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Ship of the Month - cont'd. one season, which no doubt is why Mr. Wheeler retained ownership of the OS­ SIFRAGE, rather than selling her to the railroad. Read on... The "Marine Record", February 17, 1887: "East Saginaw - Capt. Byron Arm­ strong, master of the elegant passenger stm. OSSIFRAGE, of Bay City, was in the city Sunday. Byron says his steamer will run in connection with other steamers at the Soo during the coming season. Extensive alterations are be­ ing made to fit her for service. The cabin has been run the full length of the boat, and other conveniences put in. The engine has been made a low pressure, which will add greatly to economy of fuel. It is rumored that the captain comes to East Saginaw quite frequently, and tis said that when the next census is taken, Bay City will have one more of East Saginaw's worthy people. " And from the "Marquette Daily Mining Journal" of April 25, 1887: "Bay City - The new prop. OSSIFRAGE, owned by Frank Wheeler, and others, which ran last season in connection with the Bay City & Alger road (sic) from Black River to Alpena while the (rail)road was being built between those two places, will this season run on the Cheboygan and Sault Ste. Marie route. The OSSI­ FRAGE has had her cabins enlarged about 40 ft. and (is) being fitted up handsomely with all modern improvements for the comfort of her passengers. She has been supplied with a Worthington compound engine and can be made ei­ ther a high or low pressure boat. She will leave for the Sault as soon as the ice will permit. " Once again, this was only a one-year job for OSSIFRAGE, as 1888 found her up on Lake Superior at Duluth. But the last quotation solves the riddle of the photograph of OSSIFRAGE at Mackinac Island. Because of the "Cheboygan, Mac­ kinac Island and Sault Ste. Marie Line" legend on her bow, we had assumed that the photo was taken in the late 1890s, when OSSIFRAGE was running for George Arnold. But now we have a photo of her when Arnold owned her, and it does not match with this one. So we have revised our thinking and can say that the Mackinac Island photo must have been taken in 1887. This fits in with the fact that the vessel lying ahead of OSSIFRAGE (to the left in the photo) is GOLDEN EAGLE, which Frank Gilchrist sold and the new Houghton ow­ ners renamed (b) VALERIE in 1892, thus making it impossible that GOLDEN EAGLE, bearing that name, could have been at Mackinac Island during the years when Arnold owned the OSSIFRAGE. See how nicely all of this is beginning to fit together? Read on... In our original feature, we mentioned that we thought that Capt. B. B. Inman had OSSIFRAGE up at Duluth at one time, and our follow-up in January's issue confirmed that her enrollment under Capt. Inman's ownership was issued on April 28, 1888. The master abstract for Duluth shows that OSSIFRAGE was en­ rolled there on May 14, 1888, Inman having purchased the steamer from Frank Wheeler. From the "Duluth Daily Herald" of February 11, 1888: "Capt. Inman, the en­ terprising owner and manager of the Inman tug Line of this city, has just added to his fleet a boat of more than ordinary importance, it being no less than the stm. ASSIFRAGE (sic), built a year ago at (West) Bay City by F. W. Wheeler. The boat is a fine excursion steamer capable of carrying 800 pas­ sengers and with stateroom accommodations for 100. She also has complete kitchen arrangements for dining large companies, and as a commodious and fine excursion steamer. Arrangements are being made whereby excursions can be run here during the summer from interior cities with a turn around on the lake on the ASSIFRAGE (sic) as a culmination of the trip. " The same paper, on April 19th, reported: "Commodore Inman with the handsome pleasure stm. OSSIFRAGE has started on his way to Duluth and is now as far as Port Huron. It is his intention to have the OSSIFRAGE the first arrival of the season. Besides his fine fleet of 4 tugs, the fire boat and the OSSI­ FRAGE, he intends to have if possible two additional lake tugs in his line