One of the most intriguing news item we have ever seen was reported in the September 13, 1906 issue of "The Marine Review", a weekly shipping magazine published, during the earlier years of this century, in Cleveland. We somehow doubt that the skippers of the ships involved saw much humour in the situation.

"Navigation through the American Canal at Sault Ste. Marie was delayed for three hours on Tuesday afternoon when the downbound steamer GEORGE W.PERKINS, with a beam of 56 feet, and the upbound steamer HENRY STEINBRENNER, with a beam of 50 feet, tried to pass in the Narrows where the channel is exactly 106 feet wide. The fender strake on the STEINBRENNER was fastened in such a manner as to wedge the two boats together. Three tugs finally succeeded in towing them down the stream together until a wider place in the channel was reached."

Could this be a preview of the first passing of ROGER BLOUGH and STEWART J.CORT in Little Rapids Cut?

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