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: