Despite the fact that we’re not built to hang on with our toes, which caused a numbness from the knees down as we stood on the hill waiting for the POW train to puff into the C.N.R. station in Windsor on Friday night, the excitement and happiness of the crowd overcame any physical discomfort.  I wouldn’t have missed being jostled by that friendly mob for anything.  All the anxiety of the past few years just faded away as the names of one after another of those men of Dieppe were called and they joined their next of kin.

Echo October 20, 1960
The Banana Belt of Canada, our own Essex County, has certainly been turning on the warm, bright charm these autumn days.  Monday at one I stood in front of the office with the sunshine, both heart and body warming, and looked at the heavenly blue unclouded sky, then northward through the golden bronze and yellow leaves, spiced with a dash of red.  The flowers, gardens and grass that day were still lovely and men were around in shirt sleeves and ladies in dresses with sweaters.  Mid-October certainly can hold its own with any other season of the year, I feel.  Oh, I forgot the sumacs on Bob-Lo – breathtaking surely!

The storm which prevailed over land and water over the Northwest on Thursday and Friday was one of the worst on record.  A carefully compiled list of casualties shows the aggregate damage to be not less than $700,000 to $800,000, almost entirely in the loss or serious damage of vessels of the cheaper class – lake barges and towing schooners.  The loss of life, by reports already received, is about 39.  Both the property lost and the fatalities will be swelled by the stray reports still to come in, for though the damage has been all done, it has not all been reported, nor, probably, all even discovered yet.  Reports show the following vessels foundered:-The barges Minekaunie and Marinette, in tow of the steam barge Manistique, laden with lumber at Oscoda for Chicago, broke loose Thursday morning 20 miles off Manitou Island.  They water-logged and went ashore four miles south of Frankfort.  Both barges are a wreck.  The two crews, numbering 15 men, were lost, except one named C.W. Annis.  The schooner L.J. Conway, bound from Chicago to Muskegon, was wrecked on the beach near Flower Creek, seven miles north of White Lake, and Capt. Thomas Smith with four sailors, names unknown, are lost.  Barge Emerald near Kewaunee, five lives lost; barge F.M. Dickinson near Kewaunee, three lives lost; two schooners, one the Helen, near Port Sherman, the crew of six men and the captain’s wife lost; schooner Lubrene went down near Ashland, 8 lives lost; barge Star of the North near East Tawas, crew saved.  The vessels known to have been driven ashore are the steam barge Wallace and consort David Wallace on Chocolay Beach, east of Marquette, crews rescued by life-saving crew.  The Robt. Wallace caught fire Sunday and her upper works burned off; several vessels at Presque Isle and many lives lost; schooner South Haven near Port Sherman, captain badly injured; schooner Mary near Blenheim, Ont; schooner Pathfinder near Two Rivers, cargo and vessel a total loss; schooner Cuyahoga and two scows in North Bay; schooner P.S. Marsh and an unknown schooner at St. Ignace; the schooner Kolfage at Goderich; propeller Nashua on Grass Island, Green Bay; barge Bissell near Marquette Beach, total loss; barges Buckout, McDougall, Baker, Golden Harvest near East Tawas; two unknown schooners on Old Mackinac Reef; schooner Unadilla near Mackinac; barge Minnehaha ashore at Detroit; schooners Wm. Jones, Tallahassee, Lyman Case, Thos. Sheldon, Queen of the Lakes, Dauntless and Ida Walker are in trouble.  In the majority of these cases the crews are safe, but the result in a number of others is at least uncertain.