My New Book - Stories on the Waterfront!

Now Available, hot off the summer press!

Stories on the Waterfront is a companion volume to Smoke on the Waterfront, my first book on Kingston history, published last November. As the title says, it's a curated collection of memories and photos of Kingston Harbour. At 70 pages, this second book has 50 more photos and it's professionally-printed by Kingston's own Allan Graphics! It's full of interesting stories from a variety of eras that complement the dates, facts and archival photos in Smoke. It was fun making the before-and-after 'Dear Photograph' themed cover (top photo). I've included a sample page, below.

*** Ready to order now? Full ordering information here: Books by Eric Gagnon ***

NOVEMBER UPDATE - 'Stories' is now available at Novel Idea Bookstore, 156 Princess St.

Within a month of publishing Smoke, I knew there'd be another book. There were just too many engaging stories circulating online that were captured and preserved...nowhere - social media is a wasteland of archival usefulness. I also wanted to share more of the photos that the Queen's University Archives has in its collection. I'm grateful to Queen's for allowing this sharing, and I donate $1 from each copy sold to the Archives to assist in their valuable preservation efforts.

What's inside? Watch a flip-through video here.

The book price of $35 includes free Canada Post shipping anywhere in Canada. 

For full ordering information for all eight of my books, please check out my new 

Books by Eric Gagnon blog: 

Grain Elevator - Gentrified!

Where once millions of bushels of grain were housed, a condo developer is planning to shoehorn in two condo towers, surrounded on water by three sides, with each unit from $400K to $1 million. Typical of such schemes, there are lots of artist's drawings and surprisingly, five site drone views (top photo). The two buildings will be built on the main pier, and a breakwater is visible in foreground. The breakwater was intended to protect the small west-side marina from ice action in winter, but it was destroyed by that same ice. The site was formerly occupied by Kingston's Canada Steamship Lines grain elevator, demolished in June, 1988.

Looking more like Marina Del Rey, occupants will likely never go outside. The 'stank' from the shallow sandy bay and nearby turning basin and former Anglin dock alongside Lake Ontario Park will keep them inside during the hot summer months.

That's not a parking lot, that's a marina (above)! Power boats, not grain boats, will come to call. Figure in taxes and monthly condo fees of $300+, and the fact that the site plan has not been approved yet, and this looks like Toronto-type speculation right here in the Limestone City. 

 

Felice in Kingston Harbour

Motor Vessel Felice was a freight, passenger and mail boat for Consolidated Paper Co. of Montreal. Launched May 30, 1955 at John McLean and Son Shipyard in Mahone Bay for service to Bonaventure Island near Perce Rock, and her port of registry was Montreal. Docked at Canadian Dredge & Dock (top photo) on September 21, 1966. (Queen's University Archives, George Lilley fonds, V25.5-43-112)

Here's Felice shortly after being launched in Mahone Bay, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia. Seven men  are on the deck, the Union Jack flies proudly. More work has yet to be done on her superstructure and rigging; she was wooden-hulled with twin Volvo diesel engines.

(DeBrisay Museum, u.240 via NovaMuse - above, and m.292 obverse with measurements - below)

Felice was seen in Kingston waters in the late-1960's, early-1970's. I haven't pieced together the puzzle of what brought the vessel from Quebec to Ontario, nor its use in Kingston. Certainly she was a capable vessel, suitable to a variety of light freight or passenger work, 68 feet in length. Consolidated Paper operated tourist and transportation services to islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence including Anticosti and Bonaventure Islands.

Leonard Poole kindly shared the above photo of Felice at the foot of Brock Street, captioned early 1970's. Owned by Ajax resident John Little, in use as a private yacht. Captain Brian Johnson also shared a photo, taken in 1971. It shows Brian in his car with Dave Hanna, their boat Jamie Lyn at left and Felice at right: 

A 1983 Canadian Dredge & Dock booklet included this undated photo of Felice and Radeli in the dry dock.

Captain Brian Johnson reported her sunk off the Duck Islands. A Whig-Standard clipping from November 1, 1971 tells the tale. High winds and possible overheating engine led to smoke below decks. The crew of three, including the owner, John Little of Ajax fired distress flares that were responded to by the Hall Corporation vessel Calgadoc. Diverting five miles off course, the Calgadoc and a responding RCMP patrol boat rescued the three, though the Felice sank during the rescue, about five miles north of Main Duck Island.

