Part 12 (1/2)
Just below the ramparts is to be seen a long one story wooden building--the last remaining portion of the old ”Navy Hall,” the headquarters of Lieut.-Governor Simcoe, where the meetings of the first Parliament of Upper Canada were held in 1792 and where he entertained the Duc de Liancourt in 1795. The other buildings of the group, as shown in the drawings of Mrs.
Simcoe, were destroyed or removed in the construction of the Erie & Ontario Railway.
The business on the Collingwood Line had so much increased to Lake Superior that another steamer was now needed, and the Steamer _Campana_ was purchased in England. Her career had been a romantic one. While running on the River Plate in Brazil, she had been chartered to take a cargo of 700 mules to South Africa for the Kaffir War of 1878. The mules were landed at Capetown, but the supercargo, or purser, who was in charge, collected the purchase money and the freight earnings and then disappeared. The steamer was summarily sold to pay the wages of the crew and was then brought to the Thames, where she was purchased by Mr. A. M. Smith, President of the company, and brought out to Montreal. As the _Campana_ was 225 feet long, 45 ft. beam, with tonnage of 2000, and all the lower St. Lawrence ca.n.a.ls had not been completed to Welland Ca.n.a.l size, four being still of the old length of 180 ft. only, Mr. c.u.mberland was engaged to superintend her cutting in two and bring up the two sections.
[Ill.u.s.tration: The CIBOLA in the Niagara River off Queenston. page 153]
With a vessel of such size this entailed great difficulties, she being the largest s.h.i.+p that had been up till then brought up the ca.n.a.ls and rapids, but the novel problems were solved and the way paved for the Canadian Pacific Steamers, _Alberta_, _Algoma_, _a.s.siniboia_, built in Scotland, which next followed on the same methods.
_Campana_ was the first twin-screw iron pa.s.senger and freight steams.h.i.+p to ply on the Upper Lakes, and introduced the system of making a round trip a week between Ontario ports and Lake Superior.
In this year the _Maid of the Mist_, 72 ft. long, 17 beam, depth 8 ft., startled the vessel world. Her business from the elevator stairways to the foot of the Horse Shoe Falls had fallen off. It was said that behind was the sheriff, in front the Whirlpool Rapids and beyond on reaching Lake Ontario a satisfactory sale. Capt. Robinson determined to run the risk and on 15th June started down the river. The first huge wave of the rapids threw the boat on her beam ends sending the smoke stack overboard, almost submerged by the next she righted, and by a quick turn evading the whirlpool emerged from the Gorge in little over ten minutes. The watchful collector at Queenston seized the opportunity for fees and had the _Maid_ enter with him the Customs, the first and probably the last steamer ever to register as having come _down_ from above the Rapids.
In August we met our first loss by the death of Col. F. W. c.u.mberland, General Manager of the Northern & Northern Western Railways, and our senior director. Having taken the utmost interest in the enterprise, his technical knowledge, energy and judgment had been throughout of infinite value, and his hearty personality was greatly missed not only in business but in comrades.h.i.+p. He was a man who had the forceful faculty of engaging the affection and loyalty of men who worked with or under him; severe but just, exacting yet encouraging, good service was sure to be noted by him and to receive his approval and reward.
After his death the employees of the Northern and North-Western Railway, since absorbed by the Grand Trunk Railway, erected a monument to his memory at the Junction station at Allandale, presenting an excellent likeness in bronze of their late chief.
Mrs. Seraphina c.u.mberland, wife of the Vice President, was appointed to the vacancy on the Board.
During the winter of 1881-82 further changes took place in the owners.h.i.+p of the _City_, whereby Mr. Donald Milloy, who had been in charge of her up to this time, ceased to be her managing agent, and Mr. William Milloy and his mother, Mrs. Duncan Milloy, of Niagara, came into control.
The new management declined to renew the previous arrangement and determined to run on their own and separate account on a new arrangement made with the Canada Southern.
