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ES Sixty Years Ago C&# wv March of 1909 was quite a month for launches on our Lakes, EUG- ENE J. BUFFINGTON started it off with a big splash into Lorain's Black River from the American Ship Building yard on March 6. The following Saturday, March 13, Mutual fTransit's package freighter NORTH LAKE was launch- ed at the St.Clair yard of Great Lakes Engineering Works, Then on March 24, a Wednesday, the self- unloader ALPENA was launched at the Wyandotte yard of American Ship Building for the Michigan Alkali Co. But all of this was only leading up to Saturday, March 27, which must have been one of the biggest launching days in the history of the Lakes. On that day four large boats were launched. The package freighter NORTH SEA, building for Mutual Transit Co., was launched by Great Lakes Engin- eering at Ecorse; the freighter DENMARK, built for R.P.Ranney, was sent into the Maumee by Tol- edo Ship Building Co., and Amer- ican Ship Building launched the ANDREW S. UPSON, also for Rufus P. Ranney, at Lorain, and La- BELLE, built for LaBelle Steam- ship Co., (Hanna & Co., manager) at their Cleveland yard...Two of the seven are still with us: EUGENE J. BUFFINGTON is still Sailing for U.S.Steel and ALPENA is now sailing for Erie Sand Steamship as SIDNEY E.. SMITH JR. The two package boats eventually went to saltwater. NORTH LAKE, later called J.E.GORMAN and ADE- LAIDE, was scrapped in 1953 while NORTH SEA, later nam- ed_ EDWARD CHAMBERS, was abandon- ed_ at Seattle in 1951. The other three bulk freighters were scrapped in recent years: DEN- MARK went to Italy in 1961 and LaBELLE followed her the next year. ANDREW S._UPSON was scrap- ped at Port Colborne in 1964. "The Northern Michigan Transpor- tation Co., purchased the light- house tender DAHLIA at the auc- tion sale last week for $5,400. The DAHLIA was built in Phila- delphia 35 years ago for service on the Great Lakes"...The new owners rebuilt her as a passeng- er and package freight boat but got less than three years ser- vice out of her as she was sunk in the ice off Chicago on March 11, 1912. “Capt. Henry Peterson will bring out the new steamer SHENANGO, now under construction at the Ecorse yard of the Great Lakes Engineering Works, Capt. Peter- son has brought out all the new steamers for the Snyder inter- ests."...While Capt. Peterson has long since been sailing oth- er and_we trust more peaceful lakes, the boat he brought out 60 years ago still sails our Lakes as Wilson's A.T.LAWSON, In between, she was also B.W.DRUCK- ENMILLER for American Steamship. “Lumber and coal barges DONALD- SON and FANNIE NEIL for sale, well-equipped with hawser lines, pumps, boilers, siphons, yawls and tools, Class A-2 straight. Carrying capacity either boat 900 ton coal, 550,000 to 600,000 ft. lumber. Price each boat, $4,000. Address J.U. Karr, 1330 W. Eleventh St., Cleveland, 0." e+ eAnyone interested? Great Lakes news for March, 1909, as reported by The Marine Review with 1969 comments by Dave Glick