Maritime History of the Great Lakes

Scanner, v. 27, no. 2 (November 1994), p. 6

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Ship of the Month - cont'd. the extremely early hour of 4: 00 a. m. and called at way ports, including Sarnia at 8: 15 a. m. There was to be a four or five hour stop at Goderich before HIAWATHA headed back to Wallaceburg with her load of excursionists. For this very long day on the water, the single fare was $1. 00, while passage for two people could be secured for $1. 50. The good Rev. Watters must have been a very popular clergyman if gentle folk would arise in time to catch a steamer at 4: 00 in the morning in his honour! Another excursion aboard HIAWATHA was advertised in the "Observer" on August 11, 1880. This trip, for the Union School of Sombra, Ontario, was to take the steamer to Lexington, Michigan, on the shore of Lake Huron. HIAWATHA de parted Algonac at 7: 00 a. m. and Port Lambton at 7: 30, the fare from these two ports being 50 cents. For 40 cents, one could sail from "Courtwright" at 9: 00, or from Mooretown and Corunna at 9: 30. The fare for those joining the ship at Port Huron was 35 cents, and the departure time 10: 30. Passengers from Sarnia and Point Edward paid 20 cents each, the departures times being 10: 45 and 11: 15 a. m., respectively. In September of 1880, a newcomer entered the Wallaceburg to Sarnia service, when the propellor STANLEY appeared on the route. Designed by Captain John Ellison, of Port Stanley, who also built the WINONA, it would appear that STANLEY was constructed in July, 1879, as (a) BEATRICE, intended for the ex cursion trade out of Port Stanley and also for the cross-lake service to Cleveland. She was 94 feet overall, 84 feet on the keel, and had a beam of 18 feet, and she was powered by a high-pressure engine 20" x 22". It was re ported that she was unsuccessful and "did not please her owners", and so she was transferred to the river service under the command of Capt. H. Ellison. On September 12, 1880, the "Sarnia Observer" reported that STANLEY ran an excursion from Dresden to Walpole Island. STANLEY then entered the Dresden Wallaceburg - Sarnia service on September 24th, 1880, running in opposition to HIAWATHA and J. C. CLARK. She sailed from Dresden on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for Sarnia, returning on Wednesday, Friday and Monday. STANLEY, however, proved to be considerably slower than HIAWATHA, and her intrusion into the river service was not a success. STANLEY was sold to J. & J. Kidd, of Wiarton, and she was renamed JOSEPHINE KIDD for service four times each week between Owen Sound and Wiarton, with a weekly trip to Lion's Head and occasional service to Tobermory. On Saturday, November 4, 1882, JOSEPHINE KIDD loaded cargo at Owen Sound for Lion's Head and Tobermory, with a planned stop at Presque Isle to load 15 tons of hay. Late that night, however, she caught fire and was beached four miles east of Big Bay, between Pyette Point and Cape Commodore on the north shore of Owen Sound. Her total loss was reported in the "Toronto Globe" on November 6th. In the "Toronto Globe" of Saturday, February 14th, 1885, W. B. Clark an nounced that both HIAWATHA and J. C. CLARK were for sale, in consequence of the fact that the Erie and Huron Railway had been extended from Sarnia to Dresden and Wallaceburg. Clark's notice indicated that he would sell either vessel, as only one steamer was now required for the route. We are not sure what she did (if anything) in the interim, but we know that by January of 1887, HIAWATHA was operating as a ferry between Sarnia and Port Huron, a route that she was to serve for many years. Indeed, she found a place in the hearts of many local residents who crossed the St. Clair River aboard the steamer frequently. On August 8th, 1887, the "Chatham Planet" reported that HIAWATHA had been damaged by fire, but we have been unable to discover any further information concerning the location of the accident or the extent of the damage sus tained by the steamer. Lloyd's Inland Register confirms that HIAWATHA was rebuilt in 1887, and it seems probable that this reconstruction was the aftermath of the fire. It appears that it was at this time that HIAWATHA was modified to make her more

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