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R.C. No. 2, the Russell Construction Co., Ltd., tug that opened the navigation season for the Port of Toronto by going to Hamilton, arrived back here yesterday morning at 7 o'clock. Tied on either side of her as she arrived in Toronto was a piledriver to be used on the new airport work. That was the reason for her early trip. Capt. Ray Hand, her master, said he had a perfectly good trip coming back across Lake Ontario early Sunday morning. But his trip to Hamilton was not as good as it might have been. Strong head winds slowed him up. He took an hour and a half longer than he figured to make the trip. At Hamilton he was held up by high winds. Hoping to clear from the Ambitious City port by 9 o'clock Saturday night, it was shortly after midnight before he finally decided tc head for the open lake. Then the wind had subsided somewhat. The piledrivers he brought back with him were top heavy, and if he had run into a heavy sea there was every possibility of them turning over. So the prospects of the trip were not of the best. Capt. Hand is a son of the late Capt. William Hand, and a native of Port Dalhousie. Twenty-six years ago last Thursday he first took to sailing. He was sixteen years old then, and joined his father, who was "tugging" in the old Welland Canal. Those were the days when the tugging business was good, but with the opening of the new canal this business gave way to the wheels of progress. Capt. Ray said he has spent his life "tugging." Since leaving his father's employ he has commanded for Canada Steamship Lines, Harrigan of Port Dalhousie, W. L. Forest and the Russell Construction Co., Ltd. C.S.L. APPOINTMENTS Appointments of officers for the various companies are, in the main, not released yet. This, in some cases, is due to the fact that, undecided what freighters will be operating this season, the appointments have not yet-been made. According to L. M. Fine!:, sistant manager of Upper Lakes and St. Lawrence Transportation Co., and its subsidiaries, his company's list of officers will probably be released this week. Canada Steamship Lines appointments have been'released, and there are very few changes in the ship's masters and chief engineers. However, there have been quite a few changes in the mates, it was learned. In order to give the men further experience many of them have been switched from package freighters to bulk freighters and vice-versa, while the odd few have been re-appointed to their old boats. Here are the appointments for Canada Steamship Lines, with vessel, master and chief engineer, in that order: UPPER LAKERS Ashcroft, Capt. P. McKay, h. Young; Donnacona. Capt. James Reoch, C. Leriche; Emperor. Capt. J, A. Brown, I. J. Boynton; Gleneagies, Capt. D. W. Burke, Geo. Price; Goderich, Capt, J. J. Dube. P. Eagles; i-ly, Capt. J. F. Davis, J. M. Kennedy; Lemoyne, Capt. c. E. Robinson. D. A. Sinclair; Osier, Capt. A. F. MacLennan, M. Dedman; Prescott, Capt. Roy Burke (no engineer); Stadacona, Capt. J. H, Hudson, James [ McGregor; Westmount, Capt. W. H. Montgomery, W. H. Taylor. Package freighters: Renvoyle, Capt. T. S. Patterson, H. Myler; Huronic, Capt. W. Taylor, H. H. Moore. SELF UNLOADING COAL CARRIERS Coakhaven, Capt. T. J. Carson, J. B. Polding; Collier, Capt. L. G. Bird, J. J. Dove; Glenelg, Capt. R. Belcher, J. Douglas; Midland Prince, Capt. P. Beatty, T. W. Verity. PACKAGE FREIGHT VESSELS Beaverton, Capt. E. J. Shannon, R. Sinclair; Calgarian, Capt. A. Allen, J. Brooks; Canadian, Capt. E. Corcoran, T. Nichols; City of Hamilton, Capt. J. A. Lepine, M. J. O'Brien: | City of Kingston, Capt. J. A. Fergu-; son, M. J. Sherman; City of Montreal, i Capt. N. Legault, H. Paus; City of Toronto, Capt. M. J. Corkey, A. P. Norris; City of Windsor, Capt. A. Francis, L. E. Spencer; Edmonton, Capt. Roy Anderson, A. J. O'Brien; Fernie, Capt. Alex. Wilson, J. R. Naudie; Kenora, Capt. P. J. Stinson, R. W. Howes; Lethbridge, Capt. W. J. Holler, W. C. Spencer; Saskatoon, Capt. Thos. McLeod, F. Lumley; Selkirk, Capt. E. F. Raeburn, J. A. MacDonald; Weyburn, Capt. H. Baxter, R. H. Isbester; Winnipeg, Capt. H. A. Patterson, James