PORT
OF HAMILTON
The
year 1823 was one of major interest to the people of Hamilton and district,
for on 19 March, an Act was passed authorizing construction of the Burlington
Canal.
Francis
Hall was appointed engineer of the canal works and his original design
called for a canal 72 feet wide, with piers lining both sides and a
protective breakwater on the Lake Ontario side. The breakwater was wedge
shaped to keep sand out of the mouth of the canal. James Gordon Stowbridge
from New York was hired as contractor and by the summer of 1826 work
had progressed enough to allow passage of vessels drawing less than
ten feet of water. On June 4, 1826, a race to compete for the honour
of being the first ship to enter the new canal was held. Captain E.
Zealand of the "Rebecca and Eliza" was the victor.
The canal was beset with problems from the very beginning.
In fact, its official opening of July 1, 1826, created its first closing.
Lieutenant Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland was to sail through the canal
on William Chisholm's 60-ton schooner the "General Brock"
accompanied by a large escort. However, the "General Brock"
was hit by a crosswind as it rounded the breakwater near the entrance.
The schooner was swung around in the channel and the entrance was effectively
closed. The Lieutenant Governor was forced to row through the entrance
in a six-oared barge to open the canal. The government was not pleased
with this incident and demanded the canal be finished to meet the original
specifications of Francis Hall's design.
An
item in the United Empire Loyalist, published at York and dated
21 April 1827 stated that Wm. Chisholm's three vessels, MOHAWK CHIEF,
GENERAL BROCK and REBECCA AND ELIZA passed through the Burlington Canal,
having wintered in Hamilton. Each were partly laden. The topsail schooner
JANE, owned by Col. Crooks, was in Hamilton, loading flour brought from
Dundas.
A
series of gales during the winter of 1829-30 wreaked havoc at the Burlington
Bay Canal. The breakwater and lighthouse were destroyed and the piers
were swept away. A vast sand bar 40 feet wide developed 300 feet from
shore, with a covering of just six and half feet of water. Nine ships
wintering in the bay were trapped.
Although the canal facilitated transportation by water
from Lake Ontario to the harbour it greatly hampered land transport
across the beach strip. To recitfy the situation a 70 foot long swing
bridge was built across the canal and began operating in 1830. Soon
after its construction the bridge was destroyed by a ship that crashed
into it and instead of building a new bridge a scow ferry service was
installed in 1832. The scow ferry remained in operation until 1896 when
it was replaced by a succession of bridges. The canal was frequently
re-dredged over the years to allow for the passage of larger and larger
ships.
In 1838 a wooden lighthouse was constructed on the south
side of the canal . Since most of the structures surrounding the canal
at this time were made of wood it was not unusual for small fires to
be started on the piers, by sparks from passing steamships.
On July 18, 1856 a fire on the pier went out of control and the flames
completely destroyed the wooden lighthouse. In 1858 a stone lighthouse
was built and remains standing today.
On
30 January 1826, the Desjardins Canal Co. was incorporated.
It was the brain-child of one Peter Desjardins, who realized that the
digging of a channel through Burlington Beach was about to change Burlington
Bay into Hamilton Harbour. Therefore, he decided that a tail should
be added, extending westward through the Dundas Marsh to the village
of Dundas.
This
village had grown up along the banks of Spencer's Creek, which supplied
excellent water-power, and Dundas together with Crook's Hollows, above
the Escarpment, was becoming an industrial area of some importance.
It was logical that a good means of transport would be an asset, but
Dundas would wait eleven years for this project to bear fruit.
It was estimated, that the canal would be usable by the spring of 1830.
It was noted also that Lt. Col. John By had commenced work on the Rideau
Canal, and, that the Welland Canal Company was offering work to seven
or eight hundred labourers. "Canal Fever" was indeed rampant
in the land and unfortunately, was not always guided by wisdom.
