From: Russ
Location: Las Vegas
Email: COGIT8Rataol.com
Remote Name: 198.81.26.109
Date: 10/29/02
Time: 10:56:01 PM
Jack - The first downbound vessel was the Canada Steamship Line's Simcoe. Unless there was a mid-season change, W. Tomlinson was Captain and W. MacPherson was Chief Engineer of the Simcoe in 1969. The Simcoe was followed by the J. A. W. Iglehart and the first salty to use the new lock was the Anina (Norwegian Registry). The first upbound vessel was the USS Philip R. Clarke. George Ashby was Captain of the Clarke that season but 95 year old Thomas Small was at the wheel as honorary Captain. Captain small was also at the wheel of the whaleback Colgate Hoyt on August 4, 1896 when it carried the first cargo of iron ore through the original Poe lock. On July 10, 1979, at the age of 106, the Coast Guard renewed Captain Small's licence as "Master of Steam and Motor Vessels of any gross tons upon the waters of the Great Lakes". His license had the highest issue number - 14-17 (His Captain's licence was renewed 14 times and it was his seventeenth license as Pilot, Mate or Master. Captain Small held a license for more than 80 years! A total of 9 commercial vessels and two Coast Guard vessels and 103,274 tons of cargo passed through the Poe on June 28, 1969
