Survey Vessel Jean Bourdon

 

With signal flags flying, the Canadian Coast Guard survey vessel Jean Bourdon was launched from the Kingston Shipyards' marine railway on March 30, 1968. Deposited into the ice-choked harbour (top photo), the 67-foot, twin-screw vessel cost $324,640. The survey vessel was destined for service in the St. Lawrence River.

Take a look at those two workers, one wielding a cutting torch under the ceremonial christening platform! That's where the real action is taking place!

Dignitaries, including a member of the clergy at far right, shipyard manager R.W. Sutton at far left, and sponsor Mrs. Maurice Boudreau, wife of superintendent of operations and maintenance for St. Lawrence ship channel division, Montreal are on the platform.

Named for the New France surveyor who hydrographically explored the St. Lawrence as early as 1645, After the launching, the workers are gone from underneath while the dignitaries enjoy the moment:

(Photos in this post from Queen's University Archives)

CLC's Office Building

The Canadian Locomotive Company (CLC) office building at the north-west corner of Ontario and William Streets was an attractive brick building with arched windows. Built in 1928 of steel and brick construction at a cost of $80,000, it was deemed fireproof. Construction on the exterior was nearly complete in January, with interior construction taking place into the remaining winter and spring months. Office furniture and supplies were moved in by August of that year. A street view from July, 1955 (top photo). It replaced an earlier circa-1920 limestone office on the opposite side of Ontario Street.

The CLC office building was located just west of a bottling works (Horne's 1910-1940's) and tenements on Ontario Street. Circa 1949 aerial view showing the office, store, and tenements (above) and a 1950's aerial view, with arrow showing the office across Ontario Street from the plant buildings:

A cast lintel plaque above the double front doors depicted CNR 6100 numbered '1928' to show the year of the building's completion. Peeking around the Inner Station in 1970:

The office building was sold to Empire Life Insurance in the early 1960's, as the office staff had moved into the works office on the William Street end of the plant buildings, by 1955. Plant operations ceased on July 1, 1969, and the plant buildings were demolished in 1971.

Marc Shaw kindly shared his photo of the CLC office building in its death throes, with Doornekamp doing what it did. The office disappeared, becoming just a memory on the current Empire Life Insurance parking lot after 1994.

(Unless otherwise indicated, photos in this post are from Queen's University Archives)

Modelling Tannery Effluent

 

Throughout the 1960's, there were persistent complaints and calls for action to alleviate the smells and effluent emerging from the Davis Tannery on Rideau Street. Finally, in 1966 the plant made a connection to the city sewer system, in the plan below. 

Having now modelled the tannery, and adding the Cohen scrapyard, a tract of land opened up between it and the Outer Station on my layout. This had formerly been Montreal Street. What a gift that keeps on giving...space!

The connection under construction in December, 1966 (Queen's University Archives, above and below). The after  photo shows workers burying pipes. I think this was the before photo:

I built a small modelling-clay berm and scenicked it. After adding the scrapyard, I noticed that white glue was leaving a sheen that needed to be covered. I decided to use this for the effluent in the ditch. I installed a few lot-line fence posts on the far side of the ditch. In this photo, I just applied some white glue and the outlet pipe. The glue dried clear. Now - to model that smell!

Ontario Street Tenements

Much has been written, here and elsewhere, about the destitute and detritus-filled desert of desolation that was industrial-era Ontario Street. By industrial-era, I mean pre-condo! When the shipyards, stations and CLC plant lined this lakefront street, it was decidedly not a tourist mecca. In fact, some well-photographed tenements made their way into the Whig and a major city planning report, always garnering the same reaction - this, in our Kingston? The tar-paper shacks of Rideau Heights, well maybe, but here, somewhere near the current Empire Life Insurance property?

Another photo from November, 1967, before the adjacent tenement's windows were boarded up:

Being two blocks west of City Hall, it's not as if these tenements were hidden from view. In fact, then-Mayor Bob Fray was accompanied by a Whig reporter and photographer in 1965 and 1968 for two stories tracking progress made in low-income housing. 

For the 1968 report, walking down Ontario Street, the former Anglo-American Hotel at 172 Ontario (and Johnson Street), the McNevin property next-door "rat-infested, boarded-up' and the 'just a stiff breeze away from falling-down' tenement from which the Mayor appears to be running while the reporter tarries (top photo). In 1968, two families still lived in the laundry-lined building with its neighbouring building with its boarded up windows, with the other two units empty.

