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7. Ship of the Month - cont'd. OSSIFRAGE could be used to greater advantage in the proposed improvements and additions to the tug line. " Wheeler did not waste any time in finding a buyer for OSSIFRAGE and, as no­ ted last issue, she was enrolled on August 8, 1889, to Darius Cole Transp. Co. Inc., of Bangor, Maine. Despite the Bangor address, Darius Cole had a considerable interest in the St. Clair River passenger boat business, and a rather famous steamer bore his name for many years. A Gordon P. Bugbee ar­ ticle in the November 1966 issue of "Telescope", entitled "A Prehistory of the White Star Line", noted that Cole put OSSIFRAGE on this very popular line and also used her as a winter boat during the winter of 1889-1890. Bug­ bee also mentioned that OSSIFRAGE was chartered from Cole in the summer of 1890 and headed down into Lake Erie. A Milwaukee newspaper scrapbook item dated March 28, 1890, noted: "The river passenger steamers REMORA (U. S. 110573, 100 feet and 184 Gross, built 1883 at Detroit -Ed. ) and OSSIFRAGE collided in the stream at Detroit on Wednesday (the 26th). The damage is comparatively trifling. The REMORA's bow is crush­ ed for 6 inches deep below the guards, and the OSSIFRAGE's guard rail is split at the point on contact and a deck stanchion is broken. An interesting question as to which boat had the right of way arises, as both boats claim it. " And another Milwaukee scrapbook item, dated October 1, 1890: "The stm. OSSI­ FRAGE broke down when abreast Amherstburg, Ont., yesterday". That seems to have put an end to Cole's involvement with OSSIFRAGE, as he returned her to Frank Wheeler, to whom she was re-enrolled on October 8, 1890. Wheeler held on to the boat over the winter, and no doubt laid her up at West Bay City where he could keep an eye on her. The next spring, he sold her to a Cleveland stock company, and she was enrolled at Cleveland on April 28, 1891, to J. C. Dowd and George Malchus (one-half share each), and then on May 6, 1891, to the Cleveland & Lakeside Steam Navigation Co. Inc., Cle­ veland. But only a few days after the new owners took official possession of the steamer, she had a bad grounding, which we suspect was a major factor in the eventual insolvency of the new owners. From the "Buffalo Enquirer" of May 12th, 1891: "The stm. OSSIFRAGE on her first trip from Cleveland to Put-in-Bay, got into a rather annoying scrape. On Thursday night (May 7) after discharging a lot of lath, the OSSIFRAGE left for Lakeside. About 11: 00 after going around inside of Ballast Island, she got a little too far to port and ran on a reef south of the Island. She was damaged and was sheltered by the Ballast and Put-in-Bay Islands. She could not get off, however. In the morning she was discovered by the CITY OF SANDUSKY, and that boat endeavored unsuccessfully to release her as she was about 3 feet out of the water forward. In the afternoon two tugs, the (JOE D. ) DUDLEY and the WELCOME, and the steamer GAZELLE worked on her until 5 o'clock. The CITY OF SANDUSKY again passed by while the tugs were working on her. The SANDUSKY ran up as near to her as she dared in order to give the OSSIFRAGE the benefit of her swell. They were repaid by watching the steamer slide off the reef. The OSSIFRAGE was not seriously damaged, but one of her seams opened up slightly and let some water in. She came up to Cleveland and went into the ship owner's dry-dock where the slight caulking and repairs were made. " But on July 4, 1891, the "Buffalo Morning Express" noted: "The excursion stm. OSSIFRAGE is still in limbo at Cleveland, notwithstanding the effort being made to settle the suit against her (by the tug operators? -Ed. ). A meeting of the owners and creditors was held on Thursday (July 2), but it is understood that nothing has been accomplished. She was sold by F. W. Wheeler to the present owners, who paid $5, 000 down and have paid nothing since. " The same paper, on July 6th: "F. W. Wheeler of Bay City, who sold the stm. OSSIFRAGE to a Cleveland stock company, accepting about $5, 000 as part pay­