Kirk. PASSENGER VESSELS Cayuga, Capt. J. D. Strachan, J. F. Henry; Kingston, Capt. B. A. Bon-i gard, D. J. Leslie; Toronto, Capt. H. • Webster, G. W. MacDonald; Noronic,] Capt. H. J. Aitken, J. W. McLeod; | Hamonic, Capt. T. H. Johnston, J. G. \ MacHattie. LOWER LAKE BULK FREIGHTERS Acadian, Capt. L. Pregent, J. A. Gunn; Barrie, Capt. H. Laliberte, W. L. Hurder; Donald Stewart, Capt. V. Chartier, M. Manner; Dundas, Capt. E. Poirier, M. Rankin; Elgin, Capt. C. E. Scott, J. Dyscn; Fairmount, Capt. A. Wilson, W. E. Downing; Grain-motor, Capt. Geo. C. Kirk, E. C. Fleming; Granby, Capt. W. J. Hore, M. Parry; Hastings, Capt. J. G. R. Toupin, G. W. Clark; Kindersley, Capt. D. H. Porter, F. B. Bonnell; Kinmount, Capt. B. Sullivan, A. J. McChristie; Knowlton, Capt. L. Pat-enaude, J. J. Smith Lanark, Capt. S. T. Sutton, D. Pruder; Lennox, Capt. C. Simpson, W. P. O'Grady; Magog, Capt. A. Bonin, J. Bennett; Mapleton, Capt. J. C. MacMillen, D. F. Locfk-wood; Meaford, Capt. J. R. Lamarre, A. Meikle; Norfolk, Capt. H. A. Leaney (no engineer); Oxford, Capt. D. Nolan, E. L. Warner; Penetang, Capt. E. Grlesbach, W. Coburn; Sher-brooke, Capt. N. J. Reoch, R. M. Bonnell; Simcoe, Capt. H. J. Clarke, p. J. Rutherford; Starmount, Capt.. J. W. Scarrow, J. M. Clarke; Waterloo, Capt. G. Lefebvre, J. Neville; Winona, Capt. George E. Stephens, J. Hamelin. As soon as appointments from other companies are received they will be in this column. READY TO CLEAR As was the case last season, the | first freighter to clear this port will be the self unloader Valley Camp. She is scheduled, according to orders received by her master. Capt. Bruce Nichols, to clear on April 1. She will leave here light and trade on Lake Ontario until the actual navigation season gets under way properly. Insurance rates for lake i freighters go into effect at midnight, April 14. However, there may be an arrival here with cargo before that date from some Lake Ontario port. Before this date the canals at each end of J Lake Ontario will be closed, confin-; ing the trading of lake freighters to | the comparatively small area of this ' lake COLONIAL STEAMSHIPS Royalton, Capt. J. E. Stewart, V. Parker; Mathewston. Capt. W. J. Moles, L. Crawford; Berryton, Capt. D. A. Kennedy, O. Williams; Bayton, Capt. J. H. Glass, K. B. DeMille; Laketon, Capt. C. E. Meisner, no engineer appointed; Riverton. Capt. E. C. Hawman, J. L. Campbell; Easton, Capt. J. A. Felker, R. Brett; Northton, Capt. S. Pleasance, W. Chambers; Yorkton, no appointments. SARNIA STEAMSHIPS Anna C. Mich, Capt. H. McKosky, C. Reive; Scott Meisner, Capt. L. H. Burmister, Chas. Reid; J. O. McKellar, Capt. James Norris, Thomas New- I ham; C. H. Houson, Capt. J. Halstead, A Kinnear; Ralph Gilchrist, Capt. A. R. Rafuse, George Barrett; Joseph P. Burke, Capt. W. Cornett, James Calvert; Rahane, Capt. D. L. Wilson, F. Davison; Chemong, Capt. W. Nichols, D. Munroe; Drumahoe, Capt. W. A. Stewart, D. Barclay; Starwell, Capt. J. A. Denis, A. Lyons; Lockwell, Capt. Murdo Smith, D. McKenzie; Pertwell, Capt. James Walton, J. Finlay; Fair-river, no master appointed, chief engineer, A. Pruder; Lairlake, Capt. J. W. Howey, no engineer appointed. McKELLAR STEAMSHIPS Livingston, Capt. E. S. Bailey, A. McLaren; Waterton, no master appointed, chief engineer, J. Irwin. RIVER STILL BLOCKED Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., April 8 (Special)—A day of hard work, bucking ice in lower St. Mary's River, still found two U.S. coast guard cutters, Ossipee, of the Sault, and Escanaba, of Grand Haven, Mich., unable to break through the ice barriers, which are holding back the opening of the 1938 interlake navigation season. The Ogsipee. heading down the river, and the Escanaba, bucking ice up-bound, are separated by several miles of heavy ice. HAMILTON OPENING At Hamilton Harbormaster A. H. Bell announced to-day that navigation there would open on Monday next, with the Donnacona, a Canada Steamship Lines vessel, expected to be the first commercial ship to enter the port this year. The Donnacona is waiting at Port Colborne to bring coal to the Steel Company of Canada docks.