during the month of October. * * * * * It is with sincere regret that we note the passing, on October 3rd, 1992, of one of North America's most highly respected marine historians, Capt. Frederick Way, Jr., of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, at Marietta, Ohio, at age 91. Full details will appear in our December issue. * * * * *