Thanks to Derek Redmond for sharing the Whig article. Derek worked a summer as one of two crew on the Felice, which was owned by John Little's son at the time of the sinking. 

Tom Rutledge kindly shared this nice colour profile photo of Felice, undated wintering at Portsmouth Harbour, courtesy Mr Ron Walsh:

 

Respect Your Elder's

Elder's Beverages was started by Jack Elder, a Scot who arrived in Kingston in 1910. Originally in the rear of his Princess Street cigar store, the operation later moved to 671 Montreal Street and was known at Elder's Aerated Waterworks. There were seven independent bottlers in Kingston at the time. 

In 1934, Elder's because one of the first Pepsi franchises in Canada.

The plant could produce 500-1,000 cases of bottled carbonated beverages each eight-hour shift. Jack Elder died in 1975 at the age of 83, and his right-hand man was George White. A slight name change occurred when purchased by King Enright - Elder's Beverages (1975) Limited.

In 1975, ex-policeman Dale McFarlane bought the operation (October, 1975 Whig ad - top photo). Bad luck in the form of a broken carbonation system and the owner needing brain tumour surgery suspended operation in March, 1982. A new system was delivered but not installed due to there being no new owner. The operation ended up in receivership in July, 1982 and was seized by Seaway Mortgage Corporation. At the time, 5,000 cases of empties were in the community, with a value of $20,000. Elder's was the only independent bottler between Oshawa and the Quebec border by that time. 

Elder's Beverages was an independent Kingston bottler. In June, 1954 the company advertised in a full-page advertisement in the Whig:

Here's a close-up of the building, trucks and staff: 

Photographer Unknown, Brock at Ontario Streets

 

The City of Kingston operates a Paved Paradise art space at this major downtown intersection. While it might be art showing birds or contemporary photography, on a recent downtown walk it featured historic photos mostly from the Queen's University Archives.  The provenance of the photos is incomplete - not even the archives fond is listed, and almost all are apparently taken by the famous photographer U.N. Known.

Nonetheless, I do like the photos and I've seen most of them before. Obviously, the reproductions are nice and big! But the CP train leaving the former K&P station across from City Hall is backwards. You'd only realize this if you know the track layout, or if you look closely at the locomotive's number board!

Trenton Builds Tugboats

It is said, 'The more you know, the more you realize you have yet to know.' Having published posts on Kingston Shipyards and Canadian Dredge & Dock's small-vessel production, the Trent Port Historical Association recently posted some photos on social media of a large number of World War II tugboats built in Trenton, admittedly slightly west of the Hanley Spur, but just as interesting! Trenton's Central Bridge once covered 52 acres at West Street and Creelman Avenue (top photo) with rail access at bottom, centre of photo and the Trent River at top left. 

Over several decades, beginning in 1937,  the company was involved in such projects as bridges, airplane hangars, a Highway 401 overpass, a Thousand Islands tour boat and the Ontario Pavilion at Expo '67.

One of their largest contracts began in 1942 when Central Bridge received a contract from the Royal Navy to build invasion tugs. Senator William Fraser asked Herb Ditchburn to oversee the building of 156 tugs used around the harbours of Europe. The tugboats were loaded on flatcars, sent to the Trent River two miles away, then launched into the river sideways just north of the swing bridge, behind Benedict-Proctor. The tugs were numbered CT31-CT46 (built 1942), CT66-CT85 and CT130-CT205 and CT216-CT250 (built 1944)

A total of 265 ocean tugs were built by Canadian shipyards and transferred to the British Ministry of War Transport.  They were officially called Canadian Tugs, with the symbol CT, but were universally known as TANACs, a name that is believed to have been intended to be the Canadian equivalent of the TUSA label used for the tugs that were built for Britain in U.S. yards.  They were 60-foot, 55-ton, diesel-powered boats: all but 35 of the 265 were steel-hulled, the ten built by Smith & Rhuland in Lunenburg, NS and the 25 built by Industrial Shipping in Mahone Bay, NS being wooden-hulled.  The first TANAC was delivered in late 1942 and the last in 1946.  Some were returned to Canada after the war and the last few were completed after the war was over and never left Canada, but almost all of them were sold to tug operators worldwide and many are still active. 

Naval historian Roger Litwiller describes the production process this post. 

"All the components of the ship were pre-fabricated on site and the finished components installed on the hull,  This included cabins, wheelhouse, winches, fire-fighting equipment, etc. At peak construction, Central Bridge was producing three tugs a week. At 65 feet, the tugs were small enough to start construction inside the plant. The hulls were built upside down to make welding the steel easier. Once the hull was complete it was turned over onto a flat car and a CP engine would pull the tug out of the plant.

