A Century of Sail and Steam on the Niagara River Part 3

Amidst utmost enthusiasm, and with all flags flying, the eight steamers a.s.sembled at Niagara and marshalled in the following order, proceeded up the river to Queenston:--

TRAVELLER.

GILDERSLEEVE.

COBOURG.

BURLINGTON.

GORE.

BRITANNIA.

QUEEN.

TRANSIT.

The sight of this fleet of eight steamers must have been impressive as with flying colours they made up the stream.

Judge Benson, of Port Hope, says that his father, Capt. Benson, of the 3rd Incorporated Militia, was then occupying the "Lang House" in Niagara, overlooking the river, and that he and his brother were lifted up to the window to see the flotilla pa.s.s by, a reminiscence of loyal fervor which has been vividly retained through a long life. Is it not a sufficient justification and an actual value resulting from special meetings and pageants that they not only serve to revivify the enthusiasm of the elders in annals of past days, but yet more to bring to the minds of youth actual and abiding touch with the historic events which are being celebrated?

The meeting was held upon the field of the battle, the memories of the struggle revived and honour done to the fallen.

The present monument was the result of the enterprise then begun.

Much rivalry existed between the steamers as to which would open the season first, as the boat which got into Niagara first before 1st March was free of port dues for the season. In this the "Transit" excelled and sometimes landed her pa.s.sengers on the ice.

The Niagara Dock Company in 1842 turned out the "Chief Justice Robinson"

commanded by Captain Hugh Richardson, Jr.

This steamer, largely owned by Captain Heron and the Richardsons, was specially designed to continue during the winter the daily connection by water to Toronto, and so avoid the long stage journey around the head of the lake. For this purpose her prow at and below the water line was projected forward like a double furrowed plough, to cut through the ice and throw it outwards on each side.

This winter service she maintained for ten seasons with commendable regularity between the outer end of the Queen's Wharf at Toronto (where she had sometimes to land pa.s.sengers on the ice) and Niagara. On one occasion, in a snowstorm, she went ash.o.r.e just outside the harbour at Toronto, and was also occasionally frozen in at both ends of the route, but each time managed to extricate herself. After refitting in the spring she divided the daily Lewiston-Toronto Route after 1850 with the second _City of Toronto_, a steamer with two separate engines, with two walking beams built at Toronto in 1840, which had been running in the Royal Mail Line, but in 1850 pa.s.sed into the complete ownership of Captain Thomas d.i.c.k.

The steamer "Rochester" is also recorded as running between Lewiston and Hamilton in 1843 to 1849.

CHAPTER IV.

EXPANSION OF STEAMBOATING ON THE NIAGARA--ITS DECLINE--A FINAL FLASH AND A MOVE TO THE NORTH.

During this decade the Niagara River was more increasingly traversed by many steamers, and became the main line of travel between the Western and Centre States by steamer to Buffalo, and thence, via the Niagara River to Boston and New York via Ogdensburg and Albany, or by Montreal and Lake Champlain to the Hudson.

Lewiston had become a place of much importance, being the transhipping point for a great through freighting business. Until the opening of the Erie Ca.n.a.l all the salt used in the Western States and Canada was brought here by water from Oswego, in thousands of barrels, from the Onandaga Salt Wells. Business in the opposite direction was greatly active, report being made of the pa.s.sing of a consignment of 900 barrels of "Mississippi sugar,"

and 200 hogsheads of mola.s.ses for Eastern points in the United States and Canada.

In addition to the sailing craft five different steamers left the docks every day for other ports on the lake.

A new era was opened in 1847 by the introduction with great eclat and enterprise of the first iron steamers. The "Pa.s.sport," commanded first by Captain H. Twohey and afterwards by Captain Thomas Harbottle, was constructed for the Hon. John Hamilton, the iron plates being moulded on the Clyde and put together at the Niagara shipyard by James and Neil Currie. The plates for the "Magnet" were similarly brought out from England and put together for J. W. Gunn, of Hamilton, the princ.i.p.al stockholder, with Captain J. Sutherland her captain. Both these steamers in their long service proved the reliability of metal vessels in our fresh water. Both formed part of the Royal Mail Line leaving Toronto on the arrival of the river steamers.

In the early "fifties" the "American Express Line," running from Lewiston to Toronto, Rochester, Oswego and Ogdensburg, consisted of the fine upper cabin steamers "Cataract," "Bay State," "Ontario," and "Northerner."

The "New Through Line," a Canadian organization, was comprised of six steamers: the "Maple Leaf," "Arabian," "New Era," "Champion," "Highlander,"

"Mayflower." The route they followed was: "Leave Hamilton 7 a.m.; leave Lewiston and Queenston about half past 8 p.m., calling at all north sh.o.r.e Ontario ports between Darlington and Prescott to Ogdensburgh and Montreal without transhipment. Returning via the north sh.o.r.e to Toronto and Hamilton direct." The through time down to Montreal was stated in the advertis.e.m.e.nt to be "from Hamilton 33 hours, from the Niagara River 25 hours."

