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13. Ship of the Month - cont'd. peaceful reach of the St. Lawrence River near Crysler Shoal. Her broken hull was surveyed and pronounced unsalvageable. During the late summer and autumn, while the tips of the ship's masts and booms still remained visible above the surface of the river, her cargo and accessible fittings were re covered by the wrecking barge MAPLEHEATH, assisted by the derrick barge (and former tug) CAPTAIN M. B. DONNELLY and the tug DANIEL McALLISTER. This work was completed on December 9th, 1970, and the wreck then was ballasted with stone and dynamited to clear the water depth to 34 feet. Although most river travellers have forgotten all about the sunken ship, her hull remains a favourite of recreational divers, few of whom pause, we suspect, to wonder what it was like aboard the EASTCLIFFE HALL on that dark summer night in July of 1970. * * * Author's No t e : The writer wishes to acknowledge with gratitude the assis tance of Capt. John J. Lawrence, Capt. Hubert B. Young and Mr. Daniel C. McCormick in the preparation of this feature. The latter's book on the Hall Corporation, The Wishbone Fleet (1972), also was a valuable resource, as were contemporary press accounts of the vessel's launching, her sinking and the enquiry. The Honourable Mr. Justice Francois Chevalier's "Report of the Court of Investigation into the Circumstances Surrounding the Stranding and Loss of the M. V. EASTCLIFFE HALL in the Vicinity of Crysler Shoal in the St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ont., on July 14th, 1970" also was of great assistance. * * * Ed. N o t e : We are much indebted to Bob Graham for this feature article for publication in "Scanner". members will appreciate his contribution as much as on the Hall steamer JOHN H. PRICE which appeared in his efforts in preparing We are certain that our they enjoyed his feature the April issue. Two of the photographs which accompany this feature are from the camera of member Dan McCormick, of Massena, New York. Both are very interesting, but the one of EASTCLIFFE HALL upbound at Lock 17 in the Cornwall Canal in 1957 is notable for two reasons. Not only was this the lock with the odd-shaped walls, whose configuration was the reason for EASTCLIFFE HALL's reverse hull tumblehome, but in the background of the photo may be seen the headquarters building of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Authority which was under construction at the time. Also of interest is the photo of EASTCLIFFE HALL in the extremely scenic surroundings of old Lock 1 of the Soulanges Canal at Cascades in the autumn of 1958. This was a favourite spot for photographers, and our photo shows what a tight fit it was for EASTCLIFFE HALL in the old canal locks. The view was taken by the late J. H. Bascom on one of the autumn trips that he and our late treasurer, James M.Kidd, used to make to the area. Interestingly, this section of the old canal still exists, virtually untouched except by time, despite the passage of 37 years since the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway's new canals. * * * * * SUMMER DOLDRUMS During the summer hiatus in the grain trade, many Canadian lakers went to the wall, Toronto hosting four ULS vessels, namely SEAWAY QUEEN, CANADIAN EXPLORER, CANADIAN MARINER and CANADIAN PROVIDER. The latter was last in (on July 15) and first out again (on August 25), while first in (April 27) and last out (on the evening of September 30th) was the oldest of the lot, the 1959-built SEAWAY QUEEN.