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Yale , British Columbia
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Colourful Characters in Historic Yale
04 - Transportation & Construction
Cariboo Waggon Road
1865
Yale B.C.
Perry Collins'
Race against Time
Perry Collins presence in North America defies words; everything he was involved in marked him and somehow made an impression that would forever remain in the North American realm. "Perry McDonough Collins, banker, lawyer, and entrepreneur, was an American gifted with insight, imagination and energy." 1
Collins was born in Hyde Park, New York, in 1813. By 1846 he was studying law in New York City. It was around this time that he began hearing rumours of great strikes in California and consequently joined the California Gold Rush in 1848-9.
The life of a miner was obviously not his thing for by the time the next big strike came in B.C. he was otherwise engaged in trading ventures with Russia on behalf of American Commerce. Completing his business dealings he heard word of the discouraging news that yet another attempt to lay the Atlantic cable had met with failure. Collins turned the news that had seemed so final to so many others to his advantage: The Collins Overland telegraph was born. "With the problem of linking North America and Europe by Cable yet to be solved, Collins came up with an answer: since the Russian were extending their telegraph system into Siberia, and since the Americans had already spanned North America with theirs, why not build a link through British Columbia, Alaska and eastern
Siberia which would join the two networks?" 2
Obtaining the permission from the Russian, British and American government proved relatively easy, as did selling the rights to the Western Union Extension Company for a healthy sum and they in turn rapidly received financing from its shareholders. The race was on to see who could connect North America with Europe first.
The Western Union Telegraph Company officially began its venture in August of 1864. Upon the supplies reaching New Westminster on June 17 work immediately began. "By August 17th [they] had a line into Hope, where the welcome news was received that a new attempt to lay an Atlantic cable had failed. Stringing wire along the Cariboo road with almost incredible speed, Conway reached Quesnel by September 14th." 3
Resuming work in May of 1865 they headed further North. Joining the company around this time was Frederick Whymper. Whymper was an artist and his depictions bring to life the labourers belief in the race, and the need for time as they fought against the frozen tundra. In 1866 Cyrus Wakefield made his sixth attempt to lay a cable across the Atlantic but the Western Union was sceptical of its staying power so continued construction until winter forced then to stop in 1866. By spring of 1867 the Atlantic cable was still functioning and the dream of Collins Overland telegraph was cancelled.
Supplies dispersed along the route were abandoned, "the hundreds of miles of completed line running northwards…were left to go to ruin." 4 The workers "draped in mourning the poles which they had so laboriously set up." 5
The line up to Quesnel was later utilized and extended into Barkerville. The lines north of Quesnel were used as a guiding trail during the Yukon Gold Rush. There is a woman's remarkable story of growing ill from cold and exposure. She knew that her only hope lay in reaching the path that had been swathed out of the wilderness for Collin's telegraph line. She was found lying along the trail and was taken to the nearest civilization where she was provided with medical care. One wonders how many other stories exist of the line playing such a central importance in the geography of the Yukon. How many lives had the men saved by laboriously setting up poles in the frozen tundra?
The line was also a deciding factor in the Americans decision to purchase Alaska. Perhaps it was the description by men such as Whypmer who caused men like William Henry Seward to take such a vivid interest in the line. In fact, "it was probably through his interest in the telegraph line and the reports of the American army engineers concerned with its construction, [that] Seward became increasingly aware of the value of Alaska. On March 30th of this year [1867] he reached an agreement with the Russians to buy Alaska for $7,200,000." 6
The line had not been for naught, although in the end it was a failure, costing the Western Union Telegraph line over three million dollars it impacted the history of North America as few ventures ever have. All than remains today is a few scraggly poles hanging haphazardly in an erringly straight and abandoned line. Rusted wire hangs from some, stretching into the ground and beneath the frozen tundra from years of accumulating seasons. Its original purpose forever unrealized but its importance unsurpassed.
Perry Collins continued with his trading suggestions to the American government. Collins "went on to make wise investments…he passed a fortune on to Columbia University, NYU, and New York's Presbyterian Hospital. He'd risked and lost. His name may have faded, but let's not forget it entirely. For, in the end, he helped make the race, and he ran it -- very well." 7 Collins died in New York in 1900 at the age of 87.