Yes, this was really realty reality.

Photos in this post from Queen's University Archives.

Modelling the I.Cohen Scrapyard

This build started with relocating my scrapyard to a newly-opened area formerly along Montreal Street on my layout. The first phase involved making rusted metal fences for the scrapyard perimeter. But that was just the beginning! Nearly finished, I photographed the new scrapyard outside, where it was mostly built - in the fresh air of our backyard sunroom (top photo). How did we get here? Read on.

I decided to map out the available space for the scrap-yard using 11x17 sheets of paper. It's about 24 inches long by 7 to 9 inches wide. I marked the perimeter and the scrapyard CP spur in Sharpie (above). I then used some brown cardstock as a base for the scrapyard, cut to the Sharpie outline (below). I used Dollarama modelling clay to mold bases for the perimeter fencing, which I simply stuck in. The gap at the rear, between the buildings is for accessibility to two turnouts on the layout:

Before finally installing the fences, I painted the clay to represent foliage (above) then reinstalled the fences and decided on the placement of the two structures (below). Both are train show finds, with the Atlas switchman's shanty stil bearing its "50 cents FS" price sticker.

I worked on the build in morning, afternoon, and under lamplight, on and off over four days. This morning light highlighted progress, with both structures painted grey and black, and a Chooch Enterprises scrapyard centrepiece in place (above). I mapped the roads and spur with paint-daubs, looking something like the Yellow Brick Road!

I started placing scrap pieces and vehicles along the fences, after adding some inside-the-fence foliage. This was going to be rustic, slightly neglected, circa 1970 scrapyard, not the high-efficiency ones of today! Notice the impressions of the spur (above). I had planned to unscrew the spur track and replace it on top of the installed scrapyard, but then decided to add it to the build so I could weather it better. Adding foliage around the edges. Those 'steel girders' are scrap pieces cut off during fence construction then painted.

Gluing down some gravel for the roads (above). I still need a scrapyard crane and the entire scrapyard should be accessible for the crane and trucks, not to mention gondolas for scrap loading! Some large-scale rail pieces to which I gave a good home (below). Such pieces, as well as the spur track,  are installed using white glue or Testors styrene cement onto the brown cardstock.

My workplace! Captured in action by my good wife, with spur track glued down, paints in use, cold beverage and ginger snaps above. Cool afternoon winds blow through the sunroom screen (above). Outdoor photographs with the build perched on the sunroom landing's railing, showing a fence-level view then overhead view of the whole scrapyard:

A 1968 Whig (Queen's University Archives) photo shows flooding at the Cohen scrapyard after a fire. Note the CP boxcar at centre (below). Though I've variously referred to my current scrapyard as Cohen or KIMCO, I'll probably stick with Cohen now.

The scrapyard's battery recycling operation is centred on the larger structure and some trailer bodies at right. At left, a casualty of a WWII flying accident and some vehicles rest along the fence at left:

I did some additional scenicking including prototype rust that ARK member Bob Farquhar included with freight cars I purchased from him at our 2019 train show. He mentioned that he and his wife salvaged the rust from along various Ottawa walking trails. It's really rusty! It was hard to push away from the table, but I finally decided enough fussing and no more details were needed. It was installation time! 

If I'd measured the space accurately, I could simply slide the cardstock off the build-board and adjust it into place. Fortunately, I had only a couple of small adjustments to make. Clearance on CN (foreground) and CP (background) lines looked good, and the scrapyard spur got its first test car - a CP Rail gondola for loading. 

Along-the-spur views - from the turnout end of the spur (above) with jointly-served industries Frontenac Floor & Wall Tile and Presland Iron & Steel in background. The end of the spur (below) with Gus Marker and Frontenac in the background. All that remains is to add a tracked crane to move that scrap around, figures and final scenery and figures. 

I deconstructed a Life-Like rail crane, gluing the cab on tracks from a Majorette excavator, painting and adding Browning lettering to the back of the cab. Two metal figures look workmanlike enough to find their way into the scrapyard scene!

A Time Capsule Within a Time Capsule

It seemed like the right time to return to the Queen's University Archives Reading Room in mid-April, 2022. Closed during the early phase of the pandemic, then open with restrictions, I thought it best to allow students their time to finish their year. When I returned, the campus was quiet and only a few researchers came and went.

