THE earliest colonists, gathered in the fort near the river, or in snug farmhouses close to the shore, had but little need of roads or rockaways. The ever-present canoe was ready for use and almost at their door. The gondolas of Venice are not handier or more constantly in motion than were the picturesque canoes of the Detroit. As harvest moons waxed and waned, and seasons came and changed, traffic and travel moored other boats along the beach. Most pleasing of them all was the birch-bark canoe, buoyant and beautiful, and frequently decorated with brilliant Indian symbols; often six feet wide and thirty-five feet long, their carrying capacity was enormous. Sixty packs of furs, each pack weighing nearly one hundred pounds, half a ton of provisions for the crew of eight men, and bark and gum for possible repairs, were not uncommon loads from Lake Superior, and to Quebec and Albany as well. In calm weather they could be paddled four miles an hour, and at a portage four men could lift an unloaded canoe. They were easily broken, and if heavily laden did not venture to approach a rough beach, but baggage and passengers were carried ashore on the shoulders of the voyageurs. It was by means of such canoes that the expedition of 1820 reached the upper lakes. The party consisted of Governor Cass, H. R. Schoolcraft, Alexander Wolcott, M. D., Captain D. B. Douglass, Lieutenant E. Mackay, J. D. Doty, Major R. A. Forsyth, C. C. Trowbridge, A. R. Chace, ten Canadian voyageurs, seven United States soldiers, ten Indians, an interpreter, and a guide. They left on May 24, 1820, in four birchbark canoes obtained from the Chippewas. On July 4, 1821, in a canoe of the same kind, Governor Cass and H. R. Schoolcraft started for Chicago, going by way of the Detroit, Maumee, Wabash, Mississippi, and Illinois Rivers. A favorite trading craft was the Mackinaw boat or bateau. They were built of red or white oak or pine boards, had flat bottoms, were shaped exactly the same at each end, and were quite high at the sides.

The pirogue was a long, capacious canoe, often made of a single large red cedar-tree; it was high in front and rear, and had high sides. It was used chiefly for passengers, and commonly carried four, with a crew of the same number.

The ordinary canoes, appropriately called "dugouts," were made by burning and chopping out the trunk of a good-sized tree.

As to vessels, the Griffon must be first named. Her tonnage is variously stated at from forty-five to sixty tons. She carried five cannon, and was built by LaSalle at the mouth of the Cayuga Creek near Niagara in the spring of 1679, and launched in the month of May. After several short trial-trips, on August 7, with Chevalier LaSalle, Father Louis Hennepin, Gabriel de la Ribourde, Zenobe Membre, and others, thirty-two in all, she started on her first real voyage, arriving at the mouth of the Detroit River on August 10. Two days after, on the Festival of Ste. Claire, she entered the little lake, which was christened Lake Ste. Claire in honor of the founder of the Franciscan Nuns. Two centuries later, a gathering at Grosse Pointe rechristened the lake, with various exercises, including poems by D. B. Duffield and Judge J. V. Campbell, and an address from Bela Hubbard. On her return trip, the Griffon left Washington Island in Lake Michigan on September 18. Two days after, a storm arose, and the vessel was seen no more; but portions of the wreck were found among the islands at the northern end of the lake.

After the voyage of the Griffon, no sailing vessels are known to have passed Detroit for nearly a century. The first that we hear of, were those engaged in conveying troops, provisions, and furs between Detroit and Niagara. In 1763 and 1764, the schooners Beaver, Gladwin, and Charlotte went to and fro almost constantly, the time of the trip varying from six to nine days.

The first vessel known to have been built at Detroit was called the Enterprise. She was launched in 1769. In 1771 Mr. Ellice, of Schenectady, and Messrs. Sterling & Price, of Detroit, built a vessel of forty-five tons called the Angelica. Richard Wright was captain at a salary of £120 per year. In 1778 the British brig-of-war, General Gage, arrived, making the trip from Buffalo in four days. On account of the Revolutionary War, none but government vessels were then allowed upon the lakes.

In 1780 the captains and crews of nine vessels were under pay at Detroit, and a large dock-yard was maintained. The names of the vessels were the Gage, Dunmore, Faith, Angelica, Hope, Welcome, Adventure, Felicity, and Wyandotte.

