The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

3 Of The L5J)iJD The Last Struggle ^ *'■'* "ZoviC Dows" Nc /ember lr 89 To watch a ship 'larg* cr small) .team or sail) sirkln« before your cva.-» is * w?st tra*li; scene. When a is fcui.lt, tkor.e who build. her p/grt those that sail her, puc sowe-tting into her although not mads of ar.iiwi, vegitable ov mineral, la a vital part of her. You do nou see or feel it,yet it is there when reeded. Realization of this added quality is felt with surety when she fights to survive a stci© or the water that slowly pulls her down. Captain Roach of the tug "Morford", cue of tne vessels that went to the assistance of the "David Dows", discribes its' sinking as follows: "The big vessel, was being watched over very much after the fashion one holds a vigil over the bed of a dying man. She had to go. There was no v;ay of saving her. At 2:45 P.M. her timbers began to groan. She ceased her heavy pitching. Slowly she leaned over to starboard. Her five monster sticks were dipping over and reached the waters edge. She began to right herself, but more waves came aboard and the masts dlped again. Then, slowly, majestically, her stem rose up out of the water and her bow gradually sank out of sight. Half her length submerged,she shot down ur.til her stem stood upright. In this way she disappeared from view, and, going to the bottom, righted up, her tall masts reappearing above the water, bolt upright. In this position she lies--a total loss, irreclaimable." Thus passed on to smother seas the first five masted schooner ever built in America, and the largest ever built on the hakes. HEW 'SERIES' OF AimcfLES ...... TO START IN DECEMBER Beginning with the December issue of TELESCOPE, a series of articles telling of forgotten ports and their histories. The articles will alternate with The LITTLE SHIPS. December TELESCOPE PORTS OF THE PAST Little Ships--cont. and Indians, British and their n\n: colonics. Even after the close of the American Revolution the British J held Detroit and other posts south | of the Great Lakes thereby creating i or.-' 0^ the r.-any circumstances leading' up to the war of i8l2. To control the fur trade, and to[ prevent the Arae"loans from building vessels which might make a bid for control of the Lakes, the British i prohibited the operation of privately ownra ships, for a while all e<m;efce was dependent upon naval vessels for transportation. The confusion u.od do Lay to shipments ! became intoieratl;. The point was i reached where it took five years for a London merchant to get returns on his investment. Naturally, the fur trade languished. To relieve the situation Governor Haldimand permitted the licensing of private vessels,under navy super-vis ion. Even 'worse conditions followed, arid finally,after strong protests real relief was granted. The construction of new vessels began at once. Among the first of these to be launched at Detroit was the two-mast topsail schooner "Nancy',' in 1785. Bulit for the account of the Hon. John Richardson, of Montreal, she was armed with six small guns; not forfighting, but to repel attacks by Indians or interlopers. After the Eattle of Lake Erie she was the only British vessel above the falls of Niagara. In this role she needed heavier armament, which was provided, and she shuttled back and fourth between the mouth of the Notawasaga River and Mackinac Island, keeping the garison at the latter place supplied with food and munitions. Before being assigned to that duty the "Nancy" had already made a name for herself, and a place in the hearts of Britons. In August 1812 she participated in the capture of the U.S. Brig "President Adams", and Fort Detroit. She had been in the attacks on Fort Meigs,on the Maumee Rlver,May 9, and July 24,1813,transporting General Procter and the 4lst. Regiment to and from the scene of action. In August of the same year she again carried the same commander And his troops to the attack on Fort