Written by Darla Dickenson
1 British Columbia Chronicle. Pg 324.
2 British Columbia Chronicle. Pg 324.
3 British Columbia Chronicle. Pg 325.
4 British Columbia Chronicle. Pg 329.
5 "An Artist is Alaska." Harper's New Monthly Magazine. No. 227. New York: Harper & Brothers, April 1869.
6 British Columbia Chronicle. Pg 346
7Lienhard, John. "Perry Collins." http://international.loc.gov/intldl/mtfhtml/mfpercep/perceptcollins.html
SS 'Lillooet' at Yale
BC Archives Call Number B09206
1865
Yale B.C.
Sketch of Yale by Frederick Whymper
1 January 1860 (?)
Yale B.C.
Frederick Whymper
An Artist with the Heart of an Explorer
A man who saw much of the world and experienced great enterprises during his career - a feat that few artists can boast of. A man who faced elements unheard of in order to preserve in suspended reality one of the most daring and exciting enterprises of its time - that of the stringing of the Collins Telegraph line.
In 1861 Frederick Whymper travelled throughout British Columbia sketching the route the miners had taken before reaching the Cariboo, where the miners were engaged in the Cariboo Gold Rush.
In 1864 Alfred Waddington envisioned building a road from Bute Inlet on the coast to the B.C. Interior and hired Whymper. This road would have by-passed New Westminster and would have been of shorter duration than that of the infamous road through the Fraser Canyon. Whymper was hired by Waddington to sketch out areas of key interest.
In the same year of its conception Waddington's plan was stopped short by a surprise attack from Chilcotin native people. Whymper's skill as an artist did not keep him idle for long and by the summer of 1864 he had been appointed as the artist for the Vancouver Island Exploring Expedition.
1864 also saw the display of his drawings and paintings in the government buildings. Another show of his work was held in 1865, but he did not stay to witness the event. Perhaps by then Whymper craved adventure and the opportunity to see new things, to record the sights that few others have a chance to witness except through his sketches. Through Whymper's work "he has told us, with pen and pencil, some things which might otherwise have remained forever unknown." 1
Frederick Whymper was "a clever young English Artist, and of abundant pluck." 2 His decision to head to the Pacific Coast in 1862 was in order to travel and explore. In a matter of three years he had already done a number of exploring expeditions and was about to embark on a journey that few would dare imagine. He signed on as an artist to accompany the expedition that would enter many uncharted parts of the North (now the Yukon and Alaska) in preparation for the overland telegraph, an enterprise funded by the Western Union Telegraph Company.
The enterprise was to connect Europe with North America through a telegraph line. Several attempts had been made to lay the Atlantic Cable and all had failed. Perry Collins, who proposed the endeavour, envisioned a line that would run to the tip of Alaska, where a line would be strung across to meet up with the Bering Straight and connect with the Russian telegraph line. The Collins line would have meant a message being sent from London to New York would have travelled a distance "in all something more than the circumference of the globe." 3
Whymper saw the difficulties that were to be had when pitting man against the North, but had great confidence in what these men were attempting to accomplish. It was, for all purposes, a race against time to see who would connect North America with Europe first, and it was a dream that the men believed in.
The odds against them were overwhelming. Six holes dug for poles was considered a good day in the frigid temperatures of the North. The trees nearby had to be cut to prevent them from falling on the line, and the frozen ground made the work similar to digging into solid rock. The metal became brittle with cold and would often crack when attempting to use any of the tools, from axes to picks and saws.