On August 1, 1782, the following armed vessels, all in good order and all built in Detroit, were on duty in Lakes Erie, Huron, and Michigan:

In the spring of 1793 four government vessels were lying in front of the town. Of these the Chippewa and the Ottawa were new brigs, of about two hundred tons each and carrying eight guns; another was the Dunmore, an old brig of the same size, with six guns; the fourth was the sloop Felicity, armed with two swivels. All of these were under command of Commodore Grant. There were also several sloops and schooners owned by trading firms.

Three years later, in 1796, twelve merchant vessels were owned in Detroit; also several brigs, sloops, and schooners, of from fifty to one hundred tons each. After the surrender to the United States, the schooner Swan, then owned by James May, was hired to convey the first troops to Detroit, and was the first vessel on the lakes to bear the United States flag. The second to carry the flag was probably the Detroit; she was purchased by the Government of the Northwest Fur Company.

In 1797 the United States schooner Wilkinson, of eighty tons, was built at Detroit under direction of Captain Curry. In 1810 she was sold, overhauled, and her name changed to Amelia. In 1812 she was purchased by the Government, and formed part of Perry's squadron.

In 1801 the brig Adams and the schooner Tracey were built here for the Government, and used for the transportation of troops and government stores. In 1803, when a company of soldiers under Colonel J. S. Swearingen went from Detroit to Chicago, for the purpose of erecting and garrisoning Fort Dearborn, a number of officers went on the Tracey. The troops were the first Americans that lived at that place. Chicago was therefore colonized

from Detroit, and this city can claim the honor of having founded that justly famous metropolis.

In 1812 Commodore Brevoort was in command of the brig Adams and Gray and the sloop Detroit, then stationed here. They were refitted and prepared for service at the shipyard on the Rouge, now in part occupied by Woodmere Cemetery.

After the war the number of vessels increased, but freight and passage were high. In 1815 and 1817 a trip from Buffalo to Detroit cost fifteen dollars and occupied thirteen days.

The year 1818 marks an important era in the history of the entire Lake Region. The first steamboat that sailed Lake Erie arrived that year. She was named the Walk-in-the-Water, after the chief of the Wyandotte Indians, and was operated by a powerful engine, built on Fulton's plan. Leaving Buffalo on the 23d of August, she reached Detroit on Thursday, August 27, 1818. In going from Black Rock past the rapids she was propelled by what was called a "horned breeze," consisting of sixteen yoke of oxen. She arrived at Wing's Wharf at foot of Bates Street between ten and eleven o'clock A. M., and fired a gun. Hundreds of citizens, embracing almost the entire population, collected on the wharves to see her. Concerning the date of her arrival, several mistakes have been made. The fac-simile of the entry made at the time by William Woodbridge, the collector of customs at Detroit, effectually settles the question.

The Detroit Gazette of August 28, 1818, contained this notice :

STEAMBOAT ARRIVED!

Yesterday, between the hours of ten and eleven A. M., the elegant steamboat Walk-in-the-Water, Captain J. Fish, arrived. As she passed the public wharf and that owned by Mr. J. S. Roby, she was cheered by hundreds of the inhabitants who had collected to witness this (in these waters) truly novel and grand spectacle. She came to at Wing's Wharf, She left Buffalo at half past one o'clock on the 23d and arrived at Dunkirk at thirty-five minutes past six the same day. On the following morning she arrived at Erie, Captain Fish having reduced her steam during the night, in order not to pass that place, where she took in a supply of wood. At half past seven p. M. she left Erie, and came to at Cleveland at eleven o'clock on Tuesday ; at twenty minutes past six p. M. sailed, and arrived off Sandusky Bay at one o'clock on Wednesday : lay at anchor during the night, and then proceeded to Venice for wood ; left Venice at three P. M., and arrived at the mouth of the Detroit River, where she anchored during the night,-- the whole time employed in sailing, in this first voyage from Buffalo to this port, being about forty-four hours and ten minutes ; the wind ahead during nearly the whole passage. Not the slightest accident happened during the voyage, and all her machinery worked admirably.

Nothing could exceed the surprise of the sons of the forest on seeing the Walk-in-the-Water moving majestically and rapidly against a strong current, without the assistance of sails or oars. They lined the banks above Maiden, and expressed their astonishment by repeated shouts of "Ta i yah, nichee !" 1 A report had been circulated among them that a "big canoe" would soon come from the "noisy waters," which, by order of the great father of the "Che-mo-ke-mous,"2 would be drawn through the lakes and rivers by sturgeon! Of the truth of the report they are now perfectly satisfied.

