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Ship of the Month - cont'd. 8. bushels of wheat from Toledo. Capt. John Donnelly, the famous wrecker, de­ parted Kingston with the steamer WATERTOWN, which was carrying pumps for the purpose of refloating the stranded vessel. It was stated that Capt. Donnelly intended to run the rapids in order to accomplish his task quickly. We must assume that Donnelly's efforts were successful, for we have no further in­ formation about the incident. After her acquisition by the Mackay interests in 1884, LAKE ONTARIO was entered into the Western Express Line, for which she ran on a route between Montreal and the lakehead ports of Duluth and Port Arthur in conjunction with the propellors LAKE MICHIGAN, CANADA, ACADIAN and SHICKLUNA. The other ships of this line, MYLES, ST. MAGNUS and SCOTIA, ran only from Kingston to the lakehead. In the spring of 1885, Oliver Pentenaud, who had been chief mate in the steamer CELTIC for many years, began his career as a master, being given command of LAKE ONTARIO. He replaced Capt. Williams, who was reported to have taken a position in a Toronto steamer. Various references to LAKE ONTARIO'S eventual demise claim that she burned at Clayton, New York, or Clayton, Ohio, as well as Charlotte, New York, with the year of the incident varying from 1888 to 1930! Despite all of the erro­ neous reports, however, the actual fate of the steamer is known. A brief news item from Rochester, New York, dated Saturday, December 22, 1888, sta­ ted that the propellor LAKE ONTARIO had been damaged by fire whilst berthed at Charlotte. It further mentioned that she was owned by Mr. F. M. Ryan (sic) of Buffalo, was valued at $11, 000 and was not insured. LAKE ONTARIO'S Canadian registry (she never was given an official number) made no mention of her sale to Ryan. The records state that her register (certificate) was lost in the fire. LAKE ONTARIO'S Canadian registry, however, was not closed until December 18, 1896, apparently because of a delay in attending to the necessary paperwork. "The Marine Record" sets the record straight: "Rochester - The propellor LAKE ONTARIO, which was recently purchased by J. O . Malley, of Windsor, Ont., was burned last Sunday (December 23rd - this issue of the "Record" was dated December 27th) at Charlotte. The fire originated in the cabin. The loss is $8, 000; no insurance. " Capt. Thomas M. Ryan, of Buffalo, formerly a ship's carpenter, purchased the remains of LAKE ONTARIO after the fire. He raised the wreck, and he partial­ ly rebuilt her on the beach at Charlotte before towing her to Buffalo in Ap­ ril of 1889 for completion. Capt. Ryan "worked many a day on the rebuild" during the winter and spring of 1889-1890 supervising the wood work. The "Buffalo Morning Express" of Saturday, February 22, 1890, stated: "Capt. Ryan is still hard at work on the rebuild of the Canadian steamer he brought from Lake Ontario last fall (sic). She will be almost entirely new when fi­ nished. Over $20, 000 is to be laid out on her. In the Ohio Basin, where she lies, are the AMERICAN GIANT and GEORGE C. FINNEY, on which extensive re­ pairs are being made. " Capt. Ryan registered his steamer for the first time on May 6, 1890, at Buf­ falo. On that registry, it was stated: "Wrecked within the waters of the United States, purchased and repaired by a citizen of the United States ac­ cording to law and authorized to be registered by the Commissioner of Navi­ gation by letter under date of February 15, 1890. " Attached to the same enrollment is the surrendering statement dated June 30, 1890: "Vessel lost". She did not last very long despite Capt. Ryan's painstaking reconstruction. Although her nameboard may have carried the name CHARLES C. RYAN, as an Ame­ rican bottom she was officially named CHAS. C. RYAN, in honour of a son of the owner. She was listed in the 1890 volume of "Merchant Vessels of the United States as CHAS. C. RYAN (U. S . 126622), steamship, 491. 08 Gross Tons and 404. 17 Net Tons. She measured 138. 5' x 30. 0' x 13. 0', and was registered