During the construction of the line a party was chosen to explore the upper course of the Yukon River; amongst this party was Frederick Whymper. Enduring the frigid cold and adapting to a custom and a way of living so far removed from what many had known appears to have been done with relative ease. Describing his journey one sees the power of the land, the cold yet welcoming vista, the biting wind was the only time that the frigid cold was ever mentioned. For, "it is wonderful how searching the wind is in this Arctic Climate; each little seam, slit, or tear in your fur or wooden clothing makes you aware of its existence; and ones nose, ears, and angles generally are the special sufferers." 4
During the expedition Whymper made many sketches. Despite the frigid cold he recorded for future generations a part of the world that is generally little visited to this day. The account of his experience demonstrates his resourcefulness despite the conditions, and his appreciation for the North, for the work: "Was done by difficulty, and often by installments. Between every five strokes of the pencil I ran about to exercise myself, or went into our quarters for warmth. Several times I skinned my fingers, once froze my left ear, which swelled up nearly to the top of my head, and I was always afraid that my prominent nasal organ would get bitten. The use of water colours was, of course, impractical-except when I could keep a pot warm with water on a small fire by my side-a thing done by me on two or three occasions, when engaged at a distance from the post. Even inside the house the spaces near the windows-as well as the floor-were often below freezing point. Once, forgetful of the fact I mixed some colours up with water that had just stood near the oven, and, wetting a small brush, commenced to apply it to my drawing-block. Before it reached the paper it was covered with a skin of ice, and simply scratched the surface." 5 His depiction of Alaska in his work was done prior to its purchase from Russia by the United States and in its rendering appears to be his honest appreciation and respect for the power of the North.
Before their exploration was complete they received orders to prepare for immediate departure as the Atlantic Cable had won and the race was over. The enterprise that Whymper had recorded and that the men had put so much heart into was abandoned.
Frederick Whymper passed away in 1901, ending a career where the depiction of an image for future generations met with more satisfaction than the material success of his work.
Written by Darla Dickenson
1"An Artist is Alaska." Harper's New Monthly Magazine. No. 227. New York: Harper & Brothers, April 1869.
2 Harper's New Monthly Magazine
3 Harper's New Monthly Magazine
4 Harper's New Monthly Magazine
5 Whymper, Frederick. From "An Artist is Alaska." Harper's New Monthly Magazine. No. 227. New York: Harper & Brothers, April 1869.
SS 'William Irving' at Yale, with a good view of town
BC Archives Call Number A00316
1880 (?)
Yale B.C.
Captain William Irving
1865 (?)
British Columbia
Captain William Irving
Fraser River Captain and a Leading Citizen
A respected, admired and successful man of the river and the colony. He possessed a keen business savvy combined with a remarkably generous nature.
William Irving was born in Scotland around 1816 and opted for the water as a career choice at a young age. By the age of 29 he had earned his Captain's ticket and was well on his way to establishing himself amongst that ilk.
Recognizing the opportunity that the gold rushes offered him he was on hand to freight supplies and materials from Oregon to San Francisco and Sacramento during the California Gold Rush.
In 1851 he married Elizabeth Jane Dixon and established a home in Portland, Oregon. They would not be situated there for long however, for when word of the Fraser River gold rush reached them, they followed the progression into the British Colony.
He established a successful riverboat company, owning a number of paddle wheelers. Captain Insley would captain everyone of Irving's ships. The most well known of these paddle wheelers on the Fraser River route to Yale was the Reliance and Onward.
Captain Irving moved his wife and five children to New Westminster. Irving would build his family a home here whose elegance was so great it drew mention in The British Columbian. Their only son, James, would inherit his father's business interests after his death.
Having founded the Victoria Steam Navigation Co. in 1858 he soon had control of the shipping lines headed into the interior. The VSNC had a brief stint of competition by the Yale Steam Navigation Co. but it was short lived as disaster struck their noble vessel, Yale.
When Captain William Irving passed away suddenly on August 28, 1872 of pneumonia it took the colony by surprise. The city went into mourning, lowering all flags to half-mast and closing the stores throughout the city of New Westminster.
His obituary in the British Columbian expresses the sudden loss felt, for he was "closely associated with the rise and progress of this province, and more that all for his kindly good nature, he is known everywhere; and his name will be held in respect by British Columbians as long as one of the present generation exists. His pure good heart has ceased to beat; the remembrances of his good actions will live forever." 1
Written by Darla Dickenson & Irene Bjerky
1- Captain William Irving Obituary. British Columbian. August 31, 1872. From: Samson V Maritime Museum. Internet: http://www.nwheritage.org/heritagesite/orgs/samson/Obituary%20history%20subpage.htm.
SS 'Western Slope' at Yale
BC Archives Call Number A00153
1880 (?)
Yale B.C.
Steamboat Tie Up
Steel Ringbolt anchored into the rock at Yale Beach
1858 (?)
Below Front Street in Yale
Captain Asbury Insley
Beloved Pilot, Brother and Son
From California to the Fraser Canyon and Cariboo regions through to the Yukon, wherever there was gold Captain Asbury Insley was there.