The cabins of this boat are fitted up in a neat, convenient, and elegant style ; and the manner in which she is found does honor to her proprietors and to her commander. A passage between this place and Buffalo is now, not merely tolerable, but truly pleasant.

To-day she will make a trip to Lake St. Clair with a large party of ladies and gentlemen. She will leave this place for Buffalo to-morrow, and may be expected to visit us again next week.

She made the round trip from Buffalo to Detroit once in two weeks, sometimes bringing a hundred passengers. The fare for cabin passage was eighteen dollars. In 1819 she went from Detroit to Mackinaw and Green Bay and back in thirteen days. On October 31, 1821, she left Buffalo under command of Captain Rogers, but met with a storm, and was wrecked near that port on the 1st of November.

The second steamer on Lake Erie was named the Superior. She took the place of the Walk-in-the-Water, and arrived from Buffalo for the first time on May 25, 1822; she brought ninety-four passengers.

In 1825 there was still but one steamer on the lake, but the demand for transportation increased so rapidly, and the business was so profitable withal, that the very next year six steamboats, viz., the Superior, William Penn, Niagara, William Peacock, Enterprise, and Henry Clay, were running regularly between Buffalo and Detroit, and in May, 1831, steamboats were making daily trips.

Boat - builders now became more numerous; some were ambitious for larger vessels, and accordingly, on April 27, 1833, the steamboat Michigan was launched. She was built by Oliver Newberry, and, except the Argo, was the first steamer built at Detroit, and was the largest on the lakes. Her deck was one hundred and fifty-six feet long; breadth of beam, twenty-nine feet; extreme width, fifty-three feet; and depth of hold, eleven feet. The gentlemen's dining-room contained thirty berths abaft the engines, and six staterooms forward with three berths each. The intermediate space between the engines formed a part of the dining - cabin, and was richly paneled and gilded. The ladies' cabin on deck contained sixteen berths and was elegantly furnished. The forward cabin contained forty-four berths. She was propelled by two low-pressure, walking-beam engines, with cylinders of seven feet three inches stroke, and forty inches in diameter. They were made in Detroit, by the Detroit Iron Company, under the superintendence of Cyrus Battell. She sailed on her first trip October 11, 1833, under command of Captain Blake.

In 1836 the passenger traffic was very brisk. Ninety steamboats arrived in May, every one loaded with passengers for Michigan and the West. The steamer United States, which arrived on May 23, brought over seven hundred people. As the result of so much travel, the steamboat owners made enormous profits, reaching for the year seventy to eighty per cent.

In 1837 thirty-seven steamers were plying on the lakes, seventeen of which were owned in Detroit. Three steamboats arrived daily, and the papers were literally burdened with the complimentary resolutions adopted by passengers in praise of the several boats and captains.

On May 17, 1839, the Great Western arrived on her first trip to Detroit, and on September 1 she was burned at her wharf.

In 1846 the price of cabin passage from Buffalo to Detroit was six dollars. In this period racing between the boats was of frequent occurrence; and such was the rivalry between the captains and owners that in their efforts to obtain passengers the fares were frequently nominal. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, steamboats continued to be built, and to see a boat launched was one of the standard amusements of the time. Hundreds of people would gather to see the vessel glide into the water.

The Mayflower, built for the Michigan Central Railroad, was launched on November 16, 1848, and made her first trip, to test the engine, on April 10, 1849. She was damaged by floating ice, and sunk while on her way from Buffalo to Detroit on December 11, 1851.3

Sometimes high prices for transportation tempted the owners of boats to start them on their trips earlier than prudence justified. On one occasion in the spring of 1851, as the ice had gone out of the Detroit River, and the upper end of Lake Erie was reported clear, the owner of a steamboat gave notice that she would sail the next day. As the lower part of the lake was covered with floating ice, there was much discussion with regard to the safety of the proceeding; and the boat started out from a dock which was thronged with spectators who expressed much anxiety concerning her safety. The next day, towards evening, the well-known Joseph Campau met A. B. Wood, the manager of the Telegraph Company, near the Campau residence, and said, "Does ye hear anything from de boat,-- de boat went out yesterday mor'n?" "Oh, yes; she has just reached Erie. She got into the ice and floundered about, tearing her paddle-wheels to pieces, but she is in Erie harbor all safe." "Well," said Mr. Campau, "I t'ot so. Now, when de Inglishmon he want to go anywhere, he set down and t'ink how he get dar, and de Frenchmon he want to go, and he stop and t'ink how he get dar ; but de American, de Yankee, he want to go, and, be-gar, he go. He go Heaven, he go Hell, he go anyhow!"