The
contractor on the Burlington Canal was building timber cribs and filling
them with beach gravel, in the hope that they would hold the sides of
the channel. The Lake had no trouble at all undermining them and playfully
shifting them out of line.
Hamilton's
first shipowner, Wm. Chisholm, had five vessels on Lake Ontario, in
the days of sail, there were always connections between the ports of
Hamilton and Oswego - grain and lumber in the old days, hard coal right
into the Twentieth Century, when the last of the tired old schooners
were struggling up and down the Lake, trying to make an honest dollar.
In
1829 the still-unfinished Burlington Canal had sufficient depth of water
and the passage of schooners inbound with general cargo and outward
bound with wheat and flour was frequent. On the 8 April, the dredge
was still working in the Burlington Canal. Here's a list of sailing
vessels, passing through the canal: GENERAL BROCK,Capt. Kerr, REBECCA
and ELIZA,Capt. Zealand, BRITANNIA,Capt.Roberts, MARGARET,Capt. Mitchell,
TRAFALGAR,Capt. Enoe, TELEGRAPH,Capt. Boylan, MINERVA,Capt. Kent, BROTHERS,
Capt. Chas. McIntosh, MOHAWK CHIEF,Capt. Campbell, PEACOCK,Capt. Philo
D. Bates, and KINGSTON PACKET,Capt. Knox.
An
interesting advertisement was placed in the Niagara Herald in
1830, giving the sailing schedule of the steamboat ALCIOPE,Capt. Jas.
Mackenzie. Leaving Prescott every Friday morning, she made the following
ports of call: Brockville, Kingston, Cobourg, York, Burlington Canal,
Grimsby, Port Dalhousie and Niagara. So Hamilton, finally appeared on
the sailing lists.
Another
new vessel calling regularly at Hamilton was the ST. GEORGE. The steamboat
CONSTITUTION was built by William Chisholm at Oakville, and seems to
be the first vessel built specifically for the Hamilton and York (Toronto)
service.
In
1834, the Burlington Canal was completed, at least until the next major
rehabilitation had to be carried out. Along the waterfront, there were
four wharves in business and one under construction. Of these, one was
isolated from the rest. This was Abel Land's wharf, situated on a point
extending into the Harbour near the line of Victoria Ave. It could be
reached from the foot of Wellington Street. Hughson's Wharf protruded
from the point of land between John and Hughson Streets, while at the
foot of James Street, Sheldon's Wharf and Daniel C.Gunn's Wharf extended
out from shore with a very irregularly shaped slip between them. To
the west, just past MacNab Street, a large wharf was being built. This
area, from the foot of Catherine St. to the foot of Bay St. became known
as the "City Docks", and with the exception of the Railway
Wharf, of a later date, was the centre of shipping activity for the
rest of the Nineteenth Century. Many changes took place, and the only
one of those wharves mentioned above survived into the next century,
that was Gunn's.
Wednesday,
16 August 1837, was a gala day in Dundas. At long last the Desjardins
Canal was officially opened "in great pomp and parade", to
use the words of the Hamilton Gazette. The steamboat EXPERIMENT, led
the way, followed by the BRITANNIA, crowded from stem to stern. Bringing
up the rear was the "new and beautiful little BURLINGTON, built
purposely,for the canal by the enterprising and worthy gentleman, William
Chisholm.
In
1836, the steamboat TRAVELLER,Capt. Sutherland, was placed on the Hamilton
to Rochester service, with calls at Presqu'Ile Bay, Cobourg, Port Hope
and Toronto. She made two trips per week and D. C. Gunn was her agent
in Hamilton.
A
direct service to Oswego was provided by the ST. GEORGE.
Burlington
Bay
Burlington
Bay was a natural harbour that always held promisebecause it had many
qualities of a good harbour. It had an excellent location, good anchorage,
adequate protection and an easily defensible military position. The
one major disadvantage was its limited access.
