Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2013, All Rights Reserved U.S. Data Repository Please read U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the US Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ ========================================================================= U.S. Data Repository NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ========================================================================= Formatted by U.S. Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== SOURCE: Huron Institute Papers and Records, Vol. I Collingwood, Published by the Institute, 1901 [Page 43] SHIPPING ON THE UPPER LAKE ------ With clashing wheel and lifting keel, And smoking torch on high, When winds are loud and billows reel, She thunders foaming by; When seas are silent and serene With even beam she glides, The sunshine glimmering through the green That skirts her gleaming sides. --The Steamboat. The history of navigation on the upper Canadian lakes may be divided into three periods. First: that of the birch bark canoe, still used by the Indians at the time of the arrival in the Huron country of that intrepid explorer, Champlain, the tercentenary of whose founding of the city of Quebec was but recent- ly celebrated in the ancient capital. Second: the arrival of the steamer on the lakes. Third: the days of the steel leviathans. From one to the other of these periods is a long stride. From the canoe to the arrival of the steamers Gore and Mazeppa, which plied the waters of the Georgian Bay in the early fifties, when Penetanguishene had become an aban- doned military and naval station and Collingwood was in the hamlet stage, covers a space of two hun- dred and fifty years. From that time to the days of the steel leviathans, such as the Hamonic, just completed for the Northern Navigation Company at the yard of the Collingwood Shipbuilding Com- pany spans another half century. What the next cen- tury or two centuries and a half, will bring in the way of evolution in shipbuilding, the greatest op- timist is unable to discern. The transformations from time to time in the past have been so great, the forces that create fleets so active and the invinc- ible spirit of enterprise so undaunted, that the pos- sibilities of the future are far beyond the concep- tion of man of the present age. But what of these changes in Canada? They re- present the development of Canada's marine; they [Page 44] demonstrate the indomitable will and courage of the Canadians and the faith they have in the future of their own. The Gore was but a tug, and a small tug as compared with the steamer Hamonic which flies the red and blue house flag of the Northern Naviga- tion Company. The Mazeppa was somewhat larger than her predecessor, the former having a tonnage of 149 tons and the latter 250 tons, but in those early days the increase in size was manifest evidence of the growth of the trade of the lakes. With the passing of these steamers came others, including the Kaloolah, burned in 1853; Ploughboy, afterwards named Parks, burned in 1870; the Clifton, Canadian, Rescue, built in 1855 and taken for patrol service during the Fenian Raid, and others. With the construction of the Northern Railway to Collingwood in 1855 came more boats, including a line from Chicago, with the Montgomery, Ontonagon and Hunter, and for a short time the ill-fated Lady Elgin, which sank in Lake Michigan in collision with the schr. Augusta, Sept. 8, 1860, when 300 lives were lost. In time came the nucleus of what to-day forms the Northern Navigation Company, now one of the strongest and best equipped transporta- tion organizations on the Great Lakes. It was in the closing sixties that the little steamer which proved the base from which the present company has been built arrived at Collingwood. This was the Waubuno, a side-wheeler of 180 gross tons, built at Port Robinson in 1865. She was built of wood and as compared with the monsters which plow the wa- ters of the Great Lakes to-day, insignificant both in capacity and power. This steamer was brought to the Upper Lakes by the late James H. and William Beatty, pioneers in shipping on the Georgian Bay and upper Lake Huron. For several years she was sailed by Captain Peter M. Campbell, a veteran of the lakes, one who has seen and assisted in the growth and development of the lake trade. Upon severing his connection with the Messrs. Dill, man- ager of the Dodge Lumber Company of Bying Inlet; [Page 45] Mr. James Cunningham, agent of the Northern Rail- way at Collingwood; a Mr. Murphy, of Newmar- ket; Mr. Charles Cameron, of Collingwood, and him- self, to purchase a steamer. They bought the Gladys, a steamer of 290 net tons that had been built at Marine City in 1875, to ply on the rivers St. Clair and Detroit between Sarnia and Amherstburg, but which for some reason had been left with the builders. Upon bringing the steamer to Collingwood in 1876 her name was changed to Northern Belle, and until 1898--twenty-two years--when it was burned at Bying Inlet, this boat, which proved to be a very staunch little steamer, plied the waters of the Geor- gian Bay and Lake Huron, establishing a regular service between Collingwood and Owen