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SHIPS THAT NEVER DIE (#74) CITY OF ALPENA (Us aie es cee A MACKINAC (US 126988 pair of near ddpiteate:: steel sidewheel passen- ger and freight steam- boats. Designed by F.E. Kirby & built in 1893 at Wyandotte & Detroit by the Detroit DD Co., for the Detroit & Cleve- land Steam Navigation Co. Built expressly for the owners' Lake Huron Division, "The Coast Line to Mackinac," they replaced two older ships of the same name that had been sold out of the D.& C.Fleet. Hull dimensions were, C.of A.(above) 266.2 x 69.8 x 13.4, 1735 g.t., C.of M.(below) 266.0 x 69.2 x 13.4, 1749 g.t. Their engines of 200 hp were beam compound, built by Fletcher of Hoboken, and drove side paddle wheels of the feathering type. The engines were also near duplicates, the difference being 2" in the length of stroke of the high pressure piston. They were given a bow rudder, the first installation of the device in this type of ship, which enabled the steamer to back out un- assisted from small harbors along the west shore of Lake Huron. C.of A. was completed first and started the service, C.of M.following her in a few weeks. Each season was started by one steamer as soon as the harbors were free of ice, the second steamer started in June and carried on alone after September lst until the end of November. During the summer months each steamer made two round trips weekly between Toledo, Ohio and St.Ignace, Mich. Ten regular stops were madeupbound and nine downbound. Additional stops at some smaller ports were _ made as business developed. These new steamers proved very popular with the traveling public, and with the development of Northern Michigan and Mackinac Igland as summer resorts, capacity loads of passengers were common on every trip. The towns along L.Huron shore depended greatly on the steamers for bring- ing them merchandise and for expoerying their produce, hence full loads were carried, particularly in the spring and fall. In 1912 when name changes were made in almost every D.& C.ship, the Roman numeral II was added to their names. From the beginning of World War I business for the boats had steadily declined and in 1919 the service begun in 1883 was abandoned and the ships were laid up at Detroit and offered for sale. Both were bought in 1921 by the Graham & Morton Trans. Co. of Chicago and operated across L-Michi- gan from Chicago to Holland & Saugatuck. In 1922 C.of A. - became CITY OF SAUGATUCK and 4. C.of M. became CITY OF HOL- eaerlgr LAND. In 1924 G.& M merged : yi with Goodrich Transit Co.,& a under the joint ownership the steamers continued in ser- vice until 1933 when the wwa- ers ceased all operations. They lay idle until 1939 when both were taken to Sturgeon Bay. CITY OF HOLLAND was com- pletely scrapped in 1940. Q The partly dismalntled CITY OF SAUGATUCK was bought in 1939 by Capt Roen, who saved the hull and converted it in- to a tow barge, named LEONA, used mostly as a pulp carrier. (Turn back to bottom of p.2) Jt IP Lis