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126 AROUND THE LAKES. THE STORY OF THE WRECK AND REBUILDING OF THE KASOTA. THE KASOTA, a wooden steamer, 248 feet long and 36 feet beam, ore laden, was sunk on the evening of July 17, 1890, just above Smiths coal dock, Detroit river. The sinking was due to a collision with the passenger steamer City of Detroit. From one of the illustrations can be seen the hole made by the bow of the City of Detroit, which extended out of the starboard side some 20 or 30 feet, practically cutting the Kasota in two. Few boats would have come out of the collision in as good condition as the City of Detroit. Although damaged to the extent of nearly $20,000, she remained in the breach where she struck the Kasota until the ore carrier went down, and the crew had been picked up, and she then proceeded on her way to Detroit. The services of Wrecker Joseph G. Falcon were contracted, and he was to deliver the boat in Detroit for $25,000. He failed to deliver the boat in the time specified, but later she was floated from her position on the bottom of the Detroit river by means of casks fastened in and around the hull being pumped full of compressed air. This occurred Oct. 10, 1891. It was not until Dec. 28th, 1891, that she was placed in the new dock of the Detroit Dry Dock Company, for a rebuild which cost nearly $50,000. About the time she was placed in dock she was sold, to be equipped ready for sea, for $80,000 to A. A. Parker. While the rebuild of the Philip D. Armour made her as good as new, the rebuilding of the Kasota made her a better boat than when she was new. It is not inferred that she was not well built, but she was built in 1884 and eight years had made some great improvements in wooden ship building, in the way of placing steel arches, keelsons, etc. The illustrations, in addition to the one mentioned, show her at the surface, with a number of the compressed air casks in view, and also in dry dock, showing a general view of the hull. Nearly four months were required to complete the rebuild. She left the dock April 20, 1892, and has been in service ever since.