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Ship of the Month - cont'd. 8. train and took the reverse trip to Brockville. "Her last full season out of Brockville was 1907. She was put into operation in 1908, but negotiations were under way for her sale to a group made up of Duncan B. Christie, master mariner of Picton, and Michael J. McFaul, engi­ neer, and Frank Brennan, cheese maker, both of Deseronto. Wage settlement with the crew signed on at Brockville threw a hitch into the negotiations. They demanded a full season's wages. The purchasers, it was reported in the 'Picton Gazette' of June 19, 1908, finally paid a sum sufficient to meet this demand in addition to the purchase price of $10, 000. There was a mort­ gage in favor of the previous owners. The sale was completed on June 15th and BROCKVILLE was moved to the Bay of Quinte and her port of registry chan­ ged to Picton, Ontario. Her arrival on the Bay was reported with enthusiasm by the 'Picton Gazette', while the 'Brockville Times' claimed that the town would severely feel the lost commuter service. " Thus began a new stage of BROCKVILLE's career. Her new owner was the Quinte Navigation Company, which also ran the steamers ALETHA and VARUNA. This com­ pany did a passenger and package freight trade, picking up large quantities of farm produce at wharves around the Bay of Quinte. Water freight rates were cheaper than rail, and goods were brought to the numerous small docks by horse and wagon for shipment to Trenton, Belleville, Deseronto, Napanee and Picton for transhipment to Kingston and beyond. BROCKVILLE's first run was from Picton to Trenton, but she also was used for evening excursions on the Bay, using her powerful searchlight to aid navigation and sight-seeing. The "Belleville Chronicle" of July 23, 1908, reported at length of a race between ALETHA and BROCKVILLE the previous evening, which ended in a draw, both ships burning large quantities of coal in the effort. The owners were able to discharge the mortgage against BROCKVILLE within four months. On January 22, 1909, BROCKVILLE was sold to the Quinte Navigation Co. Ltd., of Picton. It may well be that the principals in this limited company were the three former owners of the vessel. The steamer C. H. MERRITT, owned by Belleville parties, and the steamer REINDEER, owned by Messrs. Lou and James Collier, of Picton, ran in conjunction with the Quinte Navigation Company's steamers. Late in 1910, the Quinte Navigation Company was absorbed by the Ontario and Quebec Navigation Company Ltd., also of Picton, which was controlled by the Hepburn interests. The Hepburn fleet was built up by A. W. Hepburn, of Picton. It consisted of the passenger steamers ALEXANDRIA, EMPRESS OF INDIA, GERONIA and NIAGARA, and the freight carriers LLOYD S. PORTER, ABERDEEN, WA­ TER LILY, EGAN, FAIRFAX, ROB ROY and RICHARDSON. The EMPRESS was sold off and became the ARGYLE. The Hepburn Bros, were Quinte coal and timber mer­ chants, exporting lumber to New York and importing coal by the shipload from Oswego. Hepburn also owned a planing and saw mill at Picton. The Hepburn Shipyard employed master shipbuilder John Tait, and had J. J. Culliton as his assistant. The yard turned out numerous ships. BROCKVILLE's ownership was transferred to the new owner on December 31, 1910, and she later became part of the security for a mortgage of $125, 000. The Ontario and Quebec Na­ vigation Company may have required this mortgage in the financing of the construction of their big new, steel-hulled passenger steamer GERONIA (14), (b) SYRACUSE (19), (c) CAPE TRINITY, which was completed in 1911 at Colling­ wood, and which was intended for service between Rochester, N. Y., the Bay of Quinte, Montreal and Quebec City. The 1913 season was an unusual one for BROCKVILLE, for she was chartered to Mr. J. K. McLauchlan, an Owen Sound businessman who operated a resort a few miles from the Georgian Bay town. The "Owen Sound Sun", of June 13, 1913, reported: "The Steamer BROCKVILLE which goes on the Kings Royal Park ferry route this season is en route from Picton to Owen Sound in charge of Captain A. G. McLeod. Mr. J. K. McLauchlan received a telegram this morning advising