Sound to the ports on the east and north shores of the Georgian Bay and Lake Huron as far west as Sault Ste. Marie. Shortly after the purchase of the Northern Belle and before the charter had been secured, Messrs. Dill and Cunningham withdrew from the syndicate, their places being taken by Messrs. Thomas and John J. Long, who, for the following thirty-five years, were prominently identified with the shipping of Colling- wood and the Upper Lakes. With the new members the syndicate procured a charter for a company under the style of the "Georgian Bay Navigation Company." The first officers of the company were: J. J. Long, president; Charles Cameron, vice-president, and Thomas Long, secretary-treasurer. In the seventies the conditions pertaining to shipping were vastly different from those of the pres- ent day. Railways did not surround the lakes on all sides. Collingwood and later Meaford, Owen Sound and, in time, Midland, being the points of connection between the rail and boat. All of the ports along the Upper Lakes were necessarily served by boat, and the trade to these rapidly increased. The placing of the Northern Belle in the trade of the Georgian Bay meant keen competition, the Beattys' steamer Waubuno being yet in commission and in the same trade. With the characteristic shrewdness for which the Long-Cameron-Campbell combina- [Page 46] tion was always known, they perceived the wisdom of removing the possibility of a dangerous competi- tor, as they recognized the Waubuno to be. Negotia- tions were entered into and an amalgamation of the opposing concerns followed, the Waubuno beint tak- en over at a valuation of $12,500, about one-for- tieth of the amount required to build a steamer of the class of the "Hamonic" or "Huronic." In this way Mr. James Beatty became associated with the Georgian Bay Navigation Company, a connection which continued for some years. The constantly growing trade, due to the steady and continued development of the country north of the lakes, attracted the attention of other financial men, and from time to time new companies were organ- ized and more steamers were added to the lake marine. Among the corporations was the Toronto and Lake Superior Navigation Company, composed largely of men connected with the Northern Railway, the pioneer railway of Canada. To build up a lake trade was their object. As a beginning they purchased a steamer that had carried the names City of Toronto, and at a later stage, Algoma, but which had been bought by parties having marine interests on Lake Michigan, who gave it the name of Racine. Re- naming her Algoma, the steamer was brought to Collngwood and with the steamer Cumberland placed on the Lake Superior route, the change in the appellation undoubtedly being due to the association of the boat with the territory north of the lakes, which from Lake Nipissing on the east to the border of the present Province of Manitoba, was then known as Algoma District. Later under the control of Mr., afterwards Hon. Frank Smith, and Mr. Noah Barnhart of Toronto, the steamer Chicora was brought here and allied with the Al- goma and Cumberland. The line to Lake Superior was continued and for some years served as a con- necting link and also as a feeder for the Northern Railway. The Algoma was withdrawn from the ser- vice in the early seventies and occupied a berth at Collingwood until towed to the west side of the harbor to sink, the Cumberland was wrecked on Isle Royale and the Chicora was taken to Toronto where, [Page 47] in 1878, she commenced sailing from that port. Yet later came the New England Transportation Company, of which Captain Fairgrieves of Hamilton was the prominent figure, with the steamers Colum- bia, Lake Erie, Canada and California. The first two were lost in 1881 in Lake Michigan and the latter in 1887 near the Beavers Islands after having been withdrawn from the Georgian Bay trade. The Cali- fornia was later raised, rebuilt and renamed the Pease and finally burned at the wharf of the Col- lingwood Packing Co., Nov. 24th, 1904. The Canada sailed for some years more. About 1878 Messrs. Smith & Keighley of Toronto entered the lake trade with the steamers City of Winnipeg, formerly Annie Craig, built at Gibralter, Mich., in 1870, and the City of Owen Sound, these steamers sailing under the corporation name of the Canada-Lake Superior Tran- sit Company. The Winnipeg was burned in Duluth on July 19, 1881, and the City of Owen Sound was wrecked in 1887 on the shores of Clapperton Island while on her closing trip of the season. The latter was raised, rebuilt at Collingwood and renamed Sa- turn, but to be finally lost in Lake Huron. To re- place some of the lost steamers, Mr. A. M. Smith went in 1881 to London, England, and there purchased the iron steamer Campana, the first bulk carrier of that metal to ply these waters and which, needless to say, was then an object of much interest. As the canals between Montreal and Lake Ontario had not been lengthened to their present size of 255 feet, it became necessary to cut the steamer in two and bring her up in two parts and then put her together again. The work was successfully accomplished by Barlow Cumberland and W. White and was the first