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V The steamer William F. Fitch brought activity to the Detroit waterfront early this year as it left, as shown above, loaded with 250 motor cars for Cleveland. Last year the first auto ship for Cleveland left April 1. MUD DREDGERS CROSS ATLANTIC IN MIDWINTER Little Ships Tossed About Like Cockle Shells in Wild Storms — "Never Again," Their Crews Say Saint John. N.B.—"One of the most remarkable Atlantic crossings ever made" is the description in an English newspaper (News of the World) of a voyage from Saint John to Southampton this winter by two hopper barges, or auxiliary dredgers also known as mudhoppers. "Incredible hardships" experienced by the crews of the barges on an "epic 23-day passage" were related in the publication. The 200-ton, 130-foot "hoppers," Foremost 17 and Foremost 18, wen. sold to a company in England. Thirty men. comprising two crews under Captains J. Glasgow and Arthur Pope, came to Saint John to take tin awkward barges across the ocean. Such a trip is a rarity for mud-hoppers, which usually work in placid harbor waters. Other mariners expressed respect for the courage of the men who ventured to attempt the voyage in midwinter, when the Atlantic is at its worst. On three occasions the Foremost 18 drifted helplessly in a howling gale while her smashed steering gear was feverishly repaired. One night she ran on rocks off the Scilly Isles with barely a ton of coal left in her bunkers. When finally she limped into Southampton her bridge had disappeared and the remaining superstructure was lashed down by rope. GALES NEAR SHORE The Foremost 17 fared little better. After a perilous crossing she replenished bunkers at Queenstown and then heavy gales i St. George's Channel forced her to head towards Holyhead for shelter. This destination never was reached. In four hours the barge was blown 28 miles from her course and had to be taken in tow by the Leith steamship Saganaga for eight hours until calmer water enabled her to continue under her own power. "The only clear weather we experienced in nearly four weeks was for a period of nine hours on the second day out," said Bill Darling, 56, a New Zealander and first officer of the Foremost 18. "We left Saint John fully equipped but our steering gear was carrier away three times in terrific gale:,. I have been a sailor for 31 years and have never seen such high seas, even off Cape Horn, "There was barely a ton of bunker coal left when we ran close to the Scilly Isles in an effort to reach the nearest port. We struck the rocks in the night just off St. Mary's and sent up distress signals, but they were not seen. In the morning St. Mary's lifeboat came out and asked whether she could render assistance, but we had managed to clear ourselves of th,. rocks, and dropped anchor for the night. "Our ship's cook had been more than a hero throughout the hazardous trip, for he failed only once to I prepare a hot meal, and that was \ because the ship pitched so much that the hot coals of his oven were thrown over the deck. LIVED FROM DAY TO DAY "I did not take my clothes off throughout the voyage. When I was relieved on the bridg I used to go to my bunk and lie awake wondering just how long it would be before we foundered. Neither Foremost 1? nor Foremost 18 was equipped with wireless or direction finders, and the skippers relied solely on their charts and good seamanship. There will be no more Atlantic crossings in a mud-hopper for me." Dan Waine, a South African, who was third engineer on the Foremost 17 under Captain Pope, said: "During the ocean crossing Foremost 17 did everything but turn over. She was tossed about so much that the vacuum inlet pipe which sucks in sea water from five feet below the water line to cool the engines was exposed out of the water three times. We lost our vacuum and had to work the cooling pumps by hand. "All our bilges were afloat. The bilge water even washed around the lower parts of the red hot boiler, pS HP ¦5 a O [fl O aid ra jh t/) O ,. X! u at *S <d* <u T3 J5 C'- no a m ?^ til o u £3 3— . O OJ — w T3 D«g >.5fi MC ¦5- > ^ ¦a 82 3? c a> fe ro w i> ra race t-. «J O OJ T3^ QJ -j -C O 3 * >