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5. Marine News - cont'd. In the Mid-Summer issue, we noted that an agreement had been reached for the C. S. L. 1977-built seIf-unloader JEAN PARISIEN to be fitted with a new fore and mid-body at Port Weller Dry Docks. The ship had been in lay-up at the fit-out berth at the shipyard since late in 2003. On September 27th, the tugs GLENEVIS, PROGRESS and VIGILANT 1 moved the PARISIEN into the graving (south) dock where the rebuilding work will be done. Work will start immedi­ ately on the cutting away of the hull forward of the superstructure, and the old section will be towed in late October to the International Marine Sal­ vage yard at Port Colborne for scrapping. The work, specifically described in our last issue, will cost some $30 million and will give the clapped-out PARISIEN a 25-year extension on her life. As yet, there is no word on a new name for the rebuilt vessel. At long last, the Staten Island ferry GUY V. MOLINARI, built on the lakes by Marinette Marine, has reached her new home at New York City. After many delays, the MOLINARI finally sailed from Marinette on August 12, and was downbound in the Welland Canal on the 14th. Her trip out and down to New York was, however, delayed when she spent some three weeks at Providence, Rhode Island, for additional work. The MOLINARI finally sailed from Provi­ dence on September 26th and, via Long Island Sound and the East River, she arrived at New York on the afternoon of the same day. There was a civic reception for the ship, attended not only by her namesake but by New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. There will be much crew training and other fit-out to be done, and the MOLINARI will not enter service until January, 2005. Earlier in this report, we noted some of the recent developments involving the Toronto-Rochester fast ferry SPIRIT OF ONTARIO 1. But there is late- breaking news. On September 28, the Rochester "Democrat & Chronicle" repor­ ted that a federal judge had impounded the ferry after the Amerada Hess Corp., of New York City, sued the ferry operators for $372, 868 in unpaid fuel bills. The judge ordered that the ferry be locked down to prevent any possible departure from the jurisdiction, and ordered the U. S. Marshal to enforce the order. The week previous, Corporate 800, a Tampa telecommunica­ tions firm, filed suit in New York State Supreme Court for non-payment of part of what was allegedly owed to it. Many more creditors also are alleging that they have unpaid accounts. All of this would appear to make it much more difficult for CATS ever to resurrect that cross-lake ferry service. Back in July, a group of wreck hunters announced that the had found the wreck of the wooden freighter ROBERT WALLACE in Lake Superior some 13 miles out from Two Harbors, Minnesota. In fact, the wreck has turned out not to be that of the 209-foot WALLACE, but rather the 96-foot THOMAS FRIANT, which while operating as a fishing vessel was holed by ice and sunk in January of 1924. Also on the subject of wrecks, the pilfering of artifacts from them is sure to generate much discussion. A judge at Cheboygan, Michigan, recently ordered a local man to return items he had stolen from the 1894 wreck of the wooden steamer WILLIAM H. BARNUM in the Straits of Mackinac and fined him $4, 650 in court costs, fines and restitution. He was found to be in posses­ sion of other items stolen from wrecks, but the statute of limitations had tolled on those thefts, preventing charges. * * * * * SKIP GILLHAM'S LATEST BOOK Last issue, we mentioned member Skip's most recent book, Liberties on the Lakes. Skip is grateful for the many orders he has received, but begs that orders and cheques be made out to him personally, and not to Glenaden Press, which causes him grief at the bank. He reports that the book has been sel­ ling very well.