instance of a heavy cargo steamer being brought from the sea up the rapids, an example which has since been frequently followed. The Campana was also the first twin screw steamer to run on the Up- per Lakes. It arrived at Collingwood on Nov. 14th, 1881, its coming being an event of considerable im- portance, the townspeople turning out in a body to see the new steamer. With her was allied the side- wheel steamer Frances Smith, built in Owen Sound in 1867, and which later became the property of the [Page 48] Long-Cameron-Campbell interests, who named her the Baltic. She was burned at Collingwood in 1895, while the Campana was taken to Toronto and yet later to Montreal and Quebec, from which ports she now plies with much success to the Maritime Pro- vinces. In the early eighties the Canadian Pacific Rail- way Company launched its Steamship Company with the Clyde-built steamers Algoma, Athabasca and Al- berta, all of which were cut in two and brought up by the same method as the Campana. The Algoma was wrecked on the shores of Isle Royale in Novem- ber, 1885. To replace her they added the steel steam- er Manitoba, built in 1889 at the yards of the Pol- son Company, then in operation at Owen Sound. In 1907 two more steamers, the Assiniboia and the Kee- watin, were brought from the Old Country to the lakes. In November, 1879, the Georgian Bay Naviga- tion Company lost the steamer Waubuno, which foundered in the Georgian Bay in a terrible snow- storm while en route to Parry Sound when upwards of seventy souls perished, not one on board escap- ing. To add to their fleet and ultimately to replace the Waubuno, the company purchased the steamer Manitoulin, a wooden steamer that had been built at Owen Sound in 1880 by a local company. The addi- tion of this steamer brought new shareholders and the name of the company was changed to the Great Northern Transit Company, a name that remained long on the registry of Canadian shipping. The Os- wego Belle, a Lake Ontario steamer, built at St. Catharines in 1875, was added to the fleet her name being changed to Emerald in honor, it is said, of the native land of the Messrs. Long. In May, 1882, the company met with another disaster, the steamer Manitoulin being burned off the shores of the Manitoulin Island while on her regular trip. To replace her the company chartered from the Northwest Transportation Company the steamer Asia, a canaler of 350 tons, built in 1873, that had been sailing in the Lake Superior trade in conjunction with the steamer Sovereign with Sarnia as their headquarters. This boat was lost in the following [Page 49] September, and with her perished the entire crew and upwards of 100 passengers, but two, a Miss Morri- son and a Mr. Tinkiss, surviving to tell the sad story of the disaster. In 1878 the Great Northern Transit Company also purchased the steamer Robert Holland, built in 1872 at Marine City, Mich., which they renamed the Northern Queen. Later they rebuilt the steamer Mary Robertson that had been built at Chatham in 1872 and which had been burned at Byng Inlet and gave it the name Simcoe. The latter was lost in Lake Huron in November, 1880, and the Northern Queen, with the steamer Lake Erie of the New Eng- land Transit Company, on Nov. 24th, 1881, in Lake Michigan off Poverty Island, as a result of a col- lision during a blinding snowstorm. The Lake Erie foundered in mid-lake and the Northern Queen was wrecked on a bar while endeavoring to enter the Manistique River a few hours after the accident. It was afterwards raised and under the old name Rob- ert Holland has since been in commission. Never at any time daunted by disaster, the Great Northern Transit Company continued and from time to time added to their fleet. In the fall and winter of 1882 they rebuilt the burned Manitoulin, naming the new boat Atlantic, the steamer continuing in the service until 1903, when it was burned while on a trip to Parry Sound. In 1883 they discarded the Emerald and brought out the steamer Pacific, the product of the wooden shipyard of Capt. John Simp- son at Owen Sound and which in 1898, while lying at Collingwood, was overtaken by fire, that not only destroyed the boat, but also the Grand Trunk freight sheds. In 1895 the company brought out the fine wood- en steamer Majestic, built at Collingwood. In the course of this review it has been set forth that while the Great Northern Transit Company were extending their commercial connections, suffering losses and steadily increasing their fleet and equipment, they were from time to time opposed by rival corporations, some of which have been enumer- ated. Beyond those heretofore referred to there was at one time an Owen Sound Company that entered [Page 50] into the trade generally recognized by the term "local," that is, that between the ports on the south end of Georgian Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. This company brought the steamers Spartan and Magnet from Lake Ontario. They continued in the service but a year or two. The C.P.R. was next. It put on two rebuilt side-wheel steamers, Carmona (Mani- toba) and Cambria (Champion). The operation of these steamers by the C.P.R. soon ceased, but both steamers ran "wildcat" for a year or two