It was this tendency to follow the gold that placed him at the very start of the Fraser River Gold Rush and in doing so secured himself as one of the first freighters in the area.
"He spent several years in the California gold mines, and, when the Fraser River diggings were first heard of, he sailed for the North. On arriving at Whatcom he secured a boat and started for Yale where he engaged in freighting, carrying supplies between Hope and Yale." 1
This was the start of a career that launched him amongst the most respected river captains of his time. The money he earned from freighting he put towards the purchase of the steamer 'Henrietta' in collaboration with three others. Insley operated the vessel for two years before purchasing the 'Caledonia' that ran between Victoria and New Westminster.
He also bought a share in the paddlewheeler 'Hope', on the Hope - Yale run, before selling his share and purchasing a share of the 'Flying Dutchman' and later the 'Alexandra' and 'Lillooet'. Some of these purchases were successful, others were not. The most dismal failure was the purchase of the 'Alexandria', the finest paddle wheeler that ever he captained, until financial difficulties pulled her under.
He was the first of his family to move to the colony of New Caledonia, now British Columbia. His devotion to his father, stepmother and half siblings never altered and his letters home were filled with a sense of longing for a chance to return. His schedule kept him busy however. He was the first Captain to attempt to take the gallant 'Skuzzy' up Hells Canyon (Hell's Gate) for the building of the railway, and for the duration of his career he was in command of each of Captain William Irving's steamships.
Asbury, in the forty-seven years lived on the Pacific Coast, never married. Letters from his family often expressed the desire to know of his state of matrimony. One such letter was from his sister Margaret Ann.
His response is dated August 4, 1856: "You seem to be desirous of knowing whether or not I am married. You may rest assured that I am not so foolish as to enter into Matrimonial Bond in California though my affection for the fair sex is no doubt as strong as any reasonable man's. Yet I dare not trust them from the fact that they are not to be depended upon in this country. Still I do not wish to condemn the whole for the guilt of a portion." 2
While the letter gives a sense of disdain for the available women within his acquaintance, his wariness may be understandable considering that the quality of those who tended to follow the trail of the gold might not have been to his family's liking.
Asbury finally had a chance to go home to his family in 1870. It had been twenty years since he had last seen his family. "There must have been great and sincere love and affection amongst them all, for within months, his father and mother, sisters and brothers….all came west to settle in his chosen home, the Royal City." 3 A year later his father, Captain John Insley died.
Captain John Insley had been a sea captain. His first wife, Elizabeth, gave birth to Asbury in Seaford, Sussex County, Delaware on November 16, 1829. When Elizabeth passed away John remarried Sarah Ann. Asbury had a very close relationship with his family. James Insley, an indirect descendant said: "He appears to have been a gentle man of high moral standards, a compassionate son and brother - the eldest son who accepted the family duty that such position entailed. In his profession he was skilled and courageous navigator and pilot, widely respected by his peers. An entrepreneur whose fortune rose and fell like the seasonal flood of our great rivers, it can truly be said of him that where there was gold and, eager to get at it, he was there." 4 His career took him through British Columbia and up into the Yukon, wherever he went his reputation followed him as a highly respected and skilled pilot of the rivers.
The last few years of Insley's life was plagued with heart trouble. He had a number of heart attacks but did not ultimately succumb to them until Dec. 31, 1898 at the age of 69. The obituary that appeared in the Daily Columbian on January 3, 1899 stated Asbury "was preparing to get [into the wagon]…but that was his last effort. He suddenly sank to his knees and expired as his forehead touched the ground." 5
Written by Darla Dickenson, edited by Irene Bjerky
1- Wright. J.W, Ed. Lewis & Dryden's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest. New York: Antiquarian Press, Ltd., 1961, pg 93-4.
2- Captain Asbury Insley, private correspondence.
3- Insley, James R. Our Family in Early America (1645-1870) and in New Westminster (1858 - 1996). 1996. Pg 43.
4- Insly, James R. Pg 46
5- Capt. Insley's Death: "Well known and Pioneer Steamboat Man of B.C. Drops Dead on the Street, Saturday" The Daily Columbian, January 3, 1899.
