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with a freshening northeast wind. Distress signals were sounded and fortunately, these brought aid in the form of the Life Saving crew of Station No. 11 and the steamer W.H. Stevens. Both would-be rescue parties arrived at the same time and it was decided to let the Stevens take the two boats in tow to the Soo. Shortly after reaching the Sault Ste. Marie River, the winds on Lake Superior began blowing gale force. Had not the Stevens arrived when she did, both the Sheldon and the Bradley, might have ended their days on the beach as wrecks. (The Alva Bradley had just been released from the beach at Shot Point, just east of Marquette a few days or so before, after she had stranded there during a gale on October 23. The Sheldon had been ordered by her owner to pick up the Bradley, also owned by the Bradley Trans- portation Company and bring her to Cleveland for repairs.) It would appear that the Stevens brought both vessels down the lakes where they underwent necessary repairs. Engine problems again occurred while upbound on Lake Erie in mid-October of 1889. The steamer was able to reach Detroit under her own power, but was delayed for a day with repairs. While operating in the Bradley Fleet, the Sheldon carried a variety of cargoes. One of her mainstays on downbound trips was grain, particularly late in the season. On one of these trips to Buffalo in 1891, the steamer was in- volved in a serious accident which occurred all to frequently in congested Buffalo Creek. While lying near the Sturges elevator, waiting to unload a cargo of grain, the vessel was struck by the steamer Gault, on November 24. The Gault was in tow, headed up the river. When attempting to pass the Sheldon, she struck a heavy blow to the Sheldon's stern. A large hole was cut into the Sheldon, but as the damage was mostly above water, she was in no immediate danger of sinking. A canvas sheet was placed over the hole to prevent leaking until her cargo could be unloaded. Rough estimates of the damage was placed at $500 to the vessel with no damage to her cargo. Due to the lateness of the season, it was decided to lay the steamer up at Buffalo and have repairs performed there. In 1892 at the end of May or the first of June, the Sarah E. Sheldon suffered her third engine breakdown. This time she was in the confines of the Detroit River, near Southeast Bend with her consort, when her machinery became disabled. All of the vessels were able to JAN x FEB, 1985 Page 11 safely come to anchor. It is not known at this time whether this breakdown required docking or whether her engineer was able to make satisfactory repairs so that she could continue on her voyage. Early in 1893, the Sheldon, while downbound with grain for Kingston, Ontario, stranded on the rocks in the Sault Ste. Marie River. On May 23, after about four days on the rocks, she was released with the aid of a diver and a steam pump. The vessel sustained considerable damage, requiring repairs to some thirty feet of her keel, a new fore foot and a number of planks forward. In March of 1894 the Sarah E. Sheldon underwent another rebuild. She was reduced once again to a single deck, with a single mast. In addition to this, her cabins on the stern were largely changed. The work was completed in May and she was enrolled at Cleveland on the 10th, with a gross tonnage of 693 and a net of 517. These changes were undertaken because the steamer had begun to run in the lumber trade with considerable regularity. Her new profile allowed her to carry quite a bit more lumber. Later that same year engine problems returned to once again plague the vessel. On September 12, the steamer broke down while off Cheboygan, Michigan. She was forced to drop her consorts, Ely and the Neguanee, and limp into Cheboy- gan harbor for repairs. After turning her consorts loose, the Negaunee was able to come to anchor, but the Ely was driven ashore at Detour. Apparently, the Ely was not seriously damaged, for both she and the Sheldon were repaired and back in operation by late Septem- ber. No sooner had the steamer and her barges returned to work, when they were mauled in a storm on October 1 and 2. The Sheldon had been downbound with the Ely and Negua- nee in tow with lumber, from Duluth to Chi- cago. When off Keweenaw Point, on the first, the vessels were overtaken by a gale. The steamer's rudder was unshipped causing the vessels to wallow about in the waves. Temporary repairs were made to the rudder which allowed the boat to be maneuvered . behind Keweenaw Point. Once behind the point, further repairs were made to the rudder. All the vessels suffered damages in the storm. The Ely and Neguanee both lost their deck- loads, and the Sheldon sprung several leaks, although none were serious. In addition, waves broke down her engine room door, creating havoc below in her eingine room.