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Page 34 complimented by louvers in the cabin door. The cabin was a light gray monotone, which gave it a rather Spartan atmosphere. "After depositing our few bags in the cabin we made our way to the front upper deck below the pilot house. There was a light breeze coming up the river from the SW. The big steam horn went off and the ship was underway a little after 5 p.m. The breeze increased as the ship made its way into the wind going down river. It was fun seeing all the buildings, the variety of vessels that were tied up, and watching traffic on the river as the ship headed for Lake Erie. Other than an occasional blast from the steam horn, the wind was probably the loudest sound as the ship itself seemed to make no noise except for the splash of the bow wave. "We watched the scenery pass by until it came time for us to have dinner in the dining room that was one flight down from the upper viewing deck. The tables were covered with white linen cloths, the china was white with a medium blue trim stripe and the "D&C" letters in old English script. The heavy plated silverware was also monogrammed with D&C. There were several waiters in attendance. We could watch the shoreline go by as we ate. Following dinner we toured the ship. On the deck below the dining room there was a salon area with a window that offered a view down into the engine room. The engine laid on its side and the huge piston rods and crack shaft were readily visible as they slowly revolved. The engine did not seem to make any noise, however there was a low but steady rhythm that could be felt in the deck. We watched as the crewmen made their way around to the various points that needed oiling or checking as the engine ran. "We went from there out onto the deck, where we watched one of the massive paddle wheels as it turned. We could see this by looking down through a post hole type window that was in a box next to the outside wall of the salon." While these were the largest paddle wheels in the world, "the big wheels were encased in the hull and were not readily visible" from the outside. "From there we ascended to the top deck. Which was actually the roof of the upper cabin deck, to tour the Gothic Room. This was a magnificent structure maybe 25' wide and about 120' long, the interior of which was hand carved oak in the style of an old European home or maybe an Abby. The view out over the water of the distant shore was grand, as we could see early lights of evening on both the north and south shores of Lake Erie. "We later returned to the cabin to go to bed, as it had been a long exciting day, and found the small space was a bit stuffy, even though the windows were left open at both the top and bottom. However dropping the upper sash helped relieve some of the warm air. A squall came up during the night that blew rain into the cabin so the window had to be raised some, as the over hang of the deck above helped shield that area. We were up at 6:30 a.m. the next morning as the ship was nearing Buffalo. We had breakfast in the main dining room, were soon disembarking and waiting for the car to re-emerge from the black hole in the side of the vessel." Theodore Kesman - served on the Tashmoo Dossin Museum Collection