Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-09-07

~ b o I business
next year. Our
lively water
front may - II
u1I111D the rumors are
right - be one
ME- riCAS" more thing that
will go into Information for the
duration.
Uncle Ollie Is 70 years old and
has spent all his life on Detroit's
waterfront. His father started the
Ashley e. Dustin Lines 108 years
ago, and father or son has been
q fixture ever since.
Uncle Ollie may be taking
last look at the river the way 1t
has been. Until the war Ii over,
things will be different.
Maybe. Of course, he'll still be
running his excursions next sum-
mer. We hope 80. But the Kos-
sip along the wharves Is fore
\ boding.
Some people 60 so far rs 10
predict that the navy, coast
guard and merchant marine will
take over everything that floats
within the next IL months.
Already, Of course, the Seeand-
bee has been converted into
practice aircraft carrier, and the
d. e. c. Line Is running only a
single boat between Detroit and
Buffalo. Waterfront people are
conjecturing whether more boats
won't go the same way. One guess
is that nothing will be left except
one boat running TO Buffalo and
one to Cleveland.
That's sheer guesswork. OF
course, but II you get a kick out
of going down 10 the docks &C.
casionally to watch the big lake
boats pulling cut, you'd better dc
IL this month while the ID. a c.
boats are still running. They'll
operate through September al
though the Put-In-Bay is finish
ing its season today.
The navy recruiting depart
ment already II asking for crew
rosters, looking for men who
know the feel Of boats and can
be enlisted I'm the navy.
Detrolt's big fleet Of private
pleasure boats, from the old
Delphine, the Dodge yacht,
down to modest cruisers, already
In doing its bit. The Delphine II
In service Ne y navy barge, and
smaller craft IRE doing coast
guard patrol work. Take q look
any time mt the gray-paintcd
boats that arc working now, In
stead Of carrying gay parties on
pleasure jaunts.
1 Even the old ferries are going
10 work. Some of them have been
tied up for years because il wasn't
worth the $4,000 or 100000 that
II would have cost TO refit one
of them for service. Now they are
being rebuilt into ice-breakers. 20
keep the waterway open for the
ore boats.
As I said, the future II pretty
well clouded by gossip, but I
understand that plans for putting
some of the biggest steamers tn
work on n new Job this winter
are more than mere gossip.
Collectively, the big steamers
have berths enough for several
thousand people, and the Idea IL
to use them for huge floating
dormitories for war workers.
These boats are steam-heated
and could be kept snug all win
ter, tied up at the waterfront.
always thought that IL would
he n pleasant experience to live
for a while on q boat mo0red
down there, and i hope that
some of our overflow population
feels the same way. IL looks as
though they would have a chance
to try IL.
If we do have a few excursion
boats still operating next year,
that'll be fine. Going for a boat
ride occasionally has been part OF
living in Detroit.
But il we don't--well, we don't,
that's all.
II we could read Uncle Ollie
Dustin's mind, I wonder what
wistful thoughts we'd find.
Memories of so years ago when
homesteaders and immigrants
were arriving, sleeping out on
the decks. Memories OF all the
n crippled children that Uncle
OllIe has taken on free voyages,
y and sometimes IL was the only
outing they had, from one sum-
mer TO the next.
Young couples with moonlight in
their eyes. and old people nodding
and listening to the lap-lap of the
waves. The sight of the last