When the tug left the yard it was completely finished, the only stage that remained was launching. During the first year of this contract the tugs were transported to the river and launched sideways into the river, the same way as the lighters.

Again, Ditchburn’s shipbuilding experience made a dramatic change.  That winter he had a long track laid from the water’s edge into the middle of the river.  The entire track was built on top of the ice of the frozen river. In the spring when the ice broke up, the track sank to the bottom of the river.  Divers were sent to inspect the track. 

Now the tugs could be launched directly into the river.  During the winter months, construction of the tugs continued and the finished ships were literally stockpiled at Central Bridge. After the ice broke up in the spring, two to three tugs a day were being launched. The tugs were moved onto a flat car and pushed to the river by a CP engine. A winch car was then placed between the engine and tug.  At the water's edge, the winch was released and the flat car rolled down the track into the river.  Once it reached deep enough water, the tug simply floated off the flat car and the winch then pulled the flat car back to the train. To accommodate the increase in shipbuilding a second siding was constructed into Central Bridge. The tug would travel by rail past the paper mill to the launching area located a mile further down river.

The tugs were completely finished when they were launched and the crew would start the engines and sail the ship under her own power to the dock.  The CP engine would then return to Central Bridge for the next tug.

The tugs would complete their “sea trials” in the Bay of Quinte.  Once accepted, they were formed into flotillas of twelve tugs and sail as a small fleet from Trenton, exiting the Trent River, crossing the Bay of Quinte and Lake Ontario.  The fleet would then take the Erie Canal to New York City where they were loaded as deck cargo on a Liberty ship and transported all over the world. Several of these tugs are still in service today."

Bridge girder for the Skeena River Bridge in British Columbia:

Walking the Urban K&P Trail from Binnington Court

After leaving Allan Graphics, having transferred all the files for my upcoming book, Stories on the Waterfront - A Curated Collection of Memories and Photos of Kingston Harbour, we joined the Urban K&P Trail. We went as far west as a wetlands section near Highway 401, approximately 3 km each way. Technically, the Binnington Court trailhead marks the demarcation line between the Urban K&P Trail and the K&P Trail proper. After a short connecting trail running from the end of Binnington to the former CP right-of-way and short bridge (below) near Highway 401, the trail runs straight and level toward Sydenham Road:

It's quite a challenge to get a good photo of the former Knight's Siding. This spur reached the bulk fuel tank farm at Sydenham Road and Highway 401. This time of year, before all the weeds and foliage take over, it's slightly more visible. This view looks north, and the culvert, just visible to the left of the tree at centre, is a giveaway for the embankment of the former spur. Otherwise, who would install a culvert in the middle of the trees?

There are very few vestiges of the CP left. After all, it's been 35 years since the line was finally abandoned, and nature is quick to reassert itself. This pole for a crossing signal relay box is east of Sydenham Road, behind houses on Brass Drive:

Your humble and hydrated (it's important to stay both) blogger with the pole just to the left, and the trail to the right:

Crossing Sydenham Road. In Toronto, it's Mind the Gap; in Kingston, it's Wait for Gap. The traffic does not slow down for ambling trailwalkers! The bulk fuel tank farm is behind the trees at right of photo. There used to be another set of tanks at left, across Sydenham Road, but these are now gone and only the Sydenham Road trailhead parking lot is there.

The informative signage at Sydenham Road (as always, click for larger version):

The original Kingston & Pembroke builders did not concern themselves with ornate culverts. In fact, many of the original, sturdy but cheaply-built stone culverts were only replaced and modernized once CP acquired the line around 1913. The CP upgraded culverts and right-of-way over several years in the 1920's and 1930's. This concrete box culvert, west of Sydenham Road near the 401, is dated 1928:

This one, located closer to Sydenham Road, is still doing its job 94 years later:

My wife, walking partner (and acknowledgee in my books) precedes me as we leave the right-of-way and walk the last few hundred feel on the connecting trail back to Binnington Court. Here, we encounter the only pine trees along this section of the trail, as it backs onto businesses at left (hence the fence). The trail is well used - we encountered cyclists, fellow trailwalkers, families with strollers and even noticed a few horses' hoof marks! But sadly, no iron horses. Only wistfulness would bring back the tolling CPR steam engine bell, the easy lope of the short train heading downhill to the Inner Harbour, and the imagined whoosh of air through open coach windows as southbound passengers prepared to disembark across from City Hall.

