In the December issue, we reproduced a series of Detroit and Mackinaw City vessel passages which were taken from the October 7, 1929 issue of the Toronto Globe. We asked our readers to participate in a little historical quiz; they were to find the names of 32 ships which were still in active operation (not just in existence) during 1978, 49 years later.

As some of our readers found out, however, we pulled a wee trick on you. In fact, there were 33 boats still in service in 1978, and not 32. If you checked through the list and found 33, how long did you spend going over it again to see which of them had not turned in '78? Sorry about that, folks, but what's a game without a little twist in the works?

To satisfy those whose curiosity was whetted by our historical exercise, there follows a list of the ships still in service in 1978 together with their current names (if there have been changes in the interim). They are listed in the exact order in which they appeared in the passages.

ROBERT HOBSON - OUTARDE (III); GEORGE F. BAKER - HENRY STEINBRENNER (III); WILLIAM McLAUCHLAN - JOAN M. McCULLOUGH; F. A. BAILEY - MEAFORD; HORACE JOHNSON; B. H. TAYLOR - ROGERS CITY; CHARLES M. SCHWAB - PIERSON DAUGHTERS; JOHN W. BOARDMAN - LEWIS G. HARRIMAN; WILLIAM K. FIELD - GEORGE D. GOBLE; WILLIS L. KING - C. L. AUSTIN; FRONTENAC; LEONARD B. MILLER -BUCKEYE (II); JOHN A. TOPPING - WILLIAM A. REISS (II); EMORY L. FORD -RAYMOND H. REISS; J. PIERPONT MORGAN - HERON BAY (II); JAMES MacNAUGHTON -ALASTAIR GUTHRIE; SIR ISAAC LOTHIAN BELL - BLACK RIVER; JOSEPH H. FRANTZ; E. C. COLLINS - J. B. FORD; JAMES NASMYTH - PIC RIVER; SYLVANIA; HOMER D. WILLIAMS; PATHFINDER (II) - GODERICH (II); D. O. MILLS - G. A. TOMLINSON (II); JAMES LAUGHLIN - HELEN EVANS; WILLIAM C. ATWATER - E. J. NEWBERRY; HARRY COULBY (II); FRED G. HARTWELL (II) - GEORGE M. CARL (II); COL. JAMES M. SCHOONMAKER - WILLIS B. BOYER; WILLIAM P. COWAN - AMOCO ILLINOIS; W. F. WHITE - ERINDALE; FRANK H. GOODYEAR (II) - SAGINAW BAY; and last, but not least, B. F. AFFLECK.

Our congratulations go to Pete Worden, Bill Luke and Skip Gillham, all of whom saw through our little deception and submitted correct lists. Ed Middleton, who frequently corresponds with us all the way from Kansas City, Missouri, took a valiant stab at the problem and, despite his distance from the lakes, came up with a substantially correct listing save a few names.

It is interesting to note that seven of the boats are still serving under the same name as in 1929. Others have gone through numerous changes.

There were several vessels named in the passages that did not turn in '78 but which might do so in the future, especially if sold by their present owners. AUGUST ZIESING and JOSHUA A. HATFIELD, for instance, fall into this category. On the other hand, of those that did run in '78, HERON BAY, PIC RIVER, and BUCKEYE have now been retired and several other vessels may be withdrawn in the near future.

By the way, we previously listed twenty boats shown in the passages which eventually met violent ends. To this list we must add one more name, that of the Great Lakes Transit Corporation package freighter UTICA which, under the name QUINTOY (Chilean registry), was lost in the Pacific in 1949.

Old vessel passages certainly seem to please our readers and we have a large collection of these from which we may cull excerpts in the future. If any of our readers should happen to have a passage column from any lake newspaper which they feel is particularly notable for whatever reason, we invite them to send a copy along to us.

Lay-Up Listings; We would remind all members that we would like to receive lay-up listings from as many lake ports as possible for inclusion in our February and March issues. Please send your list to us as soon as possible.

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Reproduced for the Web with the permission of the Toronto Marine Historical Society.