5. Ship of the Month - cont'd. so was carrying a large quantity of wool consigned to Toronto. Capt. John Simpson was in command of the steamer for this maiden trip. We find the first minor accident for the VAN ALLEN reported in "The Amherst burg Echo" on Friday, December 18, 1874: "The steamer D. R. VAN ALLEN of Chatham, bound up, ran aground on Fighting Island (Detroit River), Tuesday evening (the 15th) and was pulled off yesterday morning by the tug VICTORIA. " The "Hamilton Spectator" of April 15, 1875, remarked that "The prospects in the shipping business are brighter this season than they have been for the last two years and vessel owners look forward to more prosperous times in the future. The freights from the west will be plentiful, but rates are li kely to remain low, at least during the early part of the season. The com peting trunk lines of the railroad during the 'war' of the last two months have reduced the rate to an absurdly low figure, wheat being carried from Chicago to New York at 18 cents per bushel. The railroads are taxed to the utmost to supply rolling stock to fill the demand. So long as this state of affairs exists, vessels will have to carry at low rates to compete with their railroad rivals... There will be three lines of propellors touching at this port, the Merchants' Lake and River Steamship Line, The Dominion Line, and the Western Express Line with the ACADIA, AFRICA, ALMA MUNRO, ARMENIA, GEORGIAN, BRUNO, CUBA, D. R. VAN ALLEN, CITY OF ST. CATHARINES, ZEALAND and L. SHICKLUNA. The prospects for upbound freight for these vessels are good, the imports of heavier classes of merchandise being larger than during last season." D. R. VAN ALLEN, which spent the winter of 1874-1875 at Windsor, commenced freighting from Chatham to Montreal early in the 1875 season. "The Amherst burg Echo", June 18, 1875, reported that local coal merchant W. N. Stevens had recently sold 79 tons. "On Friday last the MINNIE MORTON took 4 tons; on Monday the steamer PHILADELPHIA took 15 tons; on Tuesday the propellor WINS LOW took 20 tons, and on Wednesday the tug METAMORA, 15 tons, and the pro pellor D. R. VAN ALLEN, 25 tons. " During this period, Amherstburg was a regular stop for the ship. Again from the "Echo", July 9, 1875: "The D. R. VAN ALLEN landed a quantity of freight at Kevill's dock last Friday morning. " Coal merchant Stevens sold 56 tons of coal to the tugs SILL, CROWELL, URA NIA, FAVORITE and REDWING, 25 to the ARCTIC and 23 to the LAKE MICHIGAN and D. R. VAN ALLEN for a total of 104 tons in September 1875. It is likely that the VAN ALLEN wintered again in Windsor 1875-1876. We rely heavily on items from "The Amherstburg Echo" for 1876 news. In early May, D. R. VAN ALLEN was loaded at the Canada Southern Railway station by Thomas Oullette with nearly 140, 000 feet of white oak and white ash plank and wainscoting, which she transported to Quebec, there to be reshipped on a steamer leaving for England on May 15th. Before she departed on this trip, the VAN ALLEN took on 33 tons of coal at Mullen's upper dock. No doubt she had to coal up again before she got to Quebec. At the end of the month, she arrived up from Montreal with freight for Smart, of Kingsville, and Weldon, of Gesto, which she discharged at Kevill's dock. She was back in mid-June from another Mont real run, discharging goods on Kevill's dock. Following this, she loaded oak timber at Leamington, which she transported to Quebec for reshipment to Eng land. On July 21st, the "Echo" reported that Messrs. Fox and Prosser, of Leamington, received by steamer VAN ALLEN, three large threshing machines complete and a large number of mowers and reapers. In August, the VAN ALLEN landed freight on Legget's dock at Amherstburg on her upward trip. In late September, she was reported loading a cargo of oak for Quebec at the Canada Southern station. The "Cleveland Herald's" Winter Quarters report in December 1876 had the propellors ASIA, VAN ALLEN, LAKE BREEZE and CITY OF OWEN SOUND berthed at Windsor, awaiting spring break-up. During this winter lay-up, the VAN ALLEN was painted green, from which we take it that her hull previously had been the more usual black. The VAN ALLEN left Windsor in early April for Chatham to load lumber for Quebec. During the first week of May 1877, she received a