Ok, the picture of Lady Alexandra got me going again.
As soon as I saw it in Marin's post, I recognized the dock in Davis Bay (Sechelt) where I had sometimes stopped aboard a Union boat as a kid.
Now, I have to disclaim a bit here:
Memory being what it is, some of my stuff is first hand, some is collaborative (an older brother) and some is a little sketchy, but it all makes for good tales. Most of it is pretty damn close to true and it won't mean a thing to most on this forum.
Coastal BC was built by the Union Steamship Company of B C.
You would never convince me that the skippers on those old boats, were not greater, braver, adventurers than any astronauts. If you know our coast, follow some of my links, read about conditions, groundings and the amazing records of lives not lost, you surely must agree. Luckily there was a lot of commercial traffic up and down the coast that not more than a day or so would go by before a stricken ship was discovered.
I remember going through Seymour Narrows long before Ripple Rock was Blown up.
It was so tight in there it felt like you could reach out and touch the trees.
Beaver Cove in the steamship days was just that, a cove on the north end of Vancouver Island. Englewood, across from what is now known as "Beaver Cove" was the Beach Camp where trains delivered logs to the chuck, destined for a mill beside the dump, to a Telegraph Cove sawmill or anywhere down the coast.
My family was in Englewood from '38 to '52 when we relocated back to Myrtle Point, the land settled in the 1800s south of Westview.
Twice a week either the Chelosin, Cardena or the most frequent, my childhood favorite Catala would arrive in Englewood headed north from Vancouver to Prince Rupert and a few days later southbound. As soon as we could walk we were at dockside when they came in because they always had something for us; fresh milk, new rain slickers, Coca Cola syrup, Red Book to sneak out to the woodshed because it had girdle and bra ads.
Of course it would be completely negligent to not mention the flagship Camosun, even though she was well before my time. In 1908 she was first vessel on the Canadian Pacific coast to be equipped with a Marconi wireless transmitter.
The Union boats were our lifeline.
Mail along with grocery orders to Woodward's Stores in Vancouver would be sent out and the same returned the following week, or maybe sometime later. Salmon from coastal canneries transported to Vancouver for shipment around the world. Pay cheques were sent out with the ship's purser for deposit in the Vancouver Bank of Commerce and cash brought back for those who wanted it.
Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railways also operated steamers on the coast and I sailed on the Adelaide a couple of times. CP and CN provided a higher level of service, liked to accommodate camp brass and families but they didn't much care for the camp riff-raff so didn't survive.
As a kid the Union boats were way more fun anyway. We got to see real fights and usually managed to score some money tossed our way by poker happy loggers. However, what made some loggers happy, was money lost by others who, when they got to Vancouver, had to hock their caulked boots to buy an immediate return ticket to camp. The highlight for me though was the food, especially the mountain of hotcakes and Rogers Golden Syrup. Served by men in black jackets and white gloves. Called me "Sir" at age four.
Every summer, our annual holidays would be a trip onboard a Union boat to Vancouver, where we would spend a few days before catching a Gulf Lines steamer to Westview for a couple of weeks or more. I will never cruise past Savary Island without thinking of the 5 souls lost when the Gulf Stream ran up on Dinner Rock. One, an infant pulled from his father's arms by the sea.
Port Hardy was the hub for logging activity on the North Island and Alert Bay was home to the fishermen. Both were busy little towns with stores, hospitals and hotels. Alert Bay was closest to us and we made frequent trips via water taxi or fish boat. The main store was Dong Chong's where you could buy everything from caulked boots to cabbages.
On a tab if needed.
I'm told my first words were Dong Chong.
Such was camp life.
There were always highlights.
The Forestry, Fishery and Mission boats were so spectacularly clean. Those are the ones drooled over at wooden boat shows today. Father Gallo, a wine drinking cigar smoker was loved by everyone from Wilson Creek to Kitimat. I doubt abstinence was his specialty.
At age 4, a friend and I managed to take off my left pinky, right where it attaches to my hand, with an axe, so off we went in a fish boat, hand wrapped in a towel to Alert Bay. As luck would have it there was a travelling surgeon there and he figured, what the hell, might as well see if we can put it back. Can always chuck it away later if it don't work. Still have it, a little stunted and crooked and it gets into my ear better than my right one. Win, win.
Though I had already seen float planes, it was in Alert Bay that I first heard, then saw a Seabee; strangest thing ever; not as fast as a float plane but noisier than 10. Landed on the water and (sketchy memory part) ran right up on the beach. When it left we thought it would never get off the water and would break every piece of glass in the village.
My real introduction to air travel though was on a Supermarine_Stranraer or, more fondly known by all as the Whistling Shithouse, owned by Queen Charlotte Air, founded accidently by Jim Spilsbury another BC pioneer.
I was in one to Vancouver and back. We sat on a bench along the side. Our feet were right on the bottom of the hull and I will never forget the feeling of a landing on the water; it was like skiing over boulders.
When Queen Charlotte Airlines became a regular thing ship travel fell off and The Union Steamships of BC quietly disappeared.
I only have a couple of Union boat pictures and they are too rough to post but if you want some good reading on Union Steamships and the BC coast; Whistle up the Inlet and Echoes of the Whistle are good, if you can find them.
