Marine News from the Amherstburg Echo 1930- 1933 Volume XVI Published by the Marsh Collection Society Amherstburg, Ontario Copyright © 2017 Marsh Collection Society 80 Richmond Street Amherstburg, Ontario N9V 1E9 (519)736-9191 Articles herein are reprinted from the Amherstburg Echo (1930-1933). This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the Marsh Collection Society, except by a reviewer who wished to quote brief passages for inclusion in a review. ISSN 1480-6444 First Printing 2017 Acknowledgements This book is made possible by the dedicated volunteers of the Marsh Collection Society. A special thank you to the following: David and Joy Hamilton, excerpting and typing; Carl Russelo, proof reading and research; Eleanor Warren, editing. Cover Photo: Crew, Unknown Vessel, n.d. Archibald J. Fisher is seated second from the right in the second row. Source: A.J. Fisher Photograph Collection Marine News from the Amherstburg Echo 1930- 1933 Volume XVI 2017 Published by the Marsh Collection Society Amherstburg, Ontario Excerpts from the Amherstburg Echo 1930 January 3, 1930 Salvaging Wreck The steamer N. J. NESSEN, which was driven aground near Leamington during a heavy gale on October 22nd, will be salvaged. Captain W. Spears, Sandwich, who has secured the contract, expects to salvage a large part of the cargo and considerable machinery. Lower Lake Levels Great Lakes levels will be considerably lower during 1930, according to A. J. Lothian, Riverside, who is a student of lake levels. Taking a report of the chronological bureau to Washington in conjunction with his own records, he predicts the lake levels will be noticeably lower than the record peak of 1929. January 17, 1930 No Belle Isle Boats It looks as if there will be no ferries run from Detroit to Belle Isle this coming season. Last summer the city borrowed two boats from the D. & W. Ferry Co., and ran them at a loss of $5,100. It is not proposed to take another loss next summer. Henry W. Busch, commissioner of the parks and boulevards, advised the councilmen that the D. & W. Ferry Co., was willing to sell the craft, but did not care to enter into any lease. Busch stated further that new steel boats suitable for the work would cost $225,000 to $275,000. February 14, 1930 Capt. James Tobin Lake Captain Dies The roll of Amherstburg tug captains was reduced by one Sunday evening, when Capt. James Tobin passed away at Hotel Dieu, Windsor. He is among those who served their apprenticeship in the days when there was no steam, and worked up until he became one of the best tug captains on the chain of lakes. His father, Edward Tobin, who was a retired British soldier, settled in Amherstburg at the time the pensioners were located here along with the Navins, Sullivans, Taseys, Wilsons, Hayes, Cunniffs, Conroys, Quinlans, and a hundred other families, the homestead being on the corner of Fort and Balaclava streets. There were five sons in the family: Richard, John, James, William, and Joseph, all of whom became lake captains in the early days when vessels were carriers of freight. James married Margaret Powell, well known Amherstburg lady, and they had a family of four children: Daisy, Mrs. J.A. Van Buskirk, of Windsor; Maud became Mrs. Ralph Warren, and is deceased; Capt. Ross died on his boat between Detroit and Buffalo a few years ago 1 and Capt. Clyde lives in Detroit. Mrs. Tobin passed away some twelve years ago, and shortly afterwards Capt. James Tobin went to Windsor and took up his residence with his daughter. He enjoyed fairly good health until eight weeks ago, when he was taken to Hotel Dieu for treatment which he seemed to respond to until Friday, and then he failed rapidly from that time to the end. Funeral services were held at the home of Mrs. J.A. Van Buskirk Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 and his remains were brought to Rose Hill cemetery and laid to rest in the family plot. The honorary pallbearers were Capt. Walker Nowell; Capt. Henry Pocock; Capt. T.D. Quinlan; Capt. Geo. Burns; Capt. E. Maguire; Capt. Henry Cook; Wm. C. Pocock; Andrew Darragh; Alex Deneau; and Capt. John Bernard. The active pallbearers Capt. Walter Lawler; Capt. Henry Kelly; Capt. James McCarthy; Capt. John McCarthy; Capt. J.E. Mahon; Capt. M.H. Mahon. March 07, 1930 Capt. Earl McQueen`s tug was the first one to toot its whistle on the lower Detroit River this spring. February is an early opening. March 21, 1930 United States Government May Authorize Detroit River Work Administration Leaders Approve Expenditures Contemplated in New River and Harbor Bill (Washington Correspondent, Detroit Times) After gaining the approval of administration leaders for expenditures contemplated in the new rivers and harbors bill now being drafted, Rep. Wallace Dempsey, New