The most terrible accident that ever happened on the lakes occurred on August 20, 1852. On that day the Atlantic, one of the railroad line of steamers running between Buffalo and Detroit, collided with the propeller Ogdensburgh, and sank in Lake Erie, with a loss of one hundred and thirty-one lives.

Since the completion of the Great Western Railroad, in 1854, the travel by lake has been comparatively small, but during the season, steamboats run almost daily from Detroit to all ports between Buffalo and Chicago, and also to ports on the north and south shores of Lake Superior, and to various places on Lakes St. Clair and Huron.

The oldest and most largely patronized line of lake steamers is operated by the Detroit & Cleveland Steam Navigation Company. The line was established in 1850, and has been managed chiefly by the present owners since 1852. The company was incorporated on April 18, 1868, with a capital of $300,000, which, in 1883, was increased to $450,000. The general officers of the corporation are: David Carter, general manager; J. F. Henderson, general freight agent; and C. D. Whitcomb, general passenger and freight agent.

Originally their boats ran only between Detroit and Cleveland. Since 1882 they have maintained a line between Cleveland and Mackinaw. They own four boats, namely, the "Northwest," "City of Detroit," "City of Cleveland," and "City of Mackinaw," which cost an average of $200,000, and will carry from 1,200 to 1,500 persons each. Each boat carries 50 persons as officers and crew, and in the season of navigation a boat leaves for Cleveland every evening, and for Mackinaw every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The company seek in every way to make the vessels attractive and the trips agreeable, and the line is constantly increasing in popularity.

An interesting event in the history of sailing vessels was the direct shipment, on July 22, 1857, of a cargo of lumber and staves to Liverpool by the bark C. J. Kershaw. She arrived September 5, and was the second vessel to depart for Europe from this region, the Dean Richmond, from Chicago and Milwaukee, being the first. On her return the Kershaw brought iron and crockery, but reached Montreal so late in the season that she did not come to Detroit until the spring of 1858.

The Madeira Pet, loaded with hides at Chicago, and staves at Detroit, also sailed in 1857. In 1858 eleven vessels, loaded with lumber, staves, and wheat, sailed for Liverpool and London from this port, and in 1859 sixteen other vessels carried similar cargoes to European ports. Other vessels have since made the trip, but no regular line has been established.

In late years the chief home business of sailing vessels has consisted in carrying grain, lumber, iron, ore, and coal. About fifty tugs are employed in aiding them when the winds are feeble or contrary. In number, power, and beauty, the tugs of Detroit are particularly noticeable. They cost from $3,000 to $60,000 each, and $2,000,000 or more are invested in them. They have crews of eleven men each, and ply between Lakes Erie and Huron.

GENERAL OFFICES OF THE DETROIT & CLEVELAND STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY, Foot of Wayne Street.

Equally as necessary are the dry docks for the building or repair of vessels. The floating dock of O. M. Hyde was launched on December 10, 1852; and about the same time the docks of the present Detroit Dry Dock Company were established at the foot of Orleans Street. The business was conducted from 1857 to 1861 by G. Campbell & Co., from 1861 to 1867 by Campbell & Owen, from 1867 to 1869 by Campbell, Owen, & Co. In May, 1870, on account of the impaired health of Mr. Campbell, he was succeeded by S. R. Kirby, and on July 1, 1872, the present company was incorporated with a capital stock of $300,000. The officers in 1884 are: John Owen, president; Frank E. Kirby, consulting and constructing engineer; A. McVittie, secretary and treasurer; F. A. Kirby, superintendent at Wyandotte ; John Parker, superintendent at Detroit. Their original dock at Detroit is two hundred and forty feet long, thirty-eight feet wide, and has nine feet draft of water. A dock built in 1865 is three hundred and six feet long, forty-five feet wide, and has thirteen feet draft. The dock-yards have a frontage of seven hundred feet on Atwater Street, and extend through to the river, with every facility for the repair or construction of vessels of any class, either of wood or iron.

