A NOVEL IDEA AND A NEW VENTURE--BUFFALO IN SAILINGSHIP DAYS--A RISKY
PASSAGE.
After the tour with Lord Dufferin had been concluded the "Chicora" was
returned to Collingwood and laid up again to rest her reputation great and
widespread as it was before, having been still more enhanced. At last early
on a gray morning of August, 1877, under tow of a wrecking tug, there stole
gently away from Collingwood the steamer which had been the greatest glory
of the port, her red paddles trailing lifeless in the water like the feet
of a wounded duck.
Where was she being taken to? What had taken place? It was the beginning of
a bold and sporting venture.
As General Freight and Passenger Agent (Oct., 1873 to Jan., 1878) of the
Northern Railway of Canada, the "Chicora" as she lay at Collingwood was
much under my notice, and in travelling to Buffalo on railway business the
water route by the Niagara River was most frequently taken. There was no
route on the Upper Lakes upon which the "Chicora" could be successfully
employed. It was considered that she could not be returned to the Lower
Lakes because it was said that having been brought up the canals from
Montreal, the "guards" added at Buffalo, which made her width fifty feet at
the main deck could not be removed without serious damage in order to
reduce her to the then Welland canal width of only 26 feet. As under the
then trade conditions she could neither be profitably run nor be returned
to the Lower Lakes, the steamer was of little worth to her owners, and
could be readily purchased. It had for some time appeared to me that there
was an opening for a good boat upon the Niagara River route. The "City of
Toronto" plying to Lewiston and the New York Central was getting
insufficient and out of date in equipment. The Canada Southern Railway at
Niagara-on-the-Lake was not satisfied with the "Southern Belle." Why not
get the "Chicora" and strike out for a career of one's own? So I started to
study the position having always had a mechanical turn and had practical
experience in railway and machine construction.
Keeping one's ideas to one's self the boat was examined and careful
scrutiny ascertained that the "guards" could be removed and replaced
without interference with the hull, so that this first obstacle to her
being brought to the Lower Lakes could be overcome.
But there were other obstacles which cropped up. To begin with, a pier of
one of the smaller locks in the Welland (150 x 26) was said to have
inclined inwards so that there was not sufficient width even after the
"guards" had been removed, for the 26-ft. hull to pass through.
Again, _Chicora_ was 230 feet long. If the vessel was brought down in two
pieces through all the locks to Lake Ontario, there was no dry dock on the
lake of sufficient length into which she could be placed so that these
parts might be put together again. A further obstacle and a fatal one. The
only place where the two parts could be put together again her full length
of 230 feet long was Muir's dry dock, at Port Dalhousie, but that was above
the last lock of the canal, which required to be passed to get down to Lake
Ontario, and _this lock was only 200 feet long!_
The game was apparently impracticable. It was not more impossible to put a
quart into a pint bottle, than it was to put the full-sized 230-foot
_Chicora_ into the 200-foot Dalhousie lock and lower her to Lake Ontario.
No wonder other people had given the job up, and the steamer could be
easily bought.
Just about this time I noticed an announcement in the press that in order
to provide for the construction of the lower locks at the Ontario end of
the new Welland Canal, the Canadian Government intended, after the close of
navigation the next autumn, to draw off the whole of the water in the
five-mile level above the Port Dalhousie lock between there and St.
Catharines.
The idea at once arose, why not put the _Chicora_ into the 200-foot lock
with the upper gate open, so that although she would extend 30 feet beyond
the regular lock, she would then be in a total actual lock of five miles
long.
Going over again to Port Dalhousie, the whole position was carefully
surveyed. It was found that on the troublesome lock there was
three-quarters of an inch to spare, so that trick could be turned
successfully. Closer investigation developed that the 200-foot lock problem
at Port Dalhousie was, as will be stated later, more capable of being
solved than appeared on the surface. It was now evident that the practical
part of the work could be done successfully. The next thing was to provide
for connecting support. My first railway service had been in that of the
Great Western Railway in 1872-73 in the divisional office at London, and
afterwards in charge of the terminal yard and car ferries at Windsor, under
Mr. M. D. Woodward, Superintendent.
During that time the General Manager was Mr. W. K. Muir, who had
transferred, and was now General Manager of the Canada Southern Railway,
operating the branch line between Buffalo and Niagara. Enquiry led to an
understanding that a contract could be made for a full service by a
first-class steamer between Toronto and Niagara-on-the-Lake in connection
with the route to the Falls and Buffalo, as the size of the _Southern
Belle_ was not satisfactory.
Armed with all this information, and having made up the estimates of cost
and possible earnings, the whole matter was laid before the Hon. Frank
Smith, who then had a part interest in the _Chicora_. The proposition was
that we should buy out the other owners, bring the _Chicora_ through the
canal and put her on the Niagara Route, where she could earn good money.
