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DUPLICATE orders are complimentary to any ship building aC company and the Detroit Dry Dock Company has had a number of such compliments paid them. The first one of importance was to practically duplicate the composite City of Detroit, mentioned in the preceding chapter, in iron. This was done when the City of Cleveland was launched June 23, 1880. The same season the Idlewild was turned out. A striking incident of the duplicating of orders was illustrated when the Western line steamer Mohawk was ordered. The Boston was built for the Western Transit Company in 1880, and four years later the Albany and Syracuse were built for the same line. In 1888 the Hudson and Harlem were turned out for the company. Five years later this Western Transit Company wanted to make an addition to its fleet. The order went to the Detroit company without competition and was for a duplicate, practically, of the Hudson and Harlem, the best all round pair of package freighters on the lakes, particularly for regularity of trips. During the twenty-three years that the company has been organized, one hundred and eighteen vessels have been built, the aggregate tonnage (measured net register ions) of which is between 98,000 and 100,000. Among the Detroit Dry Dock Company fleet is the fastest boat on the lakes and the largest carrier, and it might be added the most efficient and economical package freight liners, the fleet of which includes the best work of the best ship yards on the lakes. This company also has the honor of building the most palatial and fastest side wheel passenger steamers on the lakes. Thus the palm is carried in almost every department of lake marine. To those not familiar with lake marine affairs it may be necessary to state that the vessels referred to are: the excursion steamer Frank E. Kirby, the ore, coal and grain carrier, Selwyn Eddy; the western liners Harlem, Hudson and Mohawk, and the fleet of five Detroit and Cleveland Steam Navigation Company's side-wheel steamers, which are, with few exceptions, the only lake passenger steamers that run in all kinds of weather, and, with one or two exceptions, are the only ones able to maintain an 18-mile speed.