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EXTREMELY RARE AND UNIQUE!
A GREAT PIECE OF GREAT LAKES STEAMSHIP HISTORY
Original Antique D & C LinesDetroit And Cleveland Navigation CompanyS.S. GREATER DETROIT / S.S. GREATER BUFFALO Shipboard Safety SignAnd Vintage 8 X 10 Photographs Of Each Ship!
This Unique And Very Historic Piece Of Shipboard SignageDates From The 1920's And Comes From One Of The Two Largest Side Paddle Steamships Built At The Time Of Their Launching In 1924!
The Sign Is Original, Made From Paper, And Comes In It's Original Antique Metal Frame As Used Aboard Ship! It Is Marked From The D&C Lake Lines, Otherwise Known As The Detroit And Cleveland Navigation Company, And Was Displayed Aboard Ship To Inform Passengers Of The Luxury Liner's State Of The Art Safety Features, Prominently Showing In Photographs How To Put On A Life Preserver And Detailing Where To Find Them Aboard Ship. (An Extremely Important Piece Of Information Aboard Any Ship, Particularly With These Vessels Launching Only Ten Short Years After The Tragic Titanic Disaster In The North Atlantic)
In Addition To The Sign, Two Vintage Photos Are Also Included.Both Measure 8" X 10" With One Photo Showing The S.S. Greater Detroit,And The Other Showing The S.S. Greater Buffalo.
The Sign Reads:"D&C Lake LinesNOTICE
To insure your comfort aboard it's steamers, the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company desires to direct your attention to the following:
Cabins are patrolled day and night by watchmen but for the safety of all, passengers are requested to refrain from smoking in staterooms.
On request, the Purser will care for money or other valuables of passengers.
Gambling is not permitted and passengers are warned against engaging in games with strangers.
Passengers are requested to leave key and to close the door when vacating staterooms at destination.
Life Preservers which slip on like a jacket and tie in front (see illustration below) will be found under berths in each stateroom and in boxes on either side on the various decks forward and aft. Children's life preservers will also be found in boxes as marked.
HOW TO PUT ON A LIFE PRESERVER*illustrations*
Suggestions for improvement of the service, or complaints of any kind should be made to the Captain, Purser, Chief Steward, or in writing to Edward T. Fitzgerald, Vice-President, in charge of Passenger Traffic, D.&C. General Offices, Detroit."
The Sign Was Used Aboard One Of These Very Famous Ships, Regarded In Their Day As The Last Word In Luxury On Lake Erie! They Were State Of The Art, Featuring Air Conditioning, 16 Watertight Compartments, Distilled Water, Fire Sprinklers In Every Room, Double Bottom Hulls, Movie Theaters, Wireless Radio Gear, On Board Telephones, And Their Engines Were Among The Biggest And Best Of Their Type Ever Built! While The S.S. Greater Detroit Sailed With Distinction From Her Launch In 1924 Through The Company's Closure In 1951, The S.S. Greater Buffalo Was Requisitioned For Military Service In 1942 And Refitted Into One Of The U.S. Navy's Only Two Freshwater, Coal Driven, Side Paddle Wheel Aircraft Carriers As U.S.S. SABLE. (The Other Being U.S.S. WOLVERINE).
Of Special Note: U.S.S. SABLE (S.S. Greater Buffalo) Trained Then Lt. JG George H.W. Bush, Who Later Became President Of The United States! Together With U.S.S. Wolverine, She Accounted For Training 17,800 Pilots In Carrier Take Offs And Landings, And Was Individually Responsible For 51,000 Landings During That Training Period! She Received Both The American Campaign Medal And The World War II Victory Medal For Her Service, And Was Home To Testing For The Experimental TDN-1 Torpedo Drone, And A Number Of Her Initial Crew Were Survivors Reassigned From The Famous Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. LEXINGTON After Her Sinking During The Battle Of The Coral Sea! In Addition To This, She Was Fitted With A Unique Steel Flight Deck And Was Instrumental In Testing Various Non Skid Coatings For That Type Of Flight Deck.
While Neither Of These Great Ships Survived (Buffalo Was Scrapped In 1948 And Detroit In 1956), Buffalo's Civilian Service Fittings Were Removed In 1942 During Her Refitting And Detroit's Fittings Were Removed And Sold To Residents In The Area Of Her Home Port As Souvenirs Before Her Scrapping In 1956. Those Fittings Having Been Removed 67-81+ Years Ago, They Have Become EXTREMELY RARE Collectibles... Especially Such Early Pieces As This Sign, Which Very Likely Dates Back To The Original Launching Of The Ships! It's Rarity Cannot Be Overstated, And Coupled With The Vintage Photographs Of Both Ships It Will Make An Attractive Display Of Great Lakes Steamship, Detroit, Buffalo, And Lake Erie History!
These Ships Carried More Passengers Per Overnight Lake Crossing Than Typical Ocean Liners Of Their Day, Making This Safety Sign An Essential Piece Of Life Saving Instructional Equipment Seen By Thousands Upon Thousands Of Passengers During The Ships Approximately 25 Years On The Lake.
It's Condition Is Both Remarkable And Impeccable!It Shows Only Minor Wear From It's Age And Use, With Even It's Original Mounting Bracket Fittings Remaining Intact! It Is Truly A Survivor Of History, A Relic Of A Bygone Era, And A Unique Artifact Of Another Age!In EXCELLENT CONDITION!
DO NOT MISS YOUR CHANCE!Own This UNIQUE And INCREDIBLY HISTORICArtifact Of Maritime History In YOURCollection TODAY!