One was to do the work and the other to find the backing for the funds
required. In this way for him a dead loss would be revived and a good
future investment found, while the junior would enter into a work in which
with energy he would be able to secure a lasting reward for his enterprise
and ability in transportation business. He agreed and we proceeded to carry
out the project. The purchase was made early in 1877, the original
purchasers and registered owners of the steamer being Hon. Frank Smith and
Barlow Cumberland.
In this way began a partnership which lasted through life. Sir Frank
(knighted in 1874) was a man of quick decision, of great courage, and
indomitable will. Every company with which he became identified felt the
influence of his virile hand. A charter for the Niagara Navigation Company,
Limited, with a capital of $500,000, was obtained from the Dominion
Government.
The first issue of the stock of the Company was entirely subscribed by the
Frank Smith and Cumberland representatives and the transfer of the boat to
the new company made in 1878. The first Board of Directors were: President,
Hon. Frank Smith; Vice-President, Barlow Cumberland; Directors, Col. Fred.
W. Cumberland, John Foy, and R. H. McBride; Barlow Cumberland, Manager;
John Foy, Secretary. Preliminary work had been actively in progress at
Collingwood in dismantling the steamer and preparing her for a long and
eventful journey. As the engines had been laid up and would not be required
until after the reconstruction at Toronto, they were not again set up, but
the tug, J. T. Robb, was brought up from Port Colborne to tow the vessel to
Buffalo.
Here began the closing era of this century of steam navigation in the
Niagara River. The story of the next and final thirty-five years is the
story of the rise and expansion of the Niagara Navigation Company, its
vicissitudes and competitions, and the final success of the enterprise.
Reminiscence of the series of hot competitions which were worked through
and of the men and methods of the period are set out as matters of record
of an eventful series of years on the route.
The long cabins on the upper deck were removed and parts sent to Toronto,
where they now are the upper drawing room of the _Chicora_.
The cabins on the main deck were left undisturbed to be used by the crew,
while coming through the canals.
Captain Thomas Leach was in charge of the voyage to Buffalo, where Captain
William Manson, of Collingwood, took charge of the crew with some
carpenters and the engineers. Mr. Alexander Leach was purser and
confidential agent. A more faithful officer and devoted servant never was
found. He had been purser of the steamer _Cumberland_ until she was
wrecked on Isle Royale, Lake Superior, 5 August, 1876.
The tow from Collingwood was uneventful and the steamer arrived at Buffalo
and was placed in the Buffalo Dry Dock Company's Works, they having put her
together when brought up from Halifax. Two barges were purchased and put
alongside the guards, unriveted and lowered upon the barges in single
pieces.
The paddle boxes were removed, the wheels taken to pieces, numbered, and
put on the barges, and everything stripped off the sides of the hull, so
that she was reduced to her narrowest width, cleared of everything, to go
through the canal. The steamer was then put into dry dock, cut in two and
the parts slid apart.
It was intended to take the steamer across Lake Erie to Port Colborne as a
single tow. Two long sixteen-inch square elm timbers were placed on deck
across the opening and strongly chained to smaller timbers; timbers were
also put fore and aft to take the pull and keep the two parts of hull from
coming together. It all reads easily, but took much consideration and time
in working out the problems. And as the enterprise was unusual and not
likely to be repeated the details are given as matters of interesting
record. It was a strange looking craft that came out of dock. Two parts
held far apart from one another by the big timbers, and the water washing
free to and fro in the opening between. It was a tender craft to moor in a
narrow river where heavily laden vessels coming and going banged heedlessly
against one another. We were fortunate, however, in obtaining the
permission of the United States Marine Department that we might lie
unmolested and alone alongside Government wharf on the west side of the
river while waiting for weather. A great deal of public interest was being
taken in the venture and on every hand we received cheerful and ready
assistance. Mr. David Bell, whose daughter had married Mr. Casimir Gzowski,
of Toronto, was especially helpful, doing good work for us in the foundry
and machine shops. The Dry Dock Companies seemed like old friends, the
curious public often visited us, and the enterprising newspaper reporters
kept us well in the readers' view. So we towed out of dock, dropped down
the river and tied up at our allotted berth. The barges with their
strange-looking cargo had been sent separately across to the canal to Port
Colborne at the first opportunity.
It was the beginning of October when the weather was uncertain, the water
restless, and we had to be very careful in selecting a day to take such a
crazy craft as a steamer thus separated in two parts across the thirty-four
miles of the open lake.
