Detroit Vessel La Salle Undiscovered 8mm film picked up at thrift shop

This video could have been lost forever, I like to collect these for all to share in the history of those that worked hard to keep America Strong
As a Master, Westcott understood the challenges that shipping vessels faced including lack of ship to shore and shore to ship communications. At the time, a common practice of the shipping industry demanded that destinations of cargoes be closely guarded. Westcott had first hand knowledge of the problems surrounding this practice as even the ship’s masters were unaware of where their journey would end. With a lack of reliable forms of communication between shipping companies and their vessels ever-changing weather conditions, congestion in ports, breakdowns in equipment and other unforeseen complications anywhere along the Great Lakes could spell financial disaster for a company. Westcott sought to remedy this communication problem by establishing our company in the Port of Detroit circa 1874.

The marine reporting agency John founded would field destination and dock information from shipping companies and deliver them to passing vessels from his dock on Belle Isle. The modern marvel of engineering - a line tied to a bucket - would be thrown over the side of the passing vessel. Westcott would place communique inside and the bucket would quickly hoist back up. This string of events would come to be known and ‘mail in the pail’.

Over the years, the business grew and services expanded to more that just company reporting. In 1948, the J.W. Westcott became an official U.S. Postal Service mail boat and soon would earn the world's first non-military floating postal ZIP code—48222.