York, chairman of the House Rivers and Harbors Committee, let it be known today that the measure in all probability will authorize improvements in the Great Lakes system costing approximately, $30,000,000. The Great Lakes improvement program, Chairman Dempsey pointed out, is expected to include such important projects at the Detroit River, Menominee harbor and river, Grand Haven harbor, and Grand River, and the Monroe harbor, together with other navigation facilities outlined for the lakes connecting channels. Improvements proposed for the lakes connecting channels involve an expenditure of $29,266,400 alone, which means that auxiliary Great Lakes projects should run the total costs to a figure in excess of $30,000,000. For Detroit River The Detroit River projects forms an important part of the huge lakes channels program, which contemplates improved navigation facilities to a depth of 25 to 27 feet and depending on whether the channels have soft or rock bottoms. Under a report already submitted by the Army board of engineers, the head of the river is to be improved to a depth of 25 feet and 800 feet wide at an estimated cost of $165,300; Fighting Island channel improved to a depth of 26 feet and 800 feet wide at a cost of $187,100; Ballard`s Reef to a depth of 26 feet and a width of 600 feet (from section 150 to section 320) at a total estimated cost of $2,482,000. The chief expenditure proposed on the Detroit River, however is in the Livingstone Channel, 2 where a minimum depth of 26 feet is recommended\ with bottom widths ranging from 450 feet to 800 feet, the latter applying to sections 3200 to 4500 and to Lake Erie in the downward project. The total estimated cost of the proposed channel work amounts to $9,748,200. To Deepen Channels Present connecting channels are provided with depths suitable to accommodate vessels drawing 20 feet of water when lake levels are at the adopted datum planes. While the Detroit river report was submitted during the last congress and was incorporated in the omnibus port bill which the committee unsuccessfully sought to put forward during the closing days of the Coolidge administration, the Army engineers have recently presented new reports on the Grand River and Monroe harbor projects. March 21, 1930 The D. & C. Navigation Company opened navigation between Detroit and Cleveland yesterday (Thursday) with the sailing of the Steamer CITY OF DETROIT III. March 28, 1930 Progress Made on New Welland Canal The photograph here shows the channel of the new Welland ship canal, looking northwest from lock No. 4, wherein water will be turned on at the official opening of the lower canal about April 21. 3 April 11, 1930 Improving Lakes, Rivers And Harbors The U. S. House, rivers and harbors committee at Washington, Saturday, approved a project for the government to take over the Erie and Oswego canals from New York state and to deepen the channels to 13 feet at a cost of $26, 906,210 with $2,500,000 annually for maintenance, provided New York state relinquish all their claims to the waterway. The committee also approved a project to expend approximately $29,000,000 for deepening the shipping canal in the Great Lakes, and another project to construct regulatory works to cost $3,000,000 on the Great Lakes in order to maintain their levels. If the bill is adopted it paves the way for improvement work on the Detroit River. April 18, 1930 Straits Opened Navigation through the Straits into Lake Michigan inaugurated at midnight Saturday, when the Nicholson Steamship Company freighters SULTANA and CRESCENT CITY, the former under the command of Captain Herman Booth and the latter of Capt. William Edgar, cleared from the Iron Street docks with cargoes of automobiles consigned to Green Bay City and Milwaukee. April 25, 1930 H. H. Gildersleeve, Lake Manager Retires H. H. Gildersleeve, one of the best known marine transportation men on the Great Lakes and for many years manager of the Northern Navigation Co., with offices in Sarnia, a subsidiary of Canada Steamship Lines, has retired from active service. His father built the first steamer on Lake Ontario. Last summer he became ill and since has never fully recovered. Capt. W. Powell of Port Colborne has succeeded Mr. Gildersleeve. First Load of Coal The new Brunner Mond dock at Gordon received its first cargo of coal Saturday night. This was brought by the steamer JOHN A. KLING and was in the nature of an experiment. Frederick Nill, the new superintendent of the B.M.C., boarded the KLING and directed its landing. May 2, 1930 Lake Huron Level Low With the water of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario at unusually high levels, an anomaly of the situation is that little or no trouble is being experienced in the upper lakes districts.