Burlap bag created in recollection of Yale Steam Navigation Co.
1861 (?)
Yale B.C.
Captain Smith Jamieson's
Doomed Bravado
The story of Smith Jamieson ties in with the Yale Steam & Navigation Company. The two stories are, in many ways, one and the same as they recall the dangers that lurked in unexpected places and the strength of character that enabled men to survive in the harsh and unforgiving era of the Fraser River Gold rush.
Yale in the 1860's had already experienced the thrill of witnessing the first steamboat to round the final bend and come to rest in her port. With the arrival of that first boat in 1858 the residents of Yale experienced the convenience and cost saving capabilities of steam travel via the Fraser.
The arrival of the 'Umatilla' in 1858 established Yale as the Head of Navigation and increased her importance within the province. The 1860's also saw the retirement of SS 'The Henrietta,' which left Yale at the mercy of a single outfit, the Victoria Steam Navigation Company (VSNC). The VSNC recognized the virtual monopoly it now held and began charging exorbitant rates for freight and passengers.
Yale at this time sported characters of a wide range of mentality, profession and financial status. David Higgins, a resident of Yale during this time recalled: "there were many God-fearing men and women but there were many of the bad sort, too, who never attended church and sneered at those who did. Every other store was a gambling den with liquor attachments. Ruffians of the blackest dye, fugitives from justice, deserters of the United States troops…vigilance committee refugees who had been driven from San Francisco of life banishment, ex-convicts, pugilists, highwaymen petty thieves, murders and painted women, all were jumbled together in that town." 1
In this mix of people there also existed men of wealth and capital. Higgins, being a relatively wealthy member of the town's population enjoyed a close friendship with many of the towns leading citizens. A number of these citizens opted to end the monopoly which the VSNC held over the River and established their own company.
The Yale Steam & Navigation Company was headed by John Kurtz as Chairman, Hugh Nelson, of Dietz & Nelson Express as Secretary and Edward Sanders as Treasurer. The company immediately set about having a steamboat built, which they aptly christened 'Fort Yale.' Costing the YSNC $31,000 she was officially launched on November 25, 1860 with Captain Smith Jamieson in charge of her.
The few runs she did made her owners proud, setting speed records in some instances and holding on her decks the first single white woman to arrive at Yale. The Victoria Colonist reported that "the people of Fort Yale are highly delighted with their boat, which is a perfect model of beauty and strength." 2
On April 14, 1861 tragedy struck the noble vessel as she was heading towards her home port. A boiler explosion so fierce it sent a 90 pound piece of the boiler flying a quarter mile. Boiler explosions were not uncommon occurrences in the days of steamboats. The logic was simple, the more pressure the boiler produced, the faster the vessel would skim the water and this decreased the advantage the competition could hold over her. Therefore it was not uncommon for the boilers to break apart or explode from too much pressure, spelling the demise of many steamers, along with their passengers and freight.
It is most likely that the boiler of the 'Fort Yale' had had considerable pressure on it, and there are also reports that it was due to weak boiler plates. It was probably a combination of the two that ended her career.
The events that occurred shortly before the disaster could add mystery to this theory: Captain William Irving, a fellow river time competitor, was a passenger. "Shortly before the explosion, [Irving] was in the pilothouse with Captain Jamieson and offered to steer while Jamieson ate. Jamieson laughingly remarked that he would not trust his boat to the opposition's pilot. Irving went below and just sat down to dinner when the vessel was demolished." 3
H. Lee Alley, another passenger aboard the 'Fort Yale' recalled that "the boat, but a few seconds before nobly bucking against the swift current, was now a sinking mass of ruins from stem to stern-scarcely anything remained in sight above water, but a small portion of her bow and the after part of her saloon, and those gradually disappearing below water. Five or six human beings, their faces streaming with blood, and presenting an awful appearance, were struggling for life." 4
Five white men died in the explosion. The announcement of those lost in the Fort Yale explosion appears in the April 14 issue of the British Columbian "Samuel Powers (Blacksmith, of Hope), Joel Osburn (Fireman), Capt. Smith B. Jamieson (Boat's Master, aged about 26, a native of Arran, Scotland, and a brother to Arch. Jamieson of Victoria.)" An unknown number of Chinese and native people were lost as well, but, typical of the attitude of the day, a final tally was never taken. No trace was ever found of Captain Smith Jamieson, and his death left little in its wake but comments of yet another Jamieson brother to meet his demise while bucking the current.
