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IRON is the first half to the name of the fleet of boats that cut no small figure even in these days of big fleets. Iron Age, Iron Chief, Iron Duke, Iron King, with their consorts Iron Cliff and Iron Queen, was the first fleet built by the Detroit Dry Dock Company. The Iron Age was built in 1880, the Iron Chief and Iron Duke in 1881, andthelron Kingini887. These six vessels with two other consorts could bring an ordinary iron mine from Lake Superior to Lake Erie ports during a season, and there is hardly another fleet on the lakes that has had more profitable ore contracts. The insurance valuation of the fleet is about $625,000 and they are rated from Al to Aij4- While the fashion among owners of the larger fleets has been to abandon the tow barge, this fleet has kept on making dividends each year, and now the wisdom of towing barges and the profit resulting has been attested by one of the most successful companies in the business ordering two steel tow barges to go with two of their large steamers. This was no doubt the result of the showing of net earnings of another steamer and tow barge owned by the company. Car Ferries are not built like yachts, to display their beauty, but notwithstanding this every ship yard cannot build a successful car ferry. The Transport, for the Michigan Central Railway, was the first effort of the Detroit Dry Dock Company in this style of marine architecture. She was built the same year as the Iron Age, and was followed by the Michigan Central and Lansdowne, built in 1884. These steamers have no difficulty in running from Detroit to Windsor every day summer and winter. Cutting through ice that forms, or breaking down gorges that make in the Detroit river, however, does not require anything like the power or massive construction necessary for the service in the Straits of Mackinaw between St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, where ice forms from three to four feet deep, and quite often heavy weather is encountered. This service is performed by two car ferries, built by the Dry Dock company. The St. Ignace was built in 1888 and is valued at 1250,000, and the Ste. Marie, built in 1893, is valued at $325,000. The latter is believed to be the most powerful and massive car ferry in the world and is described in another chapter.