Dry Docks and Repair Yard of the Detroit Dry Dock Company, Detroit, Michigan. Foot of Orleans Street

Since 1879 the company have owned the extensive yards at Wyandotte established by E. B. Ward in 1872. These yards occupy about seven acres, and have a river frontage of seven hundred feet and a slip six hundred feet long in addition. Upwards of six hundred men are employed in these establishments, and the yards are equal in their equipment to any private yards in the United States, and excel any on the lakes. The company build vessels of either wood, iron, or steel, and the growth of their business is indicated by the fact that from 1867 to 1879 they built but thirty-four vessels, while from 1879 to 1884 they built thirty-six, the average value of which was double that of the vessels first built. Among the vessels constructed were six steamers, twenty-eight screw steamers, three barges, two barks, eleven schooners, six tugs, ten steam ferries, two steam and two car barges. Their cost ranged from $2,500 to $275,000. The company have originated several features for lake vessels that are now generally adopted. The Gordon Campbell, which they built in 1871, was the first double-decked vessel on the lakes. Square pilot-houses for lake vessels and iron mooring-bits are of their introduction.

The following is a list of steam vessels built at this port; all those built since 1867 and marked with a star were built by the Detroit Dry Dock Company:

Iron Ship-Building Docks of the Detroit Dry Dock Company, at Wyandotte, Mich.

The following table gives the date of first arrival or departure of vessels at Detroit during the various years, and is also of interest as containing the names of many steamboats whose names do not now appear in the Marine List:

1821, May 18, Walk-in-the-Water, from Buffalo.

1822, May 25, Superior (first trip), from Buffalo.

1823, Jan. 13, sail vessel, from Sandusky.

1826, May 8, steamer Henry Clay, from Buffalo.

1839, March 12, steamer Erie, for Toledo.

1840, March 8, steamer Star, from Cleveland.

1841, April 18, steamer General Wayne, from Buffalo.

1842, March 3, steamer General Scott, for Buffalo.

1843, April 18, steamer Fairport, for Cleveland.

1844, March 11, steamer Red Jacket, for Fort Gratiot.

1845, January 4, steamer United States, from Buffalo.

1846, March 14, steamer John Owen, from Cleveland.

1847, March 30, steamer United States, from Cleveland.

1848, March 22, propeller Manhattan, for Buffalo.

1849, March 21, steamer John Owen, for Cleveland.

1850, March 25, steamer Southerner, from Buffalo.

1851, March 19, steamer Hollister, from Toledo.

1852, March 22, steamer Arrow, for Toledo.

1853, March 14, steamer Bay City, from Sandusky.

1854, March 21, steamer May Queen, from Cleveland.

1855, April 2, steamer Arrow, for Toledo.

1856, April 15, steamer May Queen, for Cleveland.

1857, March 24, steamer Ocean, for Cleveland.

1858, March 17, steamer Dart, for Toledo.

1859, March 10, steamer Island Queen, from Sandusky.

1860, March 6, schooner Spy, from Sandusky.

1861, March 11, steamer Ruby, for Port Huron.

1862, March 29, steamer May Queen, for Cleveland.

1863, March 29, steamer Dubuque, from Cleveland.

1864, March 13, steamer Young America, from Port Huron.

1865, March 26, steamer Philo Parsons,for Sandusky.

1866, April 4, steamer City of Cleveland, for Cleveland.

1867, April 8, steamer City of Cleveland, for Cleveland.

1868, March 24, steamer R. N. Rice, for Cleveland.

1869, April 5, propeller Edith, from Port Huron.

1870, April 7, steamer G. W. Reynolds, for Maiden.

1871, March 8, steamer Dove, for Maiden.

1872, April 3, steamer Northwest, for Cleveland.

1873, April 7, steamer Jay Cooke, for Sandusky.

1874, March 24, steamer R. N. Rice, for Cleveland.

1875, March 29, propeller Rob. Hackett, for Maiden.

1876, March 20, steamer R. N. Rice, for Cleveland.

1877, April 10, steamer Northwest, for Cleveland.

1878, April 3, steamer Northwest, for Cleveland.

1879, April 1, steamer Northwest, for Cleveland.

1880, March 2, schooner John O'Neil, from Cleveland.

1881, April 19, steamer Northwest, for Cleveland.

1882, March 7, wrecking tug Winslow, for Lake Michigan.

1883, March 26, steamer City of Dresden, for Maiden.

1884, April 3, steamer City of Detroit, for Cleveland.

