Back in 1938 this little tug ran between Bob Lo and Amherstberg. I'd like to hear from some of you Bob Lo fans who know more about it. Was it called the "Papoose"? Was it the ONLY ferry between the Island and the mainland at that time or was it merely used to haul freight from the mainland? Any information you can pass along will be appreciated. Click Here to send me e-mail regarding this small vessel.--Hart
On its first trip of the day back to Detroit, our Bob Lo steamer stopped for a moment at Amherstberg near this venerable smoke belching clam shell crane next to what appears to be a huge coal pile. Date: Late July, 1938.
This photo was made in the summer of 1940. The COLUMBIA is in the foreground, the STE. CLAIRE is at the left and the stern of the SOUTH AMERICAN is visible on the right. All three ships were docked near the foot of Woodward Avenue.
The picture was snapped aboard the CITY OF DETROIT III as I was enroute to Port Huron during one of the D&C's Sunday daylight excursions which were featured that year. It was a dreary day. In fact we ran into rain about the time we entered Lake St. Clair.
The Captain on the trip was Louie Mantell who later became the last Captain of the GREATER DETROIT. He wasn't too pleased with the Sunday excursions because, being the only licensed Pilot aboard the vessel, he had to be in the Pilot House whenever the CITY OF DETROIT III was in the rivers.
He was up fairly late Saturday night for the Cleveland departure. He had to be up early Sunday morning, when the vessel left Lake Erie and entered the Detroit River. After a very short layover, he found it necessary to work all day on the Port Huron trip and then leave for Cleveland and pilot the ship downriver to Lake Erie until well past midnight.
Louie Mantell was a radio amateur. His call sign was W8VU. After he passed away, his call sign was reissued to another Louie who, when I chatted with him over the air waves, was the Radio Man aboard the USCG CUTTER MACKINAW. Two W8VU's. Two Louie's. Two Great Lakes seamen. Definitely rare coincidences, indeed.
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