The Jamieson brothers are recorded in history today due to the tragic ending that they all met as a result of marine disasters. The brothers moved to British Columbia from their native Scotland. They all embarked upon careers as steamboat men and all their lives ended tragically short. Smith was the third one of the five that perished on the river.
Within a period of ten years all five brothers were dead, the mighty rivers which they sought to conquer claimed all, including one who was drowned when his ship went over the Willamette falls.
The group 'Tiller's Folly' sings a song titled "The Steamboatin' Jamiesons," and it is well worth hearing.
Smith's brother, Captain Archibald, took over Fort Yale's route with his newly launched 'Cariboo'. On her second trip the Cariboo's boiler exploded killing her captain and five others. The mighty Fraser had claimed yet another Jamieson brother.
'Fort Yale' had achieved her purpose of lowering freight and passage rates, but a new extreme occurred as competition decreased the rates to an all time low. This good fortune did not last long as the owners became wise and united together, setting a fixed rate for passengers and freight. With this unification the Yale Steam & Navigation Company made another appearance, launching the 'Union' into the scene. Freight rates were once again revised! What came of the YSNC is not certain, with records on this enterprise hard to obtain.
What we do know is what became of its leading members. Very few of their records mention their involvement with the company, so it is likely that having served its purpose to lower rates the Yale Steam & Navigation Company slowly faded into the background.
Written by Darla Dickenson, edited by Irene Bjerky
1- Paterson, T.W. Fraser Canyon: British Columbia Ghost Town Series, # 3. Langley. Sunfire Publishing Ltd, 1985. Pg 53-4
2- Victoria Colonist article, obtained within an article written by A.C. Milliken titled the Early Sternwheelers on the Fraser River, Jan. 3, 1957.
3- Steamboating to Yale. Yale & District Historical Society Archives.
4- Steamboating to Yale
SS 'Onward' at Emory's Bar below Yale
BC Archives Call Number A00102
1867
Yale B.C.
The Last Spike monument
1986 (?)
Craigellachie, British Columbia
Henry J. Cambie
1836 - 1828
The CPR's Timeless Edition
Remembered to this day as a remarkable engineer and man. His kindness as a person paralleled his skill as an engineer. Through his work as an engineer he surveyed the whole of the transcontinental railway that was promised to B.C. during confederation.
Henry J. Cambie was born in 1836 1 at Castletown in Ireland. He grew up on his family estate; the small castle had been their home for generations and due to political upheavals people had been buried in the walls when it was being built to prevent desecration of the grave sites. Henry's father later had many of these skeletons removed and properly buried. 2
The family left the estate when Henry was 16 and moved to Canada. Henry did not waste any time in the distractions of youth, rather he joined the office of the Toronto & Guelph Railway. Qualifying himself as a surveyor in 1861 it was within this profession that he became invaluable to the people of British Columbia.
He utilized his surveying skills in Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick between 1863 and 1866. It was around this time that he fell in love with Helen Elizabeth Fay. Helen was 22 when she married Henry in 1870. An educated woman, she received her schooling in Halifax and Boston.
He and his bride of four years moved to British Columbia to begin the surveying work for the transcontinental railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Due to internal politics the railway got off to a rough start, staff turn-overs from leave-of-absences and the need to replace them delayed the project. The need for replacements served in Cambie's favour; supplanting Marcus Smith, he became in charge of surveys and explorations in B.C.
Cambie's suggestion to put the railway along the Fraser and Thompson Rivers met with opposition but in the end it was decided as the best choice. Surveying the best possible line for the railway was an ongoing process throughout the 1870's and in the end he "explored and surveyed and planned the whole course of the C.P.R. through a large section of the Province of British Columbia." 3 In 1880 Cambie was given the direct supervision of Andrew Onderdonk's contracts throughout the Fraser Canyon.
Finding reliable, quality labour for the railway proved challenging. Cambie noticed that many were highly educated people who had fell on hard times. Many of the Chinese that Onderdonk brought in perished from scurvy, making the mortality rate climb increasingly higher.
