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Page 32 entirely lit up, the respective house bands would be playing Anchors Away, and it was quite a site to see both the NORTH and SOUTH leave the Island together, and continue on their journeys into the dark, star-laden evening. "As each ship backed away from their berth, the crew on the NORTH would yell friendly insults to their rivals on the SOUTH, and vice-versa. The SOUTH was a few feet longer, and the SOUTH crew would remind the NORTH about it. Also, the NORTH had windows on its C Deck, whereas the SOUTH had portholes. The SOUTH crew would yell in unison that "real ships don't have windows, only houses had windows." "The Labor Day appearance of these two lovely boats, the variety shows at the Grand, and the fond farewell at the dock at midnight on a cool September Mackinac evening marked the beautiful end of the summer for both sailors and college kids alike." Writing from Duluth, Ms. JC Curtis described a month she spent aboard the SOUTH AMERICAN as a waitress. "I learned quickly to weave a zigzag The female crew members lived in the Harem. course, carrying a full tray for four, through tables during each sitting for dinner, lunch, and breakfast...We worked hard on the ship, starting about 6am, and stopped at about 9pm. We had about a half hour in the morning and a couple of hours in the afternoon for breaks. I figured out for the hours we worked the salary came to about 65 cents/hour. "There were a lot of young people in the crew, we had lots of fun. It was glorious after work to go up on the poop deck and look at the stars. We'd talk, sing, someone always had a radio along. Long about 10 or so, all the gals would be told to go down below for the night. The guys got to stay out all night up there." Not very fair, she thought. Janice Littlefield had the best of both worlds. "In the summer, from the mid 1950's to the early 1960's, I would make a weekly trip with my Mother from the east side of Detroit to the foot of Woodward where "Grandma's boat" stopped briefly in Detroit to pick up and drop off passengers. Grandma spent May through October as a stewardess on both the NORTH and SOUTH AMERICAN, tending passengers' rooms along with a dozen or so other gals her age that were widowed or never married. "Every week, I couldn't wait to get on board to run down the long halls, past the grand salon, past the stage, and down the stairs, and find my favorite friends, Olga and Adeline. Most often they will be in the "Harem," which was where the female crew members lived. Fascinated, I would stare at the bunk beds packed in extremely close quarters with the curved metal hull of the ship for walls, and of course brass portholes with hardware large enough to seal the ship against Grandma's storm stories. "The real thrill was in the freedom to explore the boat by myself. I'd pay attention to the details, peeking into the cabins, which were long and narrow, with two bunk beds, a small sink, a porthole, and commode. The rest of the ship was draped in luxury. Overstuffed leather couches and chairs that matched, fancy chandeliers, and nice carpeting, which made me feel like I was in a grand hotel! "After this I would venture to the lowest deck at the stern to find my Mom and Dossin Museum Collection