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_ Lett We Forget... Thomas F. Newman The history of Great Lakes transportation is largely a his- tory of outstanding men who started from scratch and fought their way up, building fleets to carry the raw materials and pro- ducts of a growing nation. Typical of these ambitious, hard-working men who became out— standing executives is Thomas F. Newman, who pushed through his dream of a marine link between Cleveland and Buffalo. An account of his life -- and death -- is to be found in the December, 1929, edition of The Great Lakes News. It was his ob- ituary. Newman died Nov. 6, 1929 at his home in Cleveland Heights at the age of 76, after spending 60 of those years in Great Lakes transportation. Newman started as "all around" boy in the office and freight sheds of the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co. His pay was $3.50 a week and, according to the ar- ticle, "He was down on the docks long before the boats arrived and was the last to leave after the boats had started on their way back to Detroit." The hard-working youngster caught the eye of Capt. L. A. Pierce, general agent of the D. & C., who encouraged him to learn the business. So well did he learn that in 1884 he suc- ceeded Capt. Pierce as general agent. In 1892 he got the idea ofa service between Cleveland and Buffalo and made a survey of the possibility. He submitted it to the D. & C. but it was turned down although you Newman was commended for his initiative. But Newman wanted more than a commendation. He went out and sold the idea to a group of wealthy men and the following year the Cleveland & Buffalo Transit Co., started operations een ape boats bought from the They were renamed STATE OF NEW YORK and STATE OF OHIO. The steamer CITY OF BUFFALO was built for the line in 1896 and the same year the steamer CITY OF ERIE was added to the C. & B. Fleet. The big step came in 1912 when the 500-foot steamer SEEANDBEE was built for the line. Newman served as general mana- ger until 1925 when the presi- dent, M. A. Bradley, became the chairman of the board and Newman succeeded him in the presidency. He was also a director and former president of the Great Lakes Towing So., a director of the Cleveland Wire Spring [o., and a member of the Cleveland Harbor Commission. On his death he was succeeded as president of the C. & B. by G. A. Tomlinson, head of the Tomlinson Fleet, a director of the American Shipbuilding Co., president of the Buffalo Dry Dock Co., and a director of the Great Lakes Transportation Co. Today there is a reminder of Thomas F. Newman for those who ride the Bob-Lo boats or follow salvage operations. Moored at the McQueen Marine, Ltd., dock in Amherstburg or assisting some grounded vessel is the lighter fT. F. NEWMAN which McQueen ob- tained from the Great Lakes Tow- ing Co. Thus Thomas F. Newman is still serving Great Lakes Transportat- ion. Curt Haseltine