In the October issue, we featured the steamer/barge/dredge/motorvessel TURRET CAPE, (b) SUN CHIEF, (c) WALTER INKSTER. Paul Sherlock of Fonthill, Ontario, has added the information that INKSTER, while operating for Misener, carried screenings from Fort William to Duluth. We mentioned that, after her sale to A. Newman and Company of St. Catharines for scrapping at Port Dalhousie, it was rumoured that she might be purchased by Capt. Steve Ahern for further service. Thanks to Kevin Griffin of Westmount, Quebec, we now have further documentation of this proposed reactivation of the retired turret.

It seems that, early in 1957, the Clarke Steamship Company Ltd. was casting about for a ship to use in the bulk cement trade from Montreal and Quebec City to Forestville. Clarke eyed both the idle WALTER INKSTER and the saltwater vessel EASTIDE, the latter being in the service of the Reoch Steamship Company Ltd. under charter at the time. On February 27, 1957, Clarke's Paul Preville conducted a detailed inspection of the INKSTER at Port Dalhousie in company with Jack Downey who represented A. Newman and Company. Unfortunately, WALTER INKSTER was showing her age and the ravages of much hard use. It was apparently concluded that she would not be the most suitable vessel for the cement trade and, accordingly, she remained in lay-up pending her dismantling. As Clarke often chartered boats from Steve Ahern during the 1950s, we can only assume that the plan was for Ahern to purchase INKSTER and then charter her out to Clarke. This plan never came to fruition, probably as a result of the report on her inspection.

Instead, Clarke arranged to charter the diesel canaller FARRANDOC (II) from N. M. Paterson and Sons Ltd. This boat made 77 trips in the cement trade for Clarke, 25 in 1957, 42 in 1958, and 10 in 1959. It was for this reason that FARRANDOC was seldom seen in lake trade during the 1957 and 1958 seasons and the spring of 1959.

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