The following table gives the number of vessels that have entered at and cleared from Detroit in various years, with their tonnage and the number of their crew:

The immigration that followed the surrender of 1796 made communication between the two banks of the Detroit more frequent. Many of the newcomers did not own canoes, preferring to be ferried over by one of the skilful oarsmen then so numerous. Very soon the business of ferrying became a profitable employment, and in order to regulate and control it the Court of General Quarter Sessions issued licenses to those wishing to establish ferries. On Friday, March 5, 1802, a license was granted to Gabriel Godfrey for a ferry "from his house across the river Detroit," and on Tuesday, December 7, 1802, a ferry license was granted to Mr. Askin. On Thursday, December 9, 1802, the court prescribed the following

REGULATIONS FOR FERRIES.

River Detroit in winter, from 1st of November to 1st of April, man, 1s. 6d. ; horse, 4s. In summer, 1st of April to 1st of November, man, 1s.; horse, 3s.

On December 21, 1803, a license was granted to James May, and on July 19, 1804, a license was granted to Jacob Visger to keep a ferry "from his land near to the town of Detroit across the Detroit river to opposite shore."

In 1806 the ferry-house was about fifty feet west of Woodward Avenue, and between Atwater and Woodbridge Streets; the river at that point then came fully half way up to Woodbridge Street. In 1820 the following rules and rates were established:

Each ferry shall be provided with two sufficient and safe canoes or ferry-boats, and one like sufficient and safe scow or flat. From the first day of April until the first day of November in each year, each ferry shall be attended by two good and faithful men, and from the first day of November to the first of April by three like good and faithful hands. The ferry shall be kept open from the rising of the sun until ten o'clock at night, and at all times, when practicable, shall transport the mail or other public express.

The rates of ferryage shall be as follows:

From 1st of April to 2oth of November, for each person, 12 1/2c.; for each horse, 50c.; for a single carriage and one person, $1.00; for each additional person, 12 1/2 c.; for each additional horse, 25 c.; for each head of horned cattle, 37 1/2 c.; for each sheep or hog, 6 1/4 c. From 2oth of November to April 1st, for each person, 18c.; for each horse, 75c.; for each single horse, carriage, and one person, $1.50; for each additional person, 18 3/4c.; for each additional horse, 37 1/2c.; for each head of horned cattle, 56 1/4c.; for each sheep or hog, 9c.

On January 11, 1820, J. B. St. Armour took out a license for a ferry at the foot of Woodward Avenue, and on August 8, 1820, Ben. Woodworth was granted a license for a ferry at foot of Randolph Street. On February 10, 1821, licenses were issued to James Abbott and Ezra Baldwin to maintain ferries at foot of Woodward Avenue, and on January 15, 1824, Owen Aldrich was authorized to keep a ferry at Roby's Wharf. The ferries, at that time, were in part composed of sailing vessels, which signalled their approach to either shore by the blowing of a horn. In 1825 there were still greater improvements, which are indicated in the following advertisement from The Gazette of September 22 :

HORSE-BOAT FERRY.

The subscribers have recently built a large and commodious Horse Boat for the purpose of transporting across the Detroit River, passengers, wagons, horses, cattle, &c., &c. The Boat is so constructed that wagons and carriages can be driven on it with ease and safety. It will leave McKinstry's Wharf (adjoining that of Dorr & Jones), for the Canada shore, and will land passengers, &c., at the wharf lately built on that shore by McKinstry & Burtis. The Ferry wharves are exactly opposite.

D. C. MCKINSTRY.

J. BURTIS. DETROIT, September 22, 1825.

Ferry Boat Argo

This horse-boat was built at Cleveland, and arrived in Detroit on August 12, 1825. It was thirty-two feet wide and fifty feet long, and was operated by French ponies. Two years later the ferries consisted of Burtis' Horse Boat from McKinstry's Wharf; St. Armour's Sail Boats from John R. Williams' Wharf, and Labalaine's Canoe from Gillett's Wharf. In the year 1827, John Burtis built the Argo, the first steamer belonging to Detroit. The hull consisted of two whitewood logs each side of a centre-piece on which was a light deck with canvas sides. It had a four-horse-power engine, and made regular trips to ports on the river and Lake St. Clair.

In 1830 the steamboat, General Gratiot, took her place as a river-boat, and the Argo was leased to Louis Davenport, and became the first steam ferry.