Because
of its location, the bay was thought to be of military importance in
the event of a British and American conflict. Lieutenant-Governor Sir
John Graves Simcoe ordered the building of an inn at the southern end
of the beach. This inn, called the Kings Head, was a large two storey
frame house with two wings. "It was essentially a depot for stores
and other provisions, as well as a rendezvous for the militia and such
other troops as it might have been found expedient to have stationed
on a line of communication between York, Detroit and Niagara. Innkeeper
Bates paid a rent of $1.00 per year."
But
it had limited access caused by the beach strip, which in effect was
a giant sand-bar that over time had built up and nearly closed off the
mouth of the bay. The only access to the bay was through a small channel
known as the Outlet, which at times was so shallow that a rowboat could
barely get through it. The water levels in this channel were at the
whimsy of the prevailing winds. If the wind was blowing east, off the
Lake, the water would pile in and make the Outlet very deep. However,
if the wind was coming westward, from across the land, the water was
pushed away from the Outlet, making it very shallow.
This
problem was dramatically illustrated during the War of 1812 in an incident
known as the "Burlington Races". In 1813, the flagship "Wolfe,"
under the command of Sir James Heo, was being pursued by an American
squadron. With Wolfe was a squadron of ships which included the corvette
"Royal", the Brigantine "Prince Regent" and three
other schooners. The Wolfe had been badly damaged and was floundering.
The British decided to head for refuge at Burlington Bay, but there
was serious concern that the 42-ton Wolfe would be driven ashore near
the Outlet. Yet it was the British's only chance of escape. "The
Nor'eastern was blowing...The Wolfe was struggling. Oddly enough it
was the gale that saved them. It had piled up the waters at the head
of Lake Ontario, ...allowing the squadron passage." The Americans,
aware of the shallowness of the Outlet, ended pursuit of the British
squadron.
The
need for a canal at this site was apparent and early records show that
both the residents and the government were aware of this. However, after
the war of 1812 the Outlet fell under control of the two most influential
families in the area, the Brants and the Chisholms. Due to the limited
access to the Bay both families had set up very profitable forwarding
businesses at the Outlet. Goods from Hamilton and the surrounding areas
were sailed or rowed to the Outlet. There they were stored in warehouses
owned by the families or transferred to ships - owned by the families
- moored at docks on the Lake Ontario side. The Brants and the Chisholms
did not easily give up control of the Outlet nor were they willing to
leave profitable business behind by allowing a canal to be built.
As a result, a site 100 yards north of the Outlet was chosen for the
canal. William Chisholm and William Kerr, son-in-law of Joseph Brant,
were chosen as two of the commissioners to oversee construction of the
canal. Later, George Chisholm, William's son, was appointed the first
customs collector for the Burlington Bay harbour.
In
the mid 1800s the beach strip became an increasingly popular site for
many recreational activities. In 1874 the city of Hamilton leased the
strip from Saltfleet township and in 1875 they began to develop the
area into a resort community. Many hotels and small summer cottages
were built along the strip at this time. Transportation from Hamilton
to the strip was available via a steamboat operation that ran daily
sailings between Hamilton and Toronto. In 1876 access to the beach was
made even easier when the Hamilton and Northwestern Railway , which
ran across the strip, was completed.
By
1892 the city of Hamilton had sold all of the available lots on the
beach to the south of the canal and was beginning to sell those to the
north of the canal . The hotels and resorts on the beach continued to
boom until well after the turn of the century.
Day
trips to the beach were made faster, easier and cheaper by the building
of the radial electric railway line, in 1896, that ran from downtown
Hamilton to the beach strip. This meant that the beach was more accessable
to people with moderate incomes. More and more Hamiltonians began ot
frequent the beach for summer strolls, picnics and to visit the Canal
Amusement Park that was built in 1903. As transportation to the beach
strip became even easier, with the advancement of personal automobiles,
the popularity of the beach strip as a summer destination diminished
due to an increased tendancy to venture further and further away.