On May 20th, 1882 the _City_ with Mr. William Milloy as captain, opened the season with regular trips--”_Leaving Niagara on the arrival of the Canada Southern train 9.45; returning leave Toronto 3 p.m., connecting with Canada Southern at 5.30 p.m. Tickets from D. Milloy, Agent, 8 Front street, East._”
On Monday 22nd May, 1882, _Chicora_ resumed the usual trips from Toronto at 7 a.m. and 2 p.m., connecting at Niagara with Canada Southern and at Lewiston with New York Central Railway.--”_Tickets from W. R. Callaway, 20 King street, East, and 25 York street, or Barlow c.u.mberland, 35 Yonge street, and 24 York street._”
Mr. Callaway then represented the Credit Valley Railway in Toronto, and on their company being absorbed by the Canadian Pacific Railway as part of a through line from Windsor to Montreal, he became its Western Pa.s.senger Agent. His wonderful faculty for attractive advertising and catching phrases had immediate effect in creating the company's pa.s.senger business against its older rival, and when the ”Soo” road was added to the C.P.R., Mr. Callaway's genius for developing traffic was transferred to Minneapolis, where he achieved similar results. The ticket offices at York street were princ.i.p.ally for steerage, and Italian business. Pa.s.senger business toward the west was at that time exceedingly active. The Canadian Pacific then under active construction around the north sh.o.r.e of Lake Superior, and to the further west, called for large importations of laboring men, making the beginning of our Italian population. Manitoba and our North-West were attracting much attention and the railways beyond Chicago, not having been merged into large corporations but working independently, were offering large ticket commissions, each acting on its own account.
The contest across the lake now created was not pleasant, there being an introduction of a certain amount of local rivalry which was undesirable.
The season was a rough one and towards its close the _City_ grounded on the boulders at the entrance to the Niagara River, and was successfully pulled off, but did not finish out the season. Notices were inserted in the public papers that the _City of Toronto_ ”would be rebuilt for next season and that work would commence directly navigation closed.” _Chicora_ therefore finished the season alone.
The season of 1883 found the steamers running in the same manner--_Chicora_ under Capt. Harbottle to Niagara and Lewiston: the _City_, Capt. W. Milloy to Niagara only. The season was an unfruitful one, weather cool and disagreeable.
For sake of notoriety the steamers under the leaders.h.i.+p of the _City_ were often sent across the lake on days when they had better have remained in port and saved money. It was this mistaken course which led to close of the compet.i.tion.
A heavy storm from the east was blowing, toward the end of September. The seas were running heavily on the Island, and even sweeping up on the dock fronts in the harbor, no business offering and weather cold with sheets of rain and sleet at intervals. The _City_ had come across from Niagara but _Chicora_ had not been sent out for the morning trip, nor had we any intention of sending her out for the afternoon.
About 3 o'clock it was noticed that the _City_ appeared to be firing up. I was at the time in charge and had given instruction that if the _City_ went out _Chicora_ was to follow but on no account to pa.s.s her. Capt. Harbottle and self were walking up and down the front of Mowat's dock, where the _Chicora_ lay, watching the other steamer which was lying at Milloy's Yonge street dock, from which we had for the third time been ousted at the beginning of the season. ”By the Lord,” said the captain, ”she's moving; I'm off.”
There were few or no pa.s.sengers to go, but the _City_ started out down the bay followed by _Chicora_.
They had a very rough pa.s.sage and when about two miles out from the river the _City_ rolled out her mast and was otherwise damaged, but managed to make her way into port.
This was her end, for she was sent to Port Dalhousie for repairs, and while lying up in the dock she was burned at 9 p.m., 31st October, 1883, and so closed a long and eventful career.
1884 found us without any further partners and alone on the route. It had been a long strife. No wonder we had loved the _Chicora_ for like a good la.s.s she had always cheerfully responded to whatever she was called upon to do.
Her seaworthiness gained the confidence of the public to such an extent that there were not a few families in the city who preferred the rough days for their outings, and some men, among others, Mr. Wilson of the Bank of Montreal, who always had notices sent to them when ”there was a real heavy sea on,” so that they might make the afternoon 2 p.m. excursion.
Capt. Harbottle having been appointed to a position on sh.o.r.e in the Marine Department, his place on the _Chicora_ was given to Capt. Thomas Leach, of Halifax. It was he who in 1866 had brought up the blockade runner _Rothesay Castle_ and had run her between Toronto and Niagara in compet.i.tion with the _City_ under arrangements with the Canada Southern.
The season of 1884 had barely begun before we learned of another intended compet.i.tor. The steamer _Rupert_ was being brought up to run in connection with the Canada Southern at Niagara-on-the-Lake.