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YEARBOOK, PUBLIC MUSEUM, MILWAUKEE 



[Vol. III. 



and thence conducted him on a tour of their bituminous coal mines in 

 Ohio, West Virginia, and southwestern Pennsylvania. It is thought 

 that a brief account of this trip and of the lantern slides obtained may 

 be of interest to the reader. 



The journey began at the Company's dock, where the " Christ- 

 opher," a typical lake carrier of the 400 foot class, after surrendering 

 the last bucketful of the coal which she had brought to Milwaukee, 

 was riding light on the black, oily waters of the Menomonee Canal, 

 as shown in figure 31. 



Fig. 32. — U. S. Coast Guard Station and launch on St. Marv's River. 



The vessel's destination was one of the Lake Erie ports at which 

 another shipment of coal was waiting to be transported to the great 

 Northwest. But the "Christopher" was not to lag down the Lakes 

 empty-handed; this thrifty carrier was to take on a cargo of iron ore 

 and convey it to the voracious blast furnaces of the Pittsburgh region. 

 Accordingly, when the tugs, which with unceremonious skill had hauled 

 the "Christopher" stern first out of the canal, cast off the towlines at 

 the harbor entrance, this dutiful burden bearer set her course for the 

 iron ore docks of the Upper Peninsula. 



Thanks to Captain Herman Oertling who not only answered count- 



