British Whig (Kingston, ON), 15 Aug 1913

p.1

A NEW LIGHTHOUSE.

Aug. 15th - The marine and fisheries department has decided to construct tenders a new lighthouse on Main Duck Island in Lake Ontario. The new building will have a steel and concrete tower and will be fitted with a powerful modern light. At present there is a light on the mainland but the new light will afford a better guide.

Tenders are being called and it is proposed to have the lighthouse constructed before the season closes.

Grain Steamer Libelled - St. Catharines, Aug. 15th - The steamer G. Howe, bound from Chicago to Montreal with wheat, was tied up in the canal near St. Catharines by officers of the exchequer court at the instance of the owners of the steamer Mapleton, who claim $3,500 damages alleged to have been caused by the latter boat to the Howe in a collision in the canal a month ago.

The captain of the Howe claims that this is the first he heard of any damage to the Mapleton. The boats just barely scraped one another's sides. The Howe was uninjured and he says he is at a loss to know how the other vessel could have received any serious injury. The steamer was released last night, the amount claimed having been paid into court by the owners of the Howe.

p.2

VESSELS IN TROUBLE

The steamer North King, which left Kingston about six o'clock Thursday evening, went aground at Point Ste. Anne, near Belleville, about ten o'clock.

The Calvin Company was notified and sent the tugs Frontenac and Cornwall to the scene. The Frontenac was up near Belleville at the time and arrived before the Cornwall, and soon pulled off the stranded steamer, which proceeded on her trip to Charlotte.

The steamer Riverside caught on the ways at Alexandria Bay on Thursday, and had to be pulled off by the tug Johnson, of the Calvin company.

The steamer Simla arrived from Georgian Bay on Friday morning with timber.

IN MARINE CIRCLES.

The schooner Abbie L. Andrews arrived from Charlotte, coal-laden, and is discharging at the waterworks wharf.

The steamer Natironco passed down on Thursday night, loaded with coal, on her way from Erie to Montreal.

The steamer Glenellah passed up on Thursday night.

The steamer Fairfax cleared with the barge Rickerton for Ashtabula.

The schooner Acacia is at Richardson's wharf loading feldspar.

M.T. Co.'s elevator: steamers Turret Crown and Canadian cleared for Belleville to load cement for Fort William; steamer Advance will pass down on Saturday morning, grain-laden from Port Colborne to Montreal; tug Bartlett from Montreal three light barges; tug Emerson will arrived tonight from Montreal with three light barges.

The steamers Toronto and Caspian were down and up on Friday.

The steamer Majestic went down on Thursday evening. During the day a new bucket was put on her wheel at the Kingston Shipbuilding company's wharves.

The steamer Rideau Queen is due from Ottawa on Friday evening.

The steamer Olcott was in port from Oswego, N.Y. on Friday afternoon.

The steamer Britannic was up from Montreal on Friday afternoon.

p.3

QUAINT LITTLE SPOT

[Oswego, N.Y. Palladium]

That it is not necessary to go far from home in search of adventure and excitement has been proved by a party of four Syracusans who have recently returned from a sailing trip on Lake Ontario.

Their trip included several days spent at a picturesque fishing village on a remote island in the lake and a narrow escape from shipwreck when the timely arrival of the life-saving crew from the station near Big Sandy Creek was the only thing that saved them from being dashed to pieces in the huge waves that break along the shore at that point.

The party included Mr. and Mrs. E. Austin Barnes and Mr. and Mrs. L. Robertson and the trip was made in Mr. Barnes' twenty foot sloop. The start was made from Oswego and the first night spent near Selkirk. After that the party cruised about the lake several days, making stops at Stoney Point and Stoney Island. Finally the weather being good they decided to sail aross the lake to the Bay of Quinte.

As the day wore on the wind freshened and kicked up a heavy sea. They sighted land and consulting their charts found that it was Duck Island, which is situated almost midway between the American and Canadian shores.

There the Syracusans found a quaint little fishing village which, as one of the party expressed it, except for the costumes might have been situated on the coast of Brittany. The inhabitants were all fishermen and live contented and happy, absolutely isolated from the rest of the world.

Like a feudal lord lives Capt. Claud (Claude ?) Cole, the representative of a big fisheries company. He goes about among the islands and along the main shore collecting the fish from the men who make their livelihood by catching them and sending them to his company.

Several tons are gathered on each trip and the captain makes several trips each week in his high powered motor boat, his wife acting as pilot, and the old sailors among the islands and along the mainland will tell you that there is no better pilot on the lake than Mrs. Cole, and that no storm holds any terror for her.

The Coles, when they heard of the arrival of the Syracusans, sent word that they must come and stay with them as their guests, declaring that they always kept several rooms in readiness in their house for just such emergencies.

Mr. and Mrs. Barnes and Mr. and Mrs. Robertson accepted the invitation and remained for several days as guests of Mr. and Mrs. Cole, being detained at first by the heavy wind and afterward by the dead calm which followed it.

They made many trips in the Cole's motor boat, including one to Prince Edward Island (sic), and found that their host and hostess owned a stable of race horses and spent their winters following the Canadian ice circuit, returning in the spring to their island home.

The weather conditions finally becoming propitious, the Syracusans, with much regret, left Duck Island.

p.5

MYSTERIOUS DROWNING

Was there foul play in connection with the death of J.A. Williamson, a waiter on the steamer Kingston, who suddenly disappeared on Sunday afternoon at Prescott? The body, which was found near the grain elevator at Prescott on Thursday morning, showed a large mark on the head as though he had been struck with a stick or stone.

It will be remembered that when the baker on the steamer Kingston was drowned last Sunday morning a waiter was left at Prescott to look after the remains when located. On Sunday afternoon the remains were found, but there was then no sign of Williamson. Before the steamer left the wharf on Sunday morning, one of the officers gave him some money to be used as expenses. Some people think that the officer was noticed giving the money to the waiter and thinking it was a good sized sum the party planned to rob the waiter. Some of the crew think this is how the unfortunate man met death. Seven dollars was all he was given.

The place where the body was found leads people to believe that foul play was the cause of death. It is not at all likely that the man would wander down on this wharf when the passenger wharf was so near by. The finding of a hat on the wharf is another mystery.

It is stated that the deceased had been drinking and perhaps this had something to do with his untimely end. The dead waiter came from Philadelphia, Pa., and this was his first trip on the steamer. It is understood that he was born in North Carolina. An inquest was held in Prescott on Thursday evening.

Later reports from Prescott on Friday morning stated that the drowning had been investigated by Coroner C. Macpherson, and he decided that an inquest was unnecessary, death having been accidental. Deceased was fourteen years of age. It is thought the wound deceased had on his head was caused by his coming in contact with some of the boats.

p.8 Mariners Day in Court - 2 sailors in police court.

Rideau Traffic Heavy - Capt. Noonan, head of the Rideau Navigation company, arrived in Ottawa on the Rideau Queen this morning. He made the statement that it is years since the traffic was so heavy on the Rideau Lakes. Indications are that business will continue in its present state throughout the navigation season. [Ottawa Free Press]

CARRIED 885 PASSENGERS

The steamer Thousand Islander established a record for Kingston on Friday morning when she took 885 passengers on her trip to Ogdensburg. The steamer did not leave the wharf until 8:30 o'clock but not withstanding crowds flocked to the wharf from 7:45 o'clock. The passengers will be given three hours in Ogdensburg.

By the time the steamer left Gananoque it was expected that she would have her complement of 1,000 people. Captain John Geoghegan, the local customs officer, went down on the steamer for examining the baggage on the trip home and in this way save considerable time at the wharf when the steamer arrives back this evening.