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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-01-23, Page 10�1. ti "Little Joe's" Bluewoter Coffee Shop 355 !)AYFIELD ROAD GODERICH 524-4331 PvJYINO AN ANNUITY? CALL US FOR THE HIGHEST QUOTE AVAILABLE FOR EXPERT RRSP & ANNUITY ADVICE CALL ,1 BCANNUITIES GODERICH 524-2773 (Collect) TOWN AND COUNTRY BUSINESS & PR o FESSIONAL DIRECTOR Ronald L. McDonald CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT 47 CHURCH ST., 524-6253 Goderich, Ontario NOW AVAILABLE TELEPHONE ANSWERING SERVICE For more information CALL: 524-2648 MOOR E SASH - !.M kw your; hard to. ges. CLEANi61G REQUIREMENTS GARDINER'S MOBILE WASH -IT Goderich 524-6031 Durst, Vodden • & Bender CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS 3711 West Street Goderich, Ont. 524-2011 FRED LAWRENCE Electrical - "Contr6ctor HOME. FARM ANI) (:(.)iiMh,R(:I,%I. PHONE AUBURN 526-7505 MORRIS Your One Stop Interior Decorating Service__ Centre Custom Drapery Kirsch Track and Installation Available Draco Window Shades Wallpaper & C.I.L. Paints Harding Carpets 36 West St. Goderich 524-2551 The Old Fashioned HARDWARE STORE Wholesale Cable & Fittings I 1 SIR/1MMlag Pool Chemicals ' Fire Extinguishers Sales & Service Window -Glass - Screening Repairs ( I C.LL. Paints & Wallpaper Fishing, Hunting Licences 11,Srnall Appliance Repairs 'PHIL MAIN .r' emWoournameinhardware 84 Kingston St. Goderich D.B. Palmer Doctor of Chiropractic 73 Montreal St. Goderich 524-4555 Queen St. Blyth 523-9321 R.W. BELL OPTOMETRIST The Square 524-7661 W.L. BUTLER CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT Trustee in Bankruptcy Farm Financia( Statements OFFICES 53 North St., Goderich 524-2834 35 Lambton Crt., Kincardine 5 Ontario St., Clinton • (at HIR Bloch) 482-3812 482-3563 We Have It All: Celluh se, Rockwool; Fibreglass, Polyuretha Vents, Poly -caulking, Weather Stripping Materials For Every Need - Houses, Barns, Factories, etc. LET US KEEP YOU IN THE COMFORT ZONE. Also spray painting of most everything CALL NOW FOR FREE ESTIMATES GARDINER'S MOVERS Locally Owned And Operated CLEAN MODERN EQUIPMENT PROMPT & COURTEOUS SERVICE FREE ESTIMATES EXPERT ADVICE EXPERIENCED PERSONNEL PACKING CARTONS CAREFUL HANDLING REASONABLE RATES \For Moving Anything LARGE OR SMALL 524-2421 ^'l PHONES BUS. 524.7379. 'RES. 524.6210 Direct Parts 524-7389 BLUEWATER TRUCK CENTRE LTD. GODERICH, ONTARIO WE SPECIALIZE IN TRUCKS CARLYLE BANNISTER AIRPORT ROAD MacGillivray & Co. CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS RONALD E. TAKALO, C.A. - RESIDENT PARTNER 40 THE SQUARE. GODERICH, ONT. 524-2677 MONTREAL OTTAWA TORONTO' MISSISSAUGA ST. CATHARINES PORT COLBORNE BRAMPTON BURLINGTON N'ANEETTON' ,LIS -TOWEL GODERICH WINNIPEG VANCOUVER GODERICH ENERGY SEAL AND INSULATION Complete insulation of attics, basements, walls. Seating & removal of UFFI Ener -seal draft -proofing of home GOVERNMENT GRANTS AVAILABLE 37 KINGSTON ST., 6ODERKCH 524-2311 out-of-town call collect replacement windows ventilation of attic humidity problems solved FREE ESTIMATES The Erindale was the last Dale ship to ate, the last to visit Goderich and the last to be scrapped, (Photo courtesy of Skip Gillham) Last vessels of Da BY SKIP GILLHAM The last vessels of the Dale fleet, known around the lakes under several titles since 1952, have gone for scrap. The firm began when Captain Norman Reoch established a fleet of four ships pur- chased from lThiclman's Diamond Steam- ship Company in 1952. He gradually expand- ed the fleet, adding larger bulk carriers and, during the sixties, self-unloaders. Perhaps best remembered as Westdale Shipping, a number of this fleet's ships stop- ped at Goderich over the years. The old Elmdale traded here often and eventually retired to .pc "-t as the storage barge K.A. Powell. Her replacement on the grain run was the Westdale. This vessel continued to serve here as H.C. Heimbecker when the Soo River Company took her over. In later years, Westdale Shipping, or Dale Transports as it became known in 1976, con- centrated in the self-unloader trades. Here, on, occasion- their ships would load salt or corn for delivery around the Great Lakes. The. last Dale ship to operate; the last to visit Goderich and the last to be scrapped, vas Erindale. This ship dates from 1915 and when.... launched, the . largest_::,self unloading ship on tine Great Lakes and pro- bably the largest of the type in the world. She usually haulled limestone- for United - States Steer' until. During that tame, fleet gone for scra`p from 1962 to 1965, she left the Great Lakes briefly to haul coal, from Chesapeake Bay to steel docks on the Delaware River. Other- wise