As soon as I saw it in Marin's post, I recognized the dock in Davis Bay (Sechelt) where I had sometimes stopped aboard a Union boat as a kid.
Now, I have to disclaim a bit here:
Memory being what it is, some of my stuff is first hand, some is collaborative (an older brother) and some is a little sketchy, but it all makes for good tales. Most of it is pretty damn close to true and it won't mean a thing to most on this forum.
Coastal BC was built by the Union Steamship Company of B C.
You would never convince me that the skippers on those old boats, were not greater, braver, adventurers than any astronauts. If you know our coast, follow some of my links, read about conditions, groundings and the amazing records of lives not lost, you surely must agree. Luckily there was a lot of commercial traffic up and down the coast that not more than a day or so would go by before a stricken ship was discovered.
I remember going through Seymour Narrows long before Ripple Rock was Blown up.
Beaver Cove in the steamship days was just that, a cove on the north end of Vancouver Island. Englewood, across from what is now known as "Beaver Cove" was the Beach Camp where trains delivered logs to the chuck, destined for a mill beside the dump, to a Telegraph Cove sawmill or anywhere down the coast.
My family was in Englewood from '38 to '52 when we relocated back to Myrtle Point, the land settled in the 1800s south of Westview.
Twice a week either the Chelosin, Cardena or the most frequent, my childhood favorite Catala would arrive in Englewood headed north from Vancouver to Prince Rupert and a few days later southbound. As soon as we could walk we were at dockside when they came in because they always had something for us; fresh milk, new rain slickers, Coca Cola syrup, Red Book to sneak out to the woodshed because it had girdle and bra ads.
Of course it would be completely negligent to not mention the flagship Camosun, even though she was well before my time. In 1908 she was first vessel on the Canadian Pacific coast to be equipped with a Marconi wireless transmitter.
The Union boats were our lifeline.
Mail along with grocery orders to Woodward's Stores in Vancouver would be sent out and the same returned the following week, or maybe sometime later. Salmon from coastal canneries transported to Vancouver for shipment around the world. Pay cheques were sent out with the ship's purser for deposit in the Vancouver Bank of Commerce and cash brought back for those who wanted it.
Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railways also operated steamers on the coast and I sailed on the Adelaide a couple of times. CP and CN provided a higher level of service, liked to accommodate camp brass and families but they didn't much care for the camp riff-raff so didn't survive.
As a kid the Union boats were way more fun anyway. We got to see real fights and usually managed to score some money tossed our way by poker happy loggers. However, what made some loggers happy, was money lost by others who, when they got to Vancouver, had to hock their caulked boots to buy an immediate return ticket to camp. The highlight for me though was the food, especially the mountain of hotcakes and Rogers Golden Syrup. Served by men in black jackets and white gloves. Called me "Sir" at age four.
Every summer, our annual holidays would be a trip onboard a Union boat to Vancouver, where we would spend a few days before catching a Gulf Lines steamer to Westview for a couple of weeks or more. I will never cruise past Savary Island without thinking of the 5 souls lost when the Gulf Stream ran up on Dinner Rock. One, an infant pulled from his father's arms by the sea.
Port Hardy was the hub for logging activity on the North Island and Alert Bay was home to the fishermen. Both were busy little towns with stores, hospitals and hotels. Alert Bay was closest to us and we made frequent trips via water taxi or fish boat. The main store was Dong Chong's where you could buy everything from caulked boots to cabbages.
On a tab if needed.
I'm told my first words were Dong Chong.
Such was camp life.
There were always highlights.
The Forestry, Fishery and Mission boats were so spectacularly clean. Those are the ones drooled over at wooden boat shows today. Father Gallo, a wine drinking cigar smoker was loved by everyone from Wilson Creek to Kitimat. I doubt abstinence was his specialty.
At age 4, a friend and I managed to take off my left pinky, right where it attaches to my hand, with an axe, so off we went in a fish boat, hand wrapped in a towel to Alert Bay. As luck would have it there was a travelling surgeon there and he figured, what the hell, might as well see if we can put it back. Can always chuck it away later if it don't work. Still have it, a little stunted and crooked and it gets into my ear better than my right one. Win, win.
Though I had already seen float planes, it was in Alert Bay that I first heard, then saw a Seabee; strangest thing ever; not as fast as a float plane but noisier than 10. Landed on the water and (sketchy memory part) ran right up on the beach. When it left we thought it would never get off the water and would break every piece of glass in the village.
My real introduction to air travel though was on a Supermarine_Stranraer or, more fondly known by all as the Whistling Shithouse, owned by Queen Charlotte Air, founded accidently by Jim Spilsbury another BC pioneer.
I was in one to Vancouver and back. We sat on a bench along the side. Our feet were right on the bottom of the hull and I will never forget the feeling of a landing on the water; it was like skiing over boulders.
When Queen Charlotte Airlines became a regular thing ship travel fell off and The Union Steamships of BC quietly disappeared.
I only have a couple of Union boat pictures and they are too rough to post but if you want some good reading on Union Steamships and the BC coast; Whistle up the Inlet and Echoes of the Whistle are good, if you can find them.
Attachments
Last edited: