British Whig (Kingston, ON), 3 May 1897

p.1 The R. & O. steamer Hamilton reached this port yesterday afternoon at 1:40, on her first trip of the season, from Montreal to Hamilton. She carried a very large cargo of freight, but no passengers. After having coaled up at Swift's wharf, she continued on her way to the Ambitious City. She was due here on Friday last, but as the canal did not open until Saturday, she was compelled to wait. She did not go through the Bay of Quinte, but took the shorter route in order to make up as much time as possible.

The sloop Dandy, light, arrived at Richardson & Sons' elevator this morning.

p.4

BUILDING THREE BARGES.

The steamer Jessie May will load wheat at Richardson & Sons' elevator for Smith's Falls.

The schooner Albatross, Toledo to Kingston, timber laden, is expected to arrive here tomorrow.

The steamer Rosedale, light, Kingston to Detroit, passed through the Welland canal on Saturday.

The sloop Maggie L., buckwheat, from Bay of Quinte ports, is discharging at Richardson & Sons.

The steamer Armenia and consorts cleared today for Green Bay, Wis., to load timber for the Calvin company.

The steamer Rosemount, Fort William, wheat laden, is due to arrive at the M.T. Co.'s anchorage tomorrow at noon.

The schooner Nellie Hunter, Oswego, 400 tons of stove coal, is discharging at Crawford & Co.'s wharf, foot of Queen street.

The M.T. Co.'s barges Star and Wheatbin, re-building, are about ready for use. Their repairs practically made them new barges.

The tug Active, with barge Selkirk, arrived from Charlotte this morning with 1,100 tons of soft coal for use of the M.T. Co.'s steamers.

On Saturday last Calvin company's second raft of the season, containing seven drams of timber in tow of the tugs Parthia and Johnson, left for Quebec.

Capt. P. McGlade left left by an early train this morning for Morrisburg to take command of the steamer Poupour. He was accompanied by his first mate, F. Mullen.

It is expected that the M.T. Co.'s steamer Bannockburn will be ready to leave the dry-dock on Thursday next. The carrying on of her repairs was discontinued yesterday.

The steamer Ocean, Capt. J.V. Trowell, a former Kingstonian, called at Craig's wharf yesterday afternoon, on her way to Toronto from Montreal, with several passengers, and a very heavy cargo of freight.

The Watertown Times says that amalgamation of the Alexandria Bay and Thousand Island steamboat companies is still under advisement, but directors say that consolidation is no nearer consummation than it was six months ago.

The steam yacht Una, owned by G.A. Gillespie, Pittsburg, Pa., who has a summer home at Basswood Island, has been purchased by Dr. Day, Pittsburg. She is in Kingston to be taken to Georgian Bay, where Dr. Day has a summer home.

All the St. Lawrence River canals opened for navigation on Saturday, and the congestion of grain laden barges at Dickinson's landing passed through for Montreal. In all, nearly a million bushels of grain was contained in those barges, the largest consignment ever passed through these canals at their opening.

On Saturday, at the M.T. Co.'s ship yard, the keel of a new composite lake barge was laid. The barge will likely be the full size of the Welland canal locks, but at present it is intended that her capacity shall not exceed 55,000 bushels. The company now has three barges under way in this city, representing $75,000.

The steamer Whitney and her consorts had an exciting time yesterday off Port Dalhousie. The tow ran into the port on Saturday night for shelter, but cleared again Sunday morning. In some manner the barge Wayne broke loose from the Whitney and the tug James Norris went out from Port Dalhousie to pick her up. After the tug got a line aboard the barge, the Wayne ran ahead of the tug and almost tipped the little steamer over. To save the tug it was necessary to cut the tow line with an axe. In doing so the line struck George Jones, cook on the Wayne, breaking two of his fingers and otherwise injuring him. His injuries were attended to at Port Dalhousie.

The Bannockburn's Damage.

The steamer Bannockburn will likely occupy the government dry dock all this week. The damage to her hull, occasioned by her recent misfortune in striking a rock near Snake Island light, has turned out greater than expected. Four large iron plates on her port quarter have to be replaced, and two iron stanchions in part, will have to be taken out and replaced, as well as the iron sheets forming part of the port bulkhead, which have been bent double as though they were pieces of tin. The steamer, under full head of steam, first struck the obstruction fair and square with her bow, bending her shoe towards the starboard. The shock lifted the steamer's bow out of the water and she alighted fair and square on the reef. The weight coming down with such tremendous force, tore out the rivets holding the seams together and rendered the iron plates as though they had been of paper. Fortunately the break occurred immediately under her port bulk head, which at once filled with water, but the cargo was kept comparatively dry. The damage would have been greater but for the fact that in alighting on the reef the steamer struck fair and square under the inner wall of the bulkhead. The steamer's shoe has been straightened and workmen are now cutting out the bent portions of the bulkhead and stanchions.

p.6 An Action To Recover - On June 8th, 1893, the propeller Acadia sank in the Morrisburg canal by striking against a sunken boulder. Poupore & Fraser had the contract to deepen the canal, and the owners of the propeller and the Montreal sugar refining company, owner of her cargo, obtained judgement against the government for $55,000 damages.

It has since been shown that the boulder against which the Acadia struck had dropped off a dredge that was being used by the firm that was dredging the canal, and the government has instituted an action to recover the sum paid to the owners. John Donnelly, jr., has received a subpoena to testify at the trial, and will leave for Ottawa tomorrow for this purpose.