stone out of Calcite or Port Dolomite, two Michigan ports, dominated her ac- tivities. After a year's lay-up, she joined the Dale fleet in 1976 as Erindale. Again she concen- trated on the limestone trade but now work- ed mostly on Lake Ontario between Col- borne, where she loaded, and Clarkson. She hauled as many as 167 cargos in a season and totalled close to 1.75 million tons that year. She made one stop at Goderich in 1977, loading salt for St. Clair, Michigan. Then, in 1983, she took on corn for delivery to Port Colborne. Erindale laid up last winter at Port Col- borne and the Dale fleet went out of business early in 1984. Erindale and Silverdale, the two remaining ships in the fleet, were both arrested and sold to satisfy creditors. Silverdale was scrapped at Windsor beginn- ing last June but Erindale was laid up along the bank of the Welland Canal north of Port Colborne. There, during the summer, . she was senselessly vandalized. Then, on November 2, she was moved to the scrap d®cls of Hamilton Marine Engineering, south of Lock -8 -at -Port Colborne. Shortly after her arrival; rwas-giver, per nussion for Lareweit tour of-hrindale to take photos of this example of a rapidly diminishing breed of lake vessel. Wandering through her empty rooms, one could not help but think of the crews that kept her in superb runningorder to put in almost 70 years on -the reat Lakes and Atlantic seaboard. I thought about what must have been a gala launch when this ship was the largest of her type on the lakes. At 550 feet (167.64 metres), she would have dwarfed the Wooden schooners and freighters of the ear- ly years of her existence. Her engine room still contained her original triple expansion engine. It operated efficiently to the end but wasno longer cost efficient when compared to modern diesels. Only a change from coal to oil firing af- fected the day to day work of the engine room crew over the years. The bow, which now featured kicked in portholes, had also changed little. Peering in one port, I noted the still beautiful wood- work in the captain's lounge. Above, in the pilothouse, navigation equipment had disap- peared. Cutting on the hull of Erindale had begun and soon this proud old vessel will, Bke so, -many' others of--that-era;,— -_lbe'. reduced-- to-- scrap, o-"scrap, melted down and probably end up hi new -cars. Then, thelast-of-the.Dale fleet will be brit a-taemo y. Former S.S. G oderich awaiting .x torch after 80 seasons on lake BY SKIP GILLHAM The former steamship Goderich, a visitor here under two names, sits at - Port Maitland, Ontario. There,' early in 1985, she will be broken up for scrap. After 80 seasons her time has come. Goderich was a name proudly carried on this ship from 1964 to 1980. It was especially significant in 1977 when the ship sported the "Jubilee 3" crest for'her namesake town on the bow. This ship was launched at Wyandotte, Michigan, in 1906 and joined,.the Pickands- Mather fleet as Samuel Mather.. This firm kept her busy in the ore trade, with limited transportation of coal and grain, until June 1960. From 1925 on, however, her name was Pathfinder. Upper Lakes purchased the ship in 1964 and put her back to work: Renamed Goderich, she concentrated -on new duties, the Seaway ore and grain .trade, for a number of years before settling back 'ito the grain run on the lakes. to She also called here a number of times . load salt, including opening the local navigation season in 1974. In 1980, she was sold to the Soo River co: pany and renamed Soo River Trader. She handled grain for Soo River and came here on their account on three occasions in 1981 --Soo-River-went out -of -business -in 1982 and this strip joined P & H Shipping late in the summer. They renamed her Pineglen but did not, to my Idiowledge, ever send her to Guueirrll_._ — — At the end of the 1982 season, the 550 foot (167.64 metre) Pineglen was, retired to S.S. Goderich above Lock 7 of the Welland Canal on Nov. 17, 1979. (Photo courtesy of Skip Gillham) JuToronto.eglenFor_wa�a_gradtimerras shJ1y se wtrjasnon stdby but the ship was never recalled to duty. Instead ped_aannd even- tually sold. Last September 29,'the-vesselwas towed z r to Port Maitland, on Lake Erie, and within a week had been officially renamed Neglen. This released ter forinern-ame—force--use-at- some future date for another P & H ship. Shoi'eeiiie ecoi4 The Decorating People Since 1935 YOUR COMPLETE DECORATING CENTRE wall coverings • paint • stains cabinet refinishing SUNWORTHY YES YOU CLW WALlLOVEAINGS Proprietor: Don Larder Suncoast Mali 397 Bayfie d Rd. Goderich, CIntarlo 524.2232 Rosemary's Entire Collection of Fall & Winter Clothing IS NOW REDUCED TO...