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0, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1941 Hope to Get Into Navy by Some Means, Many Great Lakes Captains Reveal as Time Hangs Heavily on Hands—Cheque for War Victims' Fund Arrives From West Coast Many masters of Great Lakes vessels will not be sailing the inland waters this season if their present plans work out as they wish, it was learned to-day. For, like the engineers, deckhands, wheelsmen, oilers and firemen, they are endeavoring to join the navy. Their only trouble, one of them told us, is that naval authorities will not enlist them as they are now engaged in a trade from which they cannot be spared. However, being home from the Great Lakes service now for almost two months, time is dragging on their hands, and they are bending every effort to get in naval uniform. We talked to a group of seamen, and one engineer said that in the last war he was sent back to the lakes, after joining the navy. This, he contends, will be the attitude adopted by naval authorities this war, that the lakes' key men cannot be taken away from their vital work. Great Lakes masters who hold inland or coastal tickets, cannot sail ocean-going vessels unless they hold a deep-water certificate. This fact has kept many other masters at home, for they feel that they are doing more good sailing the lakes as masters than sailing on ocean vessels as mates. However, there seems to be no doubt about it, that when the season opens next April, several men who have commanded Great Lakes vessels for many years, will be missing from their usual command, having, by some means, entered the navy and sailing ships of war, or merchant ships on the high seas. FUND DRIVE PROCEEDS The National Association of Marine Engineers, District No. 3, is meeting with great success in its campaign to collect $10,000 for The Telegram British War Victims' Fund, and individual subscriptions from engineers from all parts of Canada are beginning to arrive at the association headquarters at the Walker House. First Individual subscription received by the committee was a cheque from Chief Engineer John E. Gibb of Toronto, and some time ago secretary of this division. Mr. Gibb is now at a Canadian west coast port fitting out a German merchant ship which was captured in the Pacific some time ago. When the announcement was made in The were starting a fund, Mrs. Gibb sent a copy of the paper to her husband and immediately Chief Gibb sent his donation to President George Price. When war broke out Chief Gibb immediately made plans to join Britain's great merchant marine fleet. Twice during the first Great War he was reported dead when ships on which he was sailing were torpedoed. Last March he went to the east coast and sailed across the Atlantic and back to Canada in cargo ships. He was chief engineer aboard the Ville de Hasselt when she was torpedoed. He was saved. He was reported lost last June when the He de Bruges was sunk and then a short time later when the Namur was sunk. Now he is fitting out another ship to continue trading in submarine-infested waters. And, at the same time, he is thinking of the people in England who are taking it with heads held high. THE FORDONIAN Wilf. J. Murphy of Port Dalhousie dropped us a line to make some corrections in a story of a few days ago about the Badger State. These errors, he very nicely put it, were possibly due to "numerous interruptions from your friends and mine" during the telling at the Marine Club dinner. He wished to correct the story "before someone else does." He also sent along an unsigned letter from St. Catharines, from a person who claims Mr. Murphy as a friend. Here is Mr. Murphy's story: "I told you the first motor ship to come across the Atlantic was the Toiler, the second was the Calgary owned and operated by James Playfair. The third to come across was the Fordonian which was brought out by the Merchant's Mutual Steamship Co. in 1912. Mr. Playfair had nothing to do with the Fordonian. She operated on the lakes for a couple of years then went to the coast during the last war. During her absence she was purchased by an American firm and after the war was brought back to the lakes. Later she was purchased by the Paterson Steamship Co. and renamed the Yu-kondoc. Some time later she was purchased by Capt. Archie Hudson and again renamed the Georgian. He operated her for some time, then she went ashore in Lake Superior. After she was released she was brought to Port Dalhousie, stayed here for some time and finally taken to Ogdensburg Telegram that the marine engineers' where she was repaired, thoroughly