Getting Grain From Rondeau: Schooner Days CCLI (251)

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"THERE has seen a series of articles The Telegram with respect to sailing ships of other days," writes Mr. W. R. Phillimore, of 34 Millbank avenue, "only some of which I have seen, being much away from the city.

"In Saturday's issue a picture is shown of the Van Straubenzie carrying double raffee and if it is correct my memory must be at fault, for I had thought she carried square topsail, in which case a raffee would not be used.

"I knew her well, built in St. Catharines. Also the Emerald and the Albacore, also mentioned, in which I sailed for a couple of seasons with Captain Dick Read, of Port Dalhousie, where I was raised. My first trip was on the A. Muir when she first came out, one of the fleet built and owned by Muir Brothers, the drydock firm.

"The Muir, Albacore, Albatross, Antelope, all of the same fleet, were of one size, two masts, with squaresail, and originally carried a crew of six men, and when in the timber trade, for which like many other Canadian vessels of old canal size they were fitted, had a second mate as well as a first. Even then the heavy fore and aft canvas made hard work for the whole crew. In the 1870's, when I was in them, they did not often go short-handed; the crew would rebel. We often, as you say, made use of the tug in raising fore and mainsail.

"I am wondering if you have any record of what came of the schooner Persia, somewhat smaller, with a crew of four men and a mate, in which I made a memorable trip?

"May I lead up to this trip by some remarks concerning the Canadian, built in Oakville, I think by Simpson, a very smart schooner, but rather crank, and sailed by a captain who was unfamiliar with the upper lakes, having been largely engaged in the barley trade out of Bay of Quinte ports.

"It was about late fall in, I think, 1878, that I shipped on her, bound for Rondeau, on the north shore of Lake Erie, to load wheat. Out of Port Colborne there was a fresh breeze from the southeast in the afternoon I was in the captain's watch, and coming on deck at 4 a.m. next day found we were on the starboard tack, standing in to the south shore, the wind coming ahead during the night. Whether the mate had not reported what we had been doing I cannot say, but a light appearing ahead, the captain remarked to me that we had sailed some during the night and were heading for the Dummy light, near Point Pelee.

"I asked what we were doing at the Dummy, being bound for Rondeau, and by the look of the light guessed it was more like Fairport, Ohio, on the opposite side of the lake, which with daylight it proved to be. He was lost. That night it came on to blow hard from the west. We carried away much of our canvas, and rather than run back, let go the anchor in the middle of the lake, in about 15 fathoms of water, a little east of Rondeau, and rode out a dirty night and day, green seas sweeping the whole deck from the windlass aft and breaking against the cabin, all hands grouped around the wheel, the only dry spot.

"Reaching Rondeau, it took us nearly a week to get patched up, and we sailed across the bay to Raglan, where wheat was lightered out from farmers' teams in bags. Loaded, we made the pier and went out as night came on, with a strong wind from the west which increased through the night. We sailed winged out and in that trim only the mate and myself could steer her, he taking the whole of his watch at the wheel, I the captain's watch. There were men who knew a whole lot more about sailoring than I did, but none could beat me at the wheel, and often I have been put at the wheel and older hands removed in making a bad harbor.

"We were still winged out when I came on deck for the dog watch, and ventured to say that we should have jibed and hauled up for the north shore after passing Long Point, being then well in sight of the south shore. We did jibe over and shortly the captain told me to open out the bluff, which he took to be the Sugar Loaf, just west of Port Colborne. I asked him if Port Colborne had not grown since we left there, as there was only one elevator there then, and we could already see the tin roofs of three. He had mistaken Point Abino, below Port Colborne, for the Sugar Loaf, which is above it, we were heading into Buffalo!

"It was blowing too fresh and the sea running too high to haul on the wind and work back and we were soon tied up at a Buffalo dock. Then came a sight to give a thrill to any who knew about ships. The grain fleet, big upper lake vessels, some square rigged fore and main, were carrying everything, though it was not a wind for light upper canvas, all racing to be first at an elevator, and few took in a stitch before passing the breakwater. Every tug in the harbor was out, in some cases one acting as pilot ahead and two pulling astern, to stop their way.

When no more tugs were available there was a rounding to inside the breakwater and anchors let go. In the melee a vessel at dock just ahead of us was nearly cut in two and we just escaped by inches."

Sorry to interrupt here, Mr, Philimore, for your letter is most interesting, and next week we shall give the rest of it, and answer your inquiry regarding the Persia.

Your Canadian was wrecked on a shoal east of Cape Robert in Georgian Bay in the great gale of November 7th, 1880, the year you gave up sailing. Her crew were all saved. She was an oldish vessel, having been built in Oakville by the Simpson Brothers in 1850, and repaired there in 1856, after getting ashore at that place, and again in 1863. Capt. Crooks sailed her in her early days, and Romain and Crooks, of Oakville, were her owners in 1864. She then measured 237 tons, and had an insurable value of $5,500 in that year.

You are quite right regarding the series of articles in The Telegram. The one published last Saturday with the Straubenzee in it was the 250th. This is the 251st, and there are a lot more to come. Some day there will be a book of "Schooner Days." I have always believed the Van Straubenzee had a square topsail at one time, for when I first saw her in 1891 her topmast shrouds were rattled down. She had a double raffee then, however, and always had, as long as I knew her. The square topsail must have been part of her original outfit. The picture reproduced was drawn in 1895, from life.

It is interesting to hear of the Muir fleet in their early days. When I first sailed in the Albacore in 1891 she had a crew of four men. This was later cut down to three, when the donkey engine, or "iron sailor," was installed abreast of the fore hatch.

Buffalo Breakwater as it was when the "Canadian" blundered in