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Ship of the Month - cont'd. 12. 14th, 1940, she had brought the very first cargo of bulk zinc into the port of Cleveland, Ohio. The Red Barges may have been lowly workhorses to which very little attention was paid during their relatively short lives, but they were handy little ships which, despite their low power, carried a wide vari­ ety of cargoes around the lower lakes and St. Lawrence River ports during their careers. * * * Ed. Note: We are very much indebted to longtime T. M. H. S. member Captain John J. Lawrence, of Morrisburg, Ontario, for the suggestion of REDCLOUD as a "Ship of the Month". He also wrote the article which forms the basis for this feature. He is well qualified to do so, for his father, also Captain John J. Lawrence, was for many years Master of the REDCLOUD, serving in that capacity until his death aboard the vessel in 1943. Our writer's family cer­ tainly gives credibility to the fact that "it's in the blood", because sail­ ing is a family tradition. Captain Lawrence's grandfather, father and two sons have all, like himself, served as captains of ships on the Great Lakes. Your Editor is honoured to have been able to add a few small, additional de­ tails to Captain Lawrence's text. Some of that material came from the re­ cords of the late James M. Kidd. The mention of the Cleveland zinc cargo comes from John 0. Greenwood. If any of our members have recollections of REDCLOUD in service, or any anecdotes concerning her operations or those of the other Red Barges, we would be pleased to hear from them so that the details may be recorded. Of particular interest would be a photograph of REDCLOUD as an actual barge in the brief years before she was powered; we never have seen such a photograph of REDCLOUD, although we are unwilling to concede that none exist. * * * * * SOME THOUGHTS CONCERNING T. M. H. S. MEETINGS In the Mid-Summer issue, we mentioned the possibility that winter-time meet­ ings of the Toronto Marine Historical Society might be held on Saturday af­ ternoons, instead of Friday evenings, if the majority of attending members so desired. We already have heard from some of our renewing members and it is evident that some other matters give concern, as also they have to the members of the T. M. H. S. executive committee. In the early years of our Society, meeting space at the Museum was made available to us for a contribution to what then was the Toronto Historical Board. In recent years, however, it has been necessary for us to pay an hourly charge (plus the dreaded G. S. T., of course" for the provision of Museum staff to man the door and reception counter during our meetings. We all have resented the push to close meetings by 11: 00 p. m., thus sometimes curtailing interesting member discussion sessions, but same has been neces­ sary to avoid the cost of an additional hour of Museum staff attendance. The push to vacate the premises at the end of the evening could be avoided if members arrived in sufficient time that our programmes could begin promptly at 8: 00 p. m. This, however, seldom is the case. As well, the inter­ mission seems to drag a bit, and some of the programmes exceed the hour which normally is recommended as optimum for a slide presentation. The seats of stacking chairs can become uncomfortable over extended periods. We are not suggesting any change in our meeting format. We simply urge the members to arrive in good time for the meetings, to keep intermission dis­ cussions brief, and programmes of reasonable length, and then we all can en­ joy a relaxed session of discussion at the end of the evening without being rushed out the door.