The horse-boat ferry was in use in 1831, controlled by Peter St. Armour, and made trips from the foot of Bates Street every half hour.

In 1834 there was a ferry named the Lady of the Lake. Louis Davenport's ferry, the United, made her first regular trip on July 13, 1836.

In 1837 a committee of the Common Council reported in favor of allowing Louis Davenport, Charles H. Matthews, and Matthew Moon to maintain ferries at the foot of Griswold Street, for $150, at foot of Wayne Street, for $100, and from foot of Therese Alley, for $50 annually.

Mrs. Jameson, in her "Winter Tours and Summer Rambles," gives the following pleasant description of ferry-boats and trips in June, 1837:

A pretty little steamer, gayly painted, with streamers flying, and shaded by an awning, is continually passing and repassing from shore to shore. I have sometimes sat in this ferry-boat for a couple of hours together, pleased to remain still, and enjoy, without exertion, the cool air, the sparkling, redundant waters, and green islands ;--amused meantime by the variety and conversation of the passengers. English emigrants and French Canadians, brisk Americans, dark, sad-looking Indians, folded in their blankets, farmers, storekeepers, speculators in wheat, artisans, trim girls with black eyes and short petticoats, speaking a Norman patois, and bringing baskets of fruit to the Detroit market, and over-dressed, long-waisted damsels of the city, attended by their beaux, going to make merry on the opposite shore.

George W. Osborn has expressed his opinion in the following lines:

RIDING ON THE FERRY.

The ferry Alliance began running in 1842; her name was afterwards changed to Undine. In 1848 Argo No. 2 began plying as a ferry. In 1852 G. B. Russel built the Ottawa, and in 1856 the Windsor. This last boat was subsequently chartered by the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad, and was burned at its dock, together with the depot, on April 26, 1866.

In 1855 the Mohawk and Argo constituted the line of ferries. The Gem was added in 1856, and the Essex in 1859. In this last year the Olive Branch was used for a few months. The Detroit was built in 1864, and ran till 1875. The Hope was built for George N. Brady in 1870.

In 1887 there were seven ferries, viz., the Excelsior, Fortune, Hope, Garland and Victoria, of the regular line, and the Ariel and Sappho of Walker & Sons. Besides these there were six railroad ferry boats. The Fortune is one of the best representatives of the river ferries. Her tonnage is 200, and she cost $34,000. She is one hundred and twenty feet in length and forty-two in breadth over decks. Her ordinary capacity is 1,000, but she has carried 1,350 persons. She was built to take the place of the Detroit.

The ordinary rate of ferriage is five cents in summer and ten cents in winter. During the warm summer days and evenings the boats are thronged with people, who ride back and forth to enjoy the delightful breeze and ever-changing scenery. For the nominal sum of one dime, one may thus spend an entire day, and the ride offers a rare combination of comfort, health, and safety. The boats are in frequent demand for short excursions up and down the river. The ferries pay city licenses of $250 each per year.

The harbor formed by the Detroit River contains more room than the harbors of Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Chicago all combined, and the water is deep enough to float the largest ships of war, and in any kind of weather vessels find safety here. No danger lurks about when making or leaving the port of Detroit. After all ordinary winters, navigation opens from four to six weeks earlier here than it does at Cleveland, Buffalo, Chicago, or Milwaukee, and, with scarce an exception, vessels from Detroit can go east two weeks earlier than those from Chicago or Milwaukee, as vessels from those ports have to wait until the Straits of Mackinaw are clear of ice.

Since 1863 the city has employed a harbor master, whose duties consist in preventing interferences between vessels, determining, when necessary, places of anchorage, keeping the harbor clear of all obstructions, seeing that the public docks are not unduly obstructed, and keeping the way clear for the ferries. He has charge of twenty-six life-preservers owned by the city, which, by vote of the council on August 25, 1871, were ordered placed along the docks. Four others are provided at Belle Isle.

The harbor master was formerly appointed solely by the council, but since February 28, 1872, the office has been filled by a policeman detailed for the purpose and confirmed by the council. The names of the harbor masters have been as follows: 1862-1866, C. W. Newhall; 1866-1868, Jacob B. Baker; 1868-1872, Arthur Gore; 1872-1884, John W. Moore; 1884- , W. H. O'Neill.

Notes

1. An exclamation of surprise.

2. Long-knives, or Yankees.

3. For information regarding the lines of boats operated by railroad companies, see article on Railroads.

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