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TELESCOPE Page 120 The steamer HINCKLEY at the dock at Cape Vincent, N.Y. in the early 1920s. ges. As a young man, Capt. Phelps sailed on the upper Lakes, later returning to Lake Ontario, sailing out of Lewiston and Char- lotte, as well as down the St. Lawrence to Montreal. He was a skilled navigator and always delighted in telling his experiences. However, he was better known as a boat and shipbuilder. He built and rebuilt tugs, schooners, steamers, scows and small fishing boats, his first product being the little 57-ton two-masted schooner Emma in 1882 (US 135602 56' x 15' x 5'). One of the last sizable vessels he built was a 70-foot fishing tug. Many of his boats were well known up and down the lakes and St. Lawrence River over the years, particularly in the coasting trade of coal, lumber, hay and other commodities between the smaller ports. They also carried stone from the limestone quarries of Chau- mont to various ports for use as breakwaters and docks. Most of the oak and other timber used in shipbuilding in those days was cut locally or on nearby islands in Lake Ontario which was rafted to these small shipyards. The yards, including Phelps', were rather crude affairs, consisting of little more than makeshift stocks near the water. Only the larger ports had drydocks. These small yards gave employment to a comparatively large number of men in the community. Rebuilding and repair work was also a large part of the business, especially when there weren't any orders for new vessels. Particularly in Chaumont, vessels that had seen better days were brought in and refitted by Phelps for small owners. Usually, they were winched ashore and then towed back out into the water when work was completed. Some were cut in two, lengthened and reassembled. Phelps was prominent in this business from the early 1880s until his death on April 21, 1922 at his home, which was the old toll gate house by the bridge crossing the Chaumont River. His two brothers, Leon and Pearl, continued the business to some extent for a few years. Mr. Phelps had no children. He also was survived by three sisters. Very few people are alive today who recall the glory days of shipbuilding and repair at Chaumont, and there is hardly a trace left to even mark the spot were the Phelps yard was. But in its day, this and other similarly obscure small ports contributed much to the maritime commerce of the lakes. Author's Collection