Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor Dick, Thank you for the copy of the latest Brightwork ---- Great Job!!! My grandmother told stories of riding on the Frontenac, and also sailed with my grandfather on Harry Bull's boat to see the wreck the day after it happened. She said it was kind of strange to see it wrecked after having been onboard many times. When we were kids, we used to snorkel where she sank, but in the mid '60's there wasn't much left, just a few ribs and planks. On a different note, I have just unearthed a bunch of old files from the formation of the Finger Lakes Chapter, ACBS. I have a list of the "real" founding members, letters from Ray Nelson, Mo Sherrill, etc., press releases including one for the first formation meeting, and a copy of the first FLC, ACBS newsletter from the fall of 1978 entitled "Shorelines" which includes a list of the boats and owners from the first FLC show. I also have a storage crate full of FLC, ACBS stuff from the late '70s and through the '80s that I haven't even looked into yet. Did anybody ever find the original FLC Charter? It was framed and hung on the wall at the Deerhead Inn (Lower Lake Road, Seneca Falls) for a number of years and then went missing. Also, what ever happened to the "Best In Show" trophy? I'll let you know what else I find as I go through the crate of information.

FLC Charter Member George Zeth

I have no knowledge of anyone having come across the original FLC Charter, and no info on the Best In Show trophy. Also, wish we had known that the original name of the FLC newsletter had been Shorelines when we restarted the newsletter as Brightwork back in the '80s. -Ed. Dick,

Many thanks for the copy of the June Brightwork. I enjoyed your article about the Frontenac. It's nice that your magazine has room for several photos for one article. The Laura Darragh was run on Cayuga Lake only in 1894 and 1895. It was sold to the Seneca Lake Steam Navigation Co. to run in concert with the Otetiani for the 1896 season. It ran also in 1897, but contrary to published reports, did not spend "many years" on Seneca Lake. The outbreak of the Spanish American War had the US government looking for troop transport ships and they felt that the Darragh would be a good candidate. The S.L.S.N.Co apparently sold the boat to the government in May of 1898, and brought in the Frank Cummings, as a replacement for the Darragh, to operate with the Otetiani for the 1898 season. Thanks again for the newsletter. Don Quant

Thanks from me too, Dick. Nice job on the magazine, as usual. I especially enjoyed learning about Lake Cayuga steamboat history, as I had just returned from my 45th (gulp) Cornell U. reunion. No signs of the burned up remains of the side-wheeler, nor for that matter, of the trolley car deliberately run off the Stewart Avenue bridge into the gorge for a Pearl White "Perils of Pauline" movie back when Ithaca was the Hollywood of the U.S. So it goes. Jim Dierks, Editor Journal of the NY Museum of Transportation

Dick, Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the last issue. The content and print quality were outstanding! Thanks for all your hard work. Dave Freund

Dick, Thanks for letting me know what happened to the June issue, and thanks for all your hard work on the newsletter. I look forward to receiving a copy of Brightwork. Bob Korts ...PS: I am taking FLASH back to Tennessee in September and taking her on the Tennessee River Cruise. We will use her in Tennessee this fall and next spring, and then return her to Canandaigua Lake for next summer.

Hi Dick, The show was great! You guys always do an awesome job! Sorry we decided to leave early. It was a Murphy's Law Weekend. As I told you, the left wheel bearings on the trailer went while on our way to the Boat Show. Then, during the parade and flybys, my Gray Fireball started acting up -- the engine would suddenly cut out. Finally, I took a ton of pictures, hoping to send you some for the newsletter if any came out good. But, Sunday morning, while taking some more, the camera gave me a 'write error' message. Then it would not read the card. So far I haven't been able to recover the files. So it was all that, but mostly I didn't want to be towing after dark in case something else happened with the trailer. We made it home OK. Anyhow, sorry to leave early, but wanted to let you know we enjoyed the show very much. Look forward to seeing you at the ACBS International Show. Best, JR (Kent) Smith, Adirondack Chapter, ACBS