Since then, I've been researching various fonds such as those of the Kingston Shipyards. This past week, I decided to revisit the Kingston Whig-Standard Fonds. Checking my notes, I knew I'd made it to Box 5 before the pandemic descended upon us in mid-March, 2020.

Imagine my surprise when I opened Box 5 this past week and found the coloured cardboard bookmark that I'd placed there - on March 9, 2020!! Of course I was planning to return the following week, so the bookmark would quickly confirm where I left off. That was 2+ years ago! 

My mind tried to take in all that had happened since then - shutdowns, lockdowns, development of vaccines, remote schooling, Zoom meetings as well as all the current events that were not pandemic-related. That little bookmark was a graphic representation of lives on hold. For me, it was a time capsule within a time capsule. All that said, it was good to be back!

One of the first photos I viewed from 1967 showed one of two linotype machines being lifted out by crane for repairs, via the roof of the Whig-Standard building. Now that was creative thinking. Outside the Box!

CN and CP Steam at Kingston, 1930's

Each day I receive several interesting photos of railway subjects from the Jim Parker collection. They represent a wide range of North American and even worldwide trains, in various eras. Daniel McConnachie emailed to draw my attention to the July 4 email which, lo and behold, revealed several amazing images of the Limestone City in the 1930's - both CN and CP!

In these photos, a westbound daytime passenger train arrives and departs the Outer Station behind one of only five CN Pacifics: 5700-5704. After these engines were in operation, CN ordered big Mountains and Northerns. Some sources state that the Pacifics couldn't keep passenger trains longer than nine cars on schedule.

Notice the smokestack-mounted smoke deflectors, installed from 1933 to 1939, until replaced by more conventional CN 'elephant ear' smoke deflectors. This helps date the photos, which were captioned "1930's".

Stock cars at the Outer Station cattle pens and perhaps the roof of Frontenac Floor & Wall Tile in the background behind CN 5702, also with smokestack smoke deflector.

A train of unknown length behind CLC-built 2-6-0 CN 919. Work cars and baggage carts on left, water plug and yard on right:

Jim's photos also include three different yard engines. These engines would have also served the CN Hanley Spur trackage along the waterfront:

CN 7373 (above) and 7128 (below):

A fine shot of CN 7151, the turntable and engine house located just west of the Outer Station:

Near the CP roundhouse at the foot of North Street, CP 423 (above) and 453 (below). The roundhouse drop pit is visible in both photos, with the heights along Rideau Street visible in the background.

That was an enjoyable trip back almost a hundred years, courtesy of Jim Parker and my email inbox!

Kingston Shipyards Injuries, 1942-43

There it was, tucked out of sight in the very last file in one of five boxes in the Queen's University Archives' Kingston Shipyards Collection. I found this tiny, well-worn notebook stamped 'Kingston Shipbuilding Co. Limited' on the back cover, and handwritten 'Compensation Records 25/3/42-18/6/43" on its front cover. It contained handwritten notes on each injury sustained by a worker at the shipyards, during the busy wartime period of naval trawler and corvette construction here.

The write-up of each incident included the worker's name, age and home address, date and time of the incident, and a short description of the incident. Sometimes there are mentions of layoff, return to work and other coded notes that aren't explained.

What I found most amazing was the rate of injury - averaging three per day! Also the ages (14 to 72 years) and the spectrum of positions of the injured workers. Though clerks and foremen were sometimes mentioned, the vast majority were listed as caulkers, plate-hangers, chippers, bolter-ups [bolters-up?], burners, slingers, drillers, stage-builders, cleaner-ups and those directly involved in rivetting: heaters, holder-ons, and passers. Forged rivets (of cyndrical construction with a length depending on the thickness of the steel to be rivetted together, capped by a 'factory head') were heated in small forges to approximately 1000 degrees Celsius, bright cherry-red, then passed/thrown into a conical bucket, from which they were taken with tongs and inserted into holes drilled into the sheet steel. The unformed end of the rivet was hammered to close the joint. As the rivet cooled, it contracted and squeezed the joint together tightly.

By modern standards, this rate of workplace injury would probably be scandalous, resulting in a Ministry of Labour investigation, continuous-improvement implementation and much red tape. Some workers had more than one incident within the span of this notebook's dates. There are mentions of goggles being worn, yet there is a high rate of eye injuries. I don't know how seriously injury prevention and industrial workplace safety was taken during wartime, beyond the recording of the incidents. Lost-time would be even more acute while skilled labour was at a premium, and the urgency of shipbuilding was paramount.