Buffalo in the seventies was a very different place from what it is at
present. The lower city alongside the river and Canal Street, crowded with
cheap boarding houses for sailors and dock gangs, reeked in ribaldry and
every phase of dissolute excitements. The vessels frequenting the ports in
those days were mainly sailing vessels, the era of great steam freighters
not having come. The stay of the vessels was much longer, their crews more
numerous, and being less permanent, were easy victims to the harpies and
the drink shops which surrounded and beset them. The waterside locality of
Buffalo had then a reputation and an aroma peculiarly of its own.
Crazy horse cars jangled down the main Main Street to the docks. The
terminus of the Niagara Falls Railway operated by the New York Central, was
at the Ferry Station, the cross-town connection to the Terrace and
Exchange Street not having been put in. The Mansion House was the
principal hotel of the city, and its lower storey on the street level,
entirely occupied by the ticket offices of all the principal railway and
steamship companies of the United States. The business centre of the town
was in the vicinity.
Arrangements had been established with the United States Weather Bureau,
whose office was well up town, to give us earliest advice of when they
thought there would be from six to eight hours of fair weather ahead. Many
a messenger trotted between, and many an hour was spent in their office,
waiting for news, for there were no telephones to convey information.
The elements seemed against us. For a fortnight we had a succession of
blows from almost every direction, one following the other without giving a
sufficiently calm interval between. It was wonderful to see how quickly the
water rose and fell in the harbour. A steady blow from the west would pile
the water up at this east end of the lake and we would rise six feet
alongside the wharf in a few hours, to fall again as the wind went down or
changed, the outgoing water creating quite a rapid current as it ran out of
the river.
It was during this waiting time an incident occurred which came within an
ace of putting an end to one career. The last thing in the evening a visit
was always made from the hotel to the boat to see that all was well. In
front of the face of the Government Wharf there was a continuous line of
"spring piles" for its protection, with the heads cut off to the level of
the dock. One dark and rainy night, when stepping from the deck of the
steamer, mistaking the opening in the darkness for the edge of the wharf
the next step put the leader into the opening and he dropped through into
the river. Soon Manson's voice was heard calling, "Are you there, Mr.
Cumberland?" A lamp was lowered; the distance from the floor of the dock to
the water was some six or eight feet, and many iron spikes projected
through the piles.
A storm was subsiding and the water running out fast, but by holding on to
the spikes a way was worked up until a hand was reached by Manson and the
adventurer was hauled up to the top. Sitting on the edge of the wharf with
dripping legs dangling in the opening Manson's exclamation was heard,
"Sakes alive; he's got his pipe in his mouth still!" They say the reply
was, "Do you suppose I'd open my mouth when I went under?" It was a close
call, and Mrs. Cumberland was always anxious until at last we got the
_Chicora_ safely to Toronto.
At length advice was received from the Bureau that we could start, so the
tug was called and about 6 a.m. we were under way. We had tried to get some
insurance for the run across, but the rate asked was excessive that we
determined to go without any, a determination which added zest to the
enterprise. We didn't want to lose the boat and wouldn't have taken any the
less care or precaution even if the insurance companies would have carried
the risk for nothing. In this connection it is open to consideration
whether the moral hazard of a marine risk is not of more importance even
than the rating of the vessel, and that good owners are surely entitled to
better rates than simply the "tariff schedule" which their vessel's rating
calls for. The prevailing inconsistent system is very much like that of the
credit tailor whose solvent customers pay for his losses on those who fail
to pay their bills.
The morning was cold and calm. We made down the river and rounded out into
the lake, on which there still remained some motion from previous gales. It
was curious to stand on the edge of the deck and see the chips and
floating debris carried along in the wide opening between the two parts.
We had come by a slanting course down and across the lake, reaching in
under Point Abino in good shape and were rejoicing that the larger portion
of the crossing was well over. As we rounded from under the lee of the
Point and passing it, changed our course for Port Colborne, a nasty sea
come down from the northwest with an increasing breeze. We were soon in
trouble, the bow-part began to roll and jump on its own account at a
different rate than the more staid and heavy after-part, sometimes rising
up on end and then seeming to try and take a dive, but held from going away
by the long elm timbers which writhed while their chains squealed and rang
under the strain.
The worst sensation was when the seas, coming in on the quarter, swept
through the opening between the two parts, swishing between the plates and
dashing against the after bulkhead made it resound like a drum, sending the
spray up over the deck while they coursed through the rower side. It was
very exciting, but not at all comfortable. The pace of the tug seemed to
get slower and slower, but all we on board could do was to keep the long
timbers and their fastenings in their places, see that the bulkheads held
their own, and stand by and watch the contest with the waves.
At length, as we got more under the lee of the land, the waves subsided,
the pace increased, and at last we were safe between the piers at Port
Colborne.
Making all arrangements for the next few days, the leader hurried home,
fagged out, but exultant, for the worst part of the journey was over and we
had put the rest of the way fairly under our own control.