OLD “WILLIAM IV.,” 1832.
Up to 1837 the lake steamers did not venture farther down than Kingston, but about that time they commenced running through the Lake of the Thousand Islands to Prescott. From that point the small steamer Dolphin sailed every morning for the head of the Long Sault rapids, enabling passengers to reach Montreal the same evening. The route was from Dickenson’s Landing to Cornwall by stage, thence through Lake St. Francis by steamer to Coteau du Lac, thence by stage over a plank road to the Cascades, where the quaint old steamer Chieftain would be waiting to convey passengers to Lachine to be driven thence in a coach and six to Montreal. It was not until 1848, when the enlarged Lachine Canal was opened, that the Upper Canada steamers began to run all the rapids of the St. Lawrence as they now do.
In 1840 Mr. Hamilton had built a powerful steamer, the Ontario, with the expectation that she might be able to ascend the rapids, but failing in this she was sold to a Montreal firm and placed on the Quebec route. The Ontario descended all the rapids of the St. Lawrence safely on the 19th of October, 1840, being the first large steamer to do so. Facile descensus! It is not recorded that more than one steamer ever succeeded in ascending those rapids. In November, 1838, the little Dolphin, after four weeks of incessant toil, was towed up the Long Sault rapids with the aid of twenty yoke of oxen, besides horses, capstans and men, added to the working of her engine—the first and probably the last steamer that will ever accomplish the feat. About this time the Iroquois, with one large stern-wheel, was built for the purpose of stemming the swift currents between Prescott and Dickenson’s Landing, but had so much difficulty in ascending the river that at Rapide Plat and other points posts were sunk at short distances along the shore to each of which she made fast in turn until she recovered her breath.
“PASSPORT,” SHOOTING THE RAPIDS IN HER FIFTIETH YEAR.
The completion of the canals prepared the way for a larger class of steamers between Lake Ontario and Montreal, and the “Royal Mail Line” was accordingly re-enforced. The Passport was built of iron on the Clyde and brought out in sections in 1847, and is still in commission and in good running order. The Magnet, also built of iron and on the Clyde, and in which Captain Sutherland had a large pecuniary interest, came out shortly after the Passport, and under the name of the Hamilton, in command of Captain A. J. Baker, is now, in her green old age, and with her hull as sound as a bell, performing a weekly service between Montreal and Hamilton. The Kingston, since named the Algerian, followed in 1855, and was first commanded by Captain Clarke Hamilton, now of H. M. Customs at Kingston. About this time the Brockville, Captain Day, the Gildersleeve, Captain Bowen, the Banshee, Captain Howard, and the Lord Elgin, Captain Farlinger, were well-known and favourite boats.
The fifteen years from 1840 to 1855 were the most prosperous in the history of steam navigation on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence. The Americans had at that time several lines of steamers plying between Ogdensburg, Oswego, Rochester and Lewiston. Some of these were large and very fine passenger steamers, such as the United States, the Bay State, the New York, the Rochester, the Lady of the Lake, the Northerner, the Cataract, and the Niagara. The Great Western Railway Company had also a fleet of splendid steamers—the Canada, the America, the Europa and the Western World. At the breaking out of the American civil war, most of these vessels and some others were purchased by the United States Government and taken round to New York. Their places on the lake are now occupied by numerous screw propellers, chiefly doing a freight business, but many of them having excellent accommodation for passengers also.
The opening of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1855 proved disastrous to the steamboat interests. Mr. Hamilton, as well as many others, struggled gallantly for a time, endeavouring to stem the tide of competition with the new system of transportation, but about the year 1862 he was obliged to retire from the business which he had created and carried on successfully for thirty years. The steamers in which he had a large personal interest were sold to a joint stock company, which was named the “Canadian Steam Navigation Company.” Mr. Hamilton was appointed General Manager of the new company; Sir Hugh Allan, President, and Alexander Milloy. Secretary-Treasurer. A few years later Captain Thomas Howard became Superintendent of the line, a position which he held until 1881, when he was appointed Harbour-master in Montreal. He died in Montreal on Easter Sunday, 1898. In 1875 the company united with the Richelieu Company, as already stated.