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Ship of the Month - cont'd. sheltered waters of the Lower St. Mary's River. From the "Port Arthur Daily News" of Wednesday, November 12, 1913, comes the following: "Last night's blow caused one grounding in the St. Mary's River when the steamer SCOTTISH HERO was driven ashore in Mud Lake". Apart from a reference to the HERO sustaining $500 in damage, the only other report of the incident we have found appeared in the "Sault Star" on November 11, 1913. "The SCOTTISH HERO was aground for a while down river, but she has since come up the channel... " On November 12, the same paper re­ ported: "The following boats have passed through the Canadian locks since nine o'clock yesterday morning: JAMES A. FARRELL at 9 a. m., KEEWATIN at 11: 30 a. m., SCOTTISH HERO at 11: 30 a. m., HENRY PHIPPS and MEAFORD at 1 p. m . " This would indicate that the damage to the HERO was not extensive, and that she could continue on her way upbound under her own power. Capt. Simpson was back on SCOTTISH HERO in 1914, and fitted her out at Parry Sound. Her first cargo of the year was grain to Goderich and, being a care­ ful book keeper, Simpson noted that, during that trip, he paid 50 cents car fare at the Soo for five men to fetch the whistle from the steamer CITY OF CHATHAM, which Simpson apparently wanted to use on the HERO. That season, the steamer carried grain from the Canadian Lakehead to Goderich, Midland, Port McNicoll and Port Colborne, while on upbound trips, she took coal from Sandusky, Ashtabula and Erie, sometimes for the Lakehead but occasionally to the Soo. Simpson made 21 trips in SCOTTISH HERO during the 1914 season, and laid her up at Goderich at the close of navigation. He then travelled to Toronto before returning home to Owen Sound. The "Goderich Signal" of December 3, 1914, noted: "Arrivals at the harbour this week include the SCOTTISH HERO, the MARISKA and the PAIPOONGE, all with grain for the Transit elevator. The SCOTTISH HERO unloaded and tied up for the winter. " Simpson's trip to Toronto may have had something to do with the fact that on December 1st, 1914, SCOTTISH HERO was sold to the Merchants Mutual Lake Line Ltd., of Toronto, of which Capt. J. W. Norcross was manager. Merchants Mutu­ al (the name usually was spelled without an apostrophe) began simply as a Toronto-based consortium of shipping interests, basically the result of the coming together of the interests of the Mutual Steamship Company, of Port Colborne, and the Merchants Steamship Company Ltd., of Toronto. The Mer­ chants Mutual Line was not actually incorporated until May 2nd, 1910, and J. W. Norcross & Co. were the agents. Merchants Mutual went through a number of changes in only a few years and finally, in 1913, control passed (via Norcross) to Canada Steamship Lines Ltd., Montreal (of which, interestingly, Norcross was managing director). Merchants Mutual continued as a distinct C. S. L. subsidiary for several years before its vessels were completely inte­ grated into the rest of the huge C. S. L. fleet. SCOTTISH HERO, however, was never to operate for Merchants Mutual on the lakes. The Canadian lake shipping industry had gone soft, but ships were needed desperately on salt water to assist in the war effort. The May 1915 issue of "Canadian Railway and Marine World" reported: "We have been advised that the Dominion Iron and Steel Co., Sydney, N. S., has chartered the Canadian Lake and Ocean Navigation Co. 's (sic) s. s. SCOTTISH HERO, for three years. She was ordered recently to proceed from Goderich to Ashtabula, Ohio, where she is being cut in two, to enable her to pass through the Welland Canal locks... " Capt. Simpson was given command of SCOTTISH HERO for the start of her 1915 season, and H. C. Harrison was appointed as chief engineer. Simpson departed Owen Sound on April 13, 1915, to begin fit-out of his steamer. The "Goderich Signal" reported on Thursday, April 15, 1915: "Amid a great ovation and whistles of practically all the craft at the harbour, the steamer (THOMAS J. ) DRUMMOND left her moorings on Monday and steamed out of the harbour, on­ ly to be frustrated in her attempt to leave port by a big ice field which extended for about two miles out into the lake. After battling for several