after. Single steamers including the Silver Spray, burned near Owen Sound; Jane Miller, built in 1879 at Little Current, foundered in Colpoys Bay, Nov. 25, 1881; Magnettewan, removed from register; Imper- ial, taken to Lake Erie; Telegram, burned at Fitzwilliam Island on November 1, 1908, and others under individual ownership or manage- ment, also entered the trade from time to time, but each in turn disappeared and for a few years the G. N. T. Co. practically held complete sway on the Georgian Bay. They benefitted by a close alliance with both of the great Canadian rail- way lines, consequently were generally insured a pro- fitable passenger and freight business. The year 1890 was the beginning of a different and more eventful era for the Great Northern Tran- sit Company; new opposing forces sprang up and proved most formidable, indeed such as had in time to be reckoned with. This was the outcome of dis- satisfaction aroused among the lumbering interests on the north and east shores of Georgian, which felt that they were more or less handicapped by the rates charged. To secure relief it was determined to enter into competition with the operating company and in 1890 the North Shore Navigation Company, Limited, was launched. The active promoters of the company were Cap- tain W. J. Bassett of Collingwood, W. J. Sheppard of Waubaushene, J. L. Burton and Martin Burton of Barrie. The first shareholders as recorded on the charter of the company are: - A. M. Dodge, New York; W. J. Sheppard, Waubaushene; [Page 51] W. H. F. Russell, Waubaushene; Captain G. H. Morden, Oakville; James White, Byng Inlet; W. J. Bassett, Collingwood; M. Burton, Barrie; F. A. Lett, Barrie; J. L. Burton, Barrie; F. E. W. Pepler, Barrie; H. Moe, Collingwood; R. H. Jupp, Orillia; Thos. S. Walton, Parry Sound; J. Galna, Parry Sound; J. C. Gough, Toronto; J. Scott, Toronto. The first Board of Directors was elected on June 25th, 1890, and were Messrs. M. Burton, Jas. Scott, W. J. Sheppard, F. A. Lett and C. E. Stephens, the latter having become associated with the company after the charter had been secured. The first officers were: - President - M. Burton; Vice-President - James Scott; Secretary-Treasurer--C. E. Stephens; Managing Director--W. J. Sheppard. The organization of this company brought prac- tically new men to the front, as far as commercial marine interests on the lakes were concerned. The majority of the directorate and many of the share- holders, however, had been, some for many years, connected with the Georgian Bay marine, their as- sociation being through the towing of rafts and the transportation of lumber and the supplies necessary to carry on the operations which even then had as- sumed no mean proportions. To begin with the company built the steamer City of Midland at Owen Sound and in the spring of 1890 placed her in the north-east shore trade, with Collingwood as the headquarters. With the arrival of this steamer commenced a bitter and prolonged rate war and a rivalry between the "black" and "white" lines, so termed from the color of their re- spective steamers, that had not heretofore been ex- [Page 52] perienced at any stage of the growth of the lake trade. They new company's trade continued to expand and to keep pace therewith, in 1892 they effected running arrangements with the Meaford Transportation Com- pany's steamer Favorite, the following year absorb- ing that company and renaming the boat the City of Parry Sound. Continuing they absorbed the Geor- gian Bay end of the Georgian Bay and Muskoka Navigation Company that had commenced some years before with the small steamer Chicoutimi, and which at this time was operating the Manitou, for- merly F. B. Maxwell, and enjoying practically an exclusive trade between Penetang, Midland and Parry Sound. Success crowned the North Shore Navigation Company, Limited, "Black Line," and in 1893 they built, again at Owen Sound, another wooden steam- er, City of Collingwood, 835 net tons, at once plac- ing it in the passenger trade between Collingwood and Chicago, where for that year the attraction was the World's Fair. In the same year they enlarged the steamer City of Midland by lengthening her 30 feet. In 1895 the company withdrew the Manitou, re- plating (sic) her with the new steamer City of Toronto, their third boat from the wooden ship- building yard of Captain John Simpson, Owen Sound. They also added the steamer City of London (Kathaleen), placing this boat on the Spanish River route, thereby completing their connections from end to end of the Georgian Bay and the North Channel. After the first year's operations, in which the management devolved on Mr. W. J. Sheppard, the office was transferred to Mr. Martin Burton, who continued in that capacity until 1899. During these years of expansion on the part of the new company the parent organization continued to operate. The rate war was carried on year after year, although at various times it was hinted, indeed it was reported, that agreements had been reached that would terminate the struggle. It was fully re- cognized that were it continued it simply meant the survival of the fittest. ===========================================================================