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Che Detroit Marine Historian MARINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF DETROIT, INC. VOLUME 11, NUMBER 5 JANUARY, 1958 HOR OR OR OK OR RR KOK KOK OK OR KOK OK OK KOK OK ROK ROK OK KR KOK OK OK KOK OK OK OK OK OK THE LAKE SUPERIOR TRANSIT COMPANY, 1872-1892 The WINSLOW Photo, courtesy Capt.H.C.Inches The Lake Superior Transit Company was a pool company which operated ships chartered from competing fleets on the route between Buffalo and Lake Superior ports. In 1872 the UNION STZAMBOAT COMPANY, which would later be affiliated with the Erie Railroad, and the ANCHOR LINE, properly known as the Erie & Western Transportation Company, and connected with the Pennsyl- vania Railroad,were both operating over this route. In order to provide regular sailings without undue duplication these two companies pooled some of their ships to be operated on a schedule mutually satisfactory to both. After six years a formal corporation was set up to operate the ships of this pool. At this time two more fleets alloted ships for this pool service. They were the Western Transportation Company which was the Great Lakes arm of the New York Central System, and the Detroit and Cleveland Steam Navi- gation Company. The latter, however, entered ships in the LSTC pool only in the years 1881 and 1882. In the two decade history of the Lake Superior Transit Company there were twenty-one ships contributed by the companies involved, and near the end of the period one ship was actually purchased by LSTC. The pool service continued until 1892, when the corporation was dissolved and the ships then in the fleet were returned to their original owners. Most of the vessels involved were of the typical "propellor" type, with stack near the stern, one high spar forward, high arch braces amid- ships and the typical birdcage pilot house. There were, also, four iron propellors and one iron sidewheeler,in the fleet at various times. All of the ships are described in the following list. (Continued, next page)