A good instance of the frequency of the entrances of the steamers into the harbours is afforded by an amusing suggestion which was in 1851, made by Captain Hugh Richardson, who had become Harbour Master at Toronto.

The steamers running into the port seem to have called sometimes at one dock first, sometimes at another, according, probably, to the freight which may have been on board to be delivered. Much trouble was thus caused to cabmen and citizens running up and down the water front from one dock to another.

The captain, whose views with respect to the flying, and the distinctive meanings, of flags, we have already seen, proposed that all vessels when entering the harbour should designate the dock at which they intended to stop by the Following signals:--

For Gorrie's Wharf--Union Jack at Bowsprit end.

For Browne's Wharf--Union Jack at Masthead.

For Maitland's Wharf--Union Jack at Staff aft.

For Tinnings Wharf--Union Jack in fore rigging.

For h.e.l.liwells Wharf--Union Jack over wheel-house.

It is to be remembered that in those days the "Western" was the only entrance to the harbour and Front Street without any buildings on its south side, followed the line of the high bank above the water so that the signals on the steamers could be easily seen by all. The proposal was publicly endorsed by the Mayor, Mr. J. G. Bowes, but there is no record of its having been adopted.

In 1853 there was built at Niagara for Mr. Oliver T. Macklem the steamer "Zimmerman," certainly the finest and reputed to be the fastest steamer which up to that time sailed the river. She was named after Mr. Samuel Zimmerman, the railway magnate, and ran in connection with the Erie and Ontario Railway from Fort Erie to Niagara, which he had promoted, and was sailed by Captain D. Milloy.

In this same year there was sailed regularly from Niagara another iron steamer, the "Peerless," owned by Captain d.i.c.k and Andrew Heron, of Niagara. This steamer was first put together at Dunbarton, Scotland, then taken apart, and the pieces (said to be five thousand in number) sent out to Canada, and put together again at the Niagara dockyard. These two steamers thereafter divided the services in compet.i.tion on the Niagara Route to Toronto.

These years were the zenith period for steamboating on Lake Ontario and the Niagara River, a constant succession of steamers pa.s.sing to and fro between the ports. Progress in the Western States and in Upper Canada had been unexampled. Expansion in every line of business was active, population fast coming in, and the construction of railways, which was then being begun, creating large expenditures and distribution of money. The steamers on the water were then the only method for speedy travel, so their accommodation was in fullest use, and their earnings at the largest.

The stage routes around the sh.o.r.es of the lakes in those days were tedious and trying in summer, and in winter accompanied by privations. The services of the steamers in the winter were greatly appreciated and maintained with the utmost vigour every year, particularly for the carriage of mails between Toronto, Niagara, Queenston and Lewiston, for which the steamer received in winter 3 for each actual running day, and between Toronto and Hamilton, for which the recompense was 2 for service per day performed.

In 1851 the _Chief Justice Robinson_ is recorded (Gordon's Letter Books) as having run on the Niagara River during 11 months of the year. The remaining portion, while she was refitting, was filled by the second _City of Toronto_.

It is mentioned that at one time she went to Oswego to be hauled out on the marine cradle there at a charge of 25 cents per ton.

In 1852-53 the services were performed by the same steamers. In 1854 the _Peerless_ made two trips daily during ten months, the _Chief Justice Robinson_ taking the balance of this service and also filling in during the other months, with the second _City of Toronto_ on the Hamilton Route.

The winter service to the Niagara River for 1855 was commenced by the _Chief Justice Robinson_ on 1st January, the steamer crossing the lake on 22 days in that month. February was somewhat interrupted by ice, but the full service between the sh.o.r.es was performed on 23 days in the month of March.

So soon as the inner water in the harbour of Toronto was frozen up all these services were performed from the outer extremity of the Queen's Wharf, and in the mid-winter months mostly from the edges of the ice further out, the sleighs driving out alongside with their pa.s.sengers and freight. It seems difficult for us, in these days of luxury in travel, to comprehend the difficulties under which the early travellers laboured and thrived.

There was a wonderful and final exploit in the winter business of the Niagara River Route.

The "_Niagara Falls and Ontario Railway_" was opened as far as Lewiston in 1854 and by its connection at the Falls with the _New York Central Railway_ brought during its first winter of 1854-55 great activity to the Niagara steamers.

The Crimean War was in progress and food products for the armies in the field were being eagerly sought from all places of world-supply and from America. Shipments were accordingly sought from Upper Canada. In summer the route would be by the Erie Ca.n.a.l to Albany or by the St. Lawrence and Montreal, but both routes were closed in winter.

The _New York Central_ had been connected as a complete rail route as far as Albany, where, as there was no bridge across the Hudson, transportation was made by a ferry to the _Hudson River Railroad_, on the opposite sh.o.r.e for New York, or to the _Western Railroad_ for Boston.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The WILLIAM IV. 1832.

From the "Landmarks of Toronto." page 30]

[Ill.u.s.tration: The CHIEF JUSTICE ROBINSON. 1841.

From the "Landmarks of Toronto." page 84]