Companion Volume at the Printer!

 

It's time for another trip to the printer! Since December, I've been curating stories, memories and photos of life around Kingston harbour. The main streets and sidestreets, sidings and spurs, docks and piers- all within a block or so of the water.

While my first book Smoke on the Waterfront led readers through the little-known history and seldom-seen locations of waterfront transportation and industrial activity, this companion volume seeks to breathe some life into those dry bones. In order to do so, I've collected interesting reminiscences - from many viewpoints - of what life was like in those same places. 

Its working title is Stories on the Waterfront - A Curated Collection of Memories and Photos of Kingston Harbour. This second book will include even more photographs, thanks to the amazing holdings of the Queen's University Archives.

Watch for further updates as Allan Graphics works their graphic design magic over the next little while!

Got the Itch, Again!

Photo selection. Just as last June, when I got the itch to create a new book and Smoke on the Waterfront was published in November, you'll never guess what happened a month later. Yes, in December, I got the itch again, resulting in an as-yet untitled companion volume. The pandemic has been very kind to book creators who still have access to photos and text during lockdown!

The photo in this post shows photo selection and grouping, using a large chalkboard, printed thumbnail photos and lots of post-it notes. 

Stay tuned!

 

Thomas McLeod - from the Antarctic to Kingston

Thomas McLeod is buried in Cataraqui Cemetery. George Lilley photographed him in December, 1958. (Queen's Archives photo, top). He made three trips to the Antarctic, receiving at least three medals that he kept in a folde handkerchief, meeting the King at more than one presentation.

• Able Seaman on Terra Nova 1910 - 1913 on Robert Falcon Scott's voyage, during which Scott fatally failed to return to the ship.
• Able Seaman on Endurance 1914-1917 on Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated voyage during which the ship was crushed by ice.
• Able Seaman on Quest 1921 - 1922 on Shackleton's next voyage during which Shackleton suffered a fatal heart attack.

After the Quest expedition, McLeod emigrated to Canada at the invitation of George Vibert Douglas, the expedition’s geologist. He settled in the Kingston area where he fished for a couple of years off Belle Island in the Cataraqui River, before finding employment as a school caretaker at the one-roomed Sunny Plains School and as a watchman at the disused silica mine. This Toronto Telegram despatch was published in the Kingston Daily Whig in January, 1926:

In 1928 he made one further bid to return to his beloved Antarctica. He applied to Admiral Richard Byrd to join his first expedition south. “There is a lot of little things I know”, he wrote, “would be handy when you got south.” His application came too late – the places had been filled – but he was assured that had his application come to hand in time, a man of his experience would have been most welcome. A January 4, 1926 Daily British Whig article noted that no two people in Kingston knew that he was one of the hardy, self-sacrificing hands that carried the flag into new continents.

In 1947 he moved into the Rideaucrest retirement home, where he regaled his fellow residents with tales of his adventures. Most weekends he went to stay with a local family and enjoyed watching their television, particularly the boxing on a Friday night. He kept an active mind and maintained an interest in world affairs. He once told a Canadian reporter, “You know sailing is the finest life there is. If I had mine to live over again that’s what I’d do” and he later resided at the House of Providence. Thomas McLeod passed away on 16th December 1960 and is buried in Cataraqui Cemetery. His gravestone commemorates his achievements in the heroic age of polar exploration.

This intrepid seaman's obituary, in his native Hebrides Islands:

The names of McLeod (misspelled MacLeod), and Shackleton (misspelled Shackelton) are incorrect on the headstone. His date of birth, thought to be around 1873, is also not shown. Interestingly, McLeod's historic marker is only a few feet from my parents' plot, near the intersection of West and Basswood Avenues at the north end of the cemetery. This is how I discovered this interesting bit of Antarctic history in my own, personal exploration of Cataraqui Cemetery.

Not Just Blowing Smoke

It's impossible to say for sure what these smoke columns are emanating from. This 1940's photo of Market Square shows a busy square behind City Hall. But what caught my eye were the two plumes of smoke in the background? One is behind the Fire Hall, above its hose-drying tower.

I don't think it's from a fire - it's not billowing. I don't think it's from a chimney - it's too tall. I think it's actually from two steam engines working the CN and CP tracks along and crossing Ontario Street. I can almost hear the chuff-chuff-chuff!