It
was not until the late 1920s that Hamilton Beach began to change from
a popular summer resort area to a residential community. Part of the
reason for this change was due to the increasing pollution of the Harbour
which, by 1926, made swimming on the bayside of the beach unpleasant.
Another reason for the change was that during the depression many people
could no longer afford carefree summers at the beach. The housing shortages
during World War I and World War II resulted in many of the summer cottages
being winterized and converted into permanent residents. By 1956 there
were 3,327 permanent residents living on the beach which was, by then,
well equipped with grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, beer stores,
a school, a bank, a post office, and a medical clinic.
Another
big change for the area was the building of the Queen Elizabeth Way
in 1933 and the Skyway Bridge in 1957.
A
Brief History of Steamboating on Hamilton Harbour
This
page was created by Rebecca Bryden.
Although
not strictly a recreational activity steamboating
warrents mention in a history of the recreational uses of Hamilton Harbour.
Before the building of the Hamilton and Northwestern Railway in 1876
steamboats were a common mode of transport to the resort area of Hamilton
Beach. Additionally, when LaSalle Park was opened in the early 1900s
a steamboat ferry service was used to take visitors to and from the
park. In addition to, and often in combination with, these routes a
steamboat ferry service also ran between Toronto and Hamilton.
As
many as three steamboats regularly ploughed the waters between Toronto
and Hamilton. The Macassa, the Modjeska, and the Turbinia all ran a
route between the two cities and before a highway was paved it was a
major mode of commuter transportation. As automobile transportation
became more popular and better and better roads were built the number
of people utilizing the ferry service to Toronto declined. In 1917 the
Turbinia was drafted for use as a troopship in the war and in 1927 both
the Modjeska and the Macassa were sold.
Despite
the fact that steam boats were no longer used for commuter travel they
were, however, used as pleasure cruisers. In 1953 the Hamilton Harbour
Commisssion purchased the Lady Hamilton. This ship followed a regular
afternoon and evening schedule three days a week and would sail from
downtown Hamilton to LaSalle Park and Hamilton Beach. In addition to
these runs the ship was available for special charter runs and moonlight
cruises. Unfortunately, not enough people took part in these pleasure
cruises and in 1959 the Lady Hamilton was sold.
LADY
HAMILTON on its inaugural run to Lakeside Park in Port Dalhousie
The
Iron Age 1900
Hamilton
entered the era of steel on the 30 April, when the first heat was poured
in the new OpenHearth shop at the Hamilton Steel & Iron Company
plant. The steel-making facilities consisted of anopen hearth shop with
two 25-ton Wellman tilting furnaces served by one Wellman Charging car.The
Rolling Mill contained two trains of rolls built by the Lewis Foundry
& Machine Co. of Pittsburgh.A separate brick boiler house was located
close to the engine room. The Open Hearth Shop and the Rolling Mill
were erected by the Hamilton Bridge Co.
The
Hamilton Steel & Iron Company, 1900. This Photo was taken from the
top of the Blast Furnace, and shows the Office in the foreground. Beyond
the tracks in the Open Hearth shop with its two stacks and to its right
is Harvey's Inlet, with Lottridge Inlet beyond it. The three short stacks
belong to the Rolling Mill boiler house, behind the Open Hearth. Photo:
Stelco Inc.
The
Government dredge QUEEN, which had been doing some work in the Burlington
Canal, movedover to the Hamilton Steel & Iron Co. wharf on the 26
June. During the next four days, the dredge made two cuts of 250' feet
each and one of 60 feet, across the end, to a depth of 16 feet. This
involved the removal of 1,080 cu. yds. of clay. The wharf was the scene
of some activity, since it was being equipped with three McMyler Whirlies,
fitted with 2-ton clams and two of these machines were completed by
the 9 July, when the iron-hulled tramp steamer CARLO arrived with a
cargo of ore from Two Harbours, Minn.
The
Hamilton Steel & Iron Co.wharf in 1900 showing the three McMyler
Whirlies for unloading iron ore.