I didn't count the number of incidents recorded in this one notebook, but there were hundreds! I've transcribed a few as-written to include in this post. The majority of injuries were welders' flashes to eyes, slips and falls, wood splinters, finger lacerations, stepping into manholes, reaming and rivetting injuries, and crush injuries while manoeuvering heavy steel shapes and sheets above and below deck. These give us a glimpse into the wartime world of Kingston heavy industry!

Billy Bois 14 - Passer - 367 Montreal St

15/4/42 3:00 p.m.

As he was catching hot rivets, one hit bucket and glanced hit on chin causing burn. Sent to Dr J. Campbell

Frank Stephenson 15 - Passer - 190 Rideau St

1/5/42 8:30 a.m.

He was catching rivets and was about to pass it to riveter and fell in a manhole injuring his left side. Dr Campbell

Russell Woodcock 19 - Holder-On - 458 Barrie St

5/6/42 8:00 a.m.

He was bolting frames on boat and a piece of rust fell off ceiling in left eye. Dr Carp.

Bob Carron 16 - Passer Boy -  268 Wellington St

8/6/42 3:45 p.m.

He was passing rivets a chip of hot slag from welder flew into his left eye. Dr Carp.

Bill Bois 14 - Rivet Passer - 412 Montreal St

10/6/42 12:00 a.m.

He was passing rivets and scale off rivet flew into his right eye. Dr F. Rutherford.

Raymond Kotowych 20 - Welder - 41 Hickson Ave

25/7/42 3:00 p.m.

He was welding and reamers working above him steel fell down into glove and worked into his right arm. Dr Campbell.

Gerald Stevenson 15 - Passer - Sydenham

31/8/42 8:00 a.m.

He was catching rivets on boat, a hot rivet bounced out of bucket fell into his glove causing burn on right hand. Reported as above. Dr Morrison.

Wm Geoghengan 72 - Foreman - 69 Colborne St

3/11/42 6:30 a.m.

He was walking to powerhouse and tripped over cable falling causing injury to ribs on left side. Dr Campbell.

Lyle Hannah - 28 - Slinger - Cataraqui

29/11/42 10:00 a.m.

He was putting angle iron on slings in flat car the sling slipped causing angle iron to fall on his left foot. Dr Campbell.

Robert Hewitt - 42 - Riveter - 160A Bagot St

2/1/43 1:30 p.m.

While he was riveting passer boy missed bucket with rivet and hit him on nose. Laceration. Dr Regan.

UPDATE: Bill Godkin kindly sent along this additional information regarding rivetting:

It took a small agile man or boy to travel through the tanks passing rivets. In the tanks between the hull and floor of the hold there were walls going from side to side. They had openings in them so you could get from one end of the ship to the other. The [furnace] for heating the rivets would be located beside a manhole in one of the holds.  The hot rivet was dropped down through the manhole to the passer below. He turned, and using his tongs, picked the rivet out of the cone shaped bucket and tossed it to the guy hanging through the opening in the next bulkhead until it reached the passer at the seam being repaired. That passer placed the rivet into the hole in the seam and the holder then rammed it home with the holding tool. The holding tool was a solid block of steel about3 by 5 by 5 [shade smaller then that] with a handle on it about 16" long ending in a big circle so he could grab it with two hands and put all of his strength on it so the riveter could flatten it on the outside of the hull.

Bill also sent more information about repairing rivets on a ship in drydock:

A ship was brought into the dry dock, and once it was settled on the cradles and the dock pumped dry it underwent an inspection by the government inspector. The ballast tanks, which ran the full length of the ship, were filled with water then pressurized. The inspector went seam by seam inspecting the rivets and if any were leaking.he circled them with yellow crayon. Then the manhole covers were removed, and starting at the front hold a firehose was used to play water up and down the first seam from inside the hold. Once the inspector had finished that seam he would bang on the hull with his hammer and the crew moved to the next seam.. You might be working with hip waders in a foot of water, and don't forget the open manholes, as once in a while someone would step in one. Once the test was complete, the ship is drained and usually it' was the next day that the work began replacing the circled rivets. First, a burner used a cutting torch to burn off the outside flared part of the rivet. Then a man using an air hammer punched out the rest of the rivet. Then the two-man reamer crew reamed out the hole. Once a seam or two are done the rivet crew started replacing the rivets. So you are down in the tanks passing rivets, and they are burning out rivets and punching them out, and reaming them out all around you!