Henry Cambie was present at the driving of the last spike on November 7, 1885, officially marking the conclusion of the railway and the start of a new beginning for Canada.
In 1886 the C.P.R. decided to extend the line and Cambie was hired to supervise the work. In addition, he was superintendent in charge of replacing the short cuts that were originally made during the construction of the track, including the wooden bridges and grasshopper trestles. In 1903 he became the consulting engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway; he did not retire from this position until 1920 at the age of 84, having worked in the railway business for 68 years.
Even after his retirement he continued to advise the company on matters until his death. Helen passed away in 1900; her husband would not join her for another 28 years. "When he died at the age of 91, 4 he had earned and kept the respect and affection of those who knew him. Those who remember him still are proud to have known him, for he was "a great and good engineer and MAN." 5
Written by Darla Dickenson, edited by Irene Bjerky
1 October 25, 1836
2 Robinson, Noel. "Blazing Trials in B.C." MacLean's Magazine, December 15, 1923
3 Robinson, Noel. "Blazing Trials in B.C." MacLean's Magazine, December 15, 1923
4 April 23, 1928
5 From quote by T.E. Price in "Henry J. Cambie: Explorer, Surveyor, Engineer." Reprinted from The Engineering Journal, June, 1957.
Andrew Onderdonk
Photo Courtesy of B.C. Archives
1880
Yale B.C.
Andrew Onderdonk
1818 - 1905
One of North America's Engineering Greats
Andrew Onderdonk was a brilliant businessman, surveyor and engineer who made a name for himself at an early age. His success may have been his ultimate downfall, heart-failure and work-related complications driving him to an early grave.
Born in New York City in 1818, (1) it would not be long before he generated a name and reputation for himself. "Onderdonk came from a fine old New York family that had been in America for more than two centuries. He was a direct descendant of Adrian van der Donk, a Dutchman who sailed up the Hudson River in 1672. His mother was pure English; a Trask from Boston." (2) "His family was ‘Dutch royalty';-they were either engineers (civil, mechanical, etc.), doctors, lawyers, or ministers (i.e.: bishops)." (3)
Beginning his career as a surveyor, and graduating with a degree from Troy School of Engineering, (4) he gradually worked his way towards San Francisco. As a surveyor he laid out a number of New Jersey towns and roads, and in SF he built ferry slips and sea walls.
It was while residing in San Francisco and speaking with Darius O. Mills, the legendary banker of that city, that he heard of British Columbia's trouble concerning building a railway line, the Canadian Pacific Railway, through the treacherous Fraser Canyon.
Obtaining backing from wealthy bankers from New York (his in-laws the H.B. Laidlaws, and Levi Morton), San Francisco (Mills) and from Boston, headed by a consortium raised by the Trasks and Hamilton Smith (a well respected hydraulic engineer); he set out to bid on the job, and was readily accepted as the contractor. Securing a total of four contracts his section of the CPR line would eventually run from Emory Creek to Savona's Ferry.
Making the decision to set up headquarters in Yale, rather than Emory Creek, sent the small community of Emory into decline and revived the tranquil town of Yale to renewed importance at a level she had not experienced since the gold rush. Upon completion of the railway in 1886 Yale would once again revert to a state of quietude.
But, in 1880, few people in Yale were thinking of what the end of the railway would mean, they were living in the here & now and the only thought of the future was that of the whistle of the train as it raced across Canada. Men were already at work, the first dynamite blast reverberated through the canyon and construction was under way by May 4, 1880. Any reassurance the people of Yale needed that Onderdonk was here to stay was to look upon his picturesque home, built on the outskirts of Yale for his family and visiting representatives.
From the outset of construction Onderdonk had trouble obtaining and keeping workers. Part of the problem was that there was simply not enough spare labour in B.C. for the amount of employees Onderdonk needed. The circumstances were such that Onderdonk contacted Kong On Loo, a San Francisco millionaire who supplied Chinese labour. The decision to bring in these workers was done despite the Anti-Chinese Association protest, which reflected concerns of wages being undercut, and the commonly-held fear by whites of being outnumbered by Chinese people. (5)
The added advantage of importing Chinese labour was that many of them were already skilled in railway construction from building the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railway lines in the United States, especially because many of them spoke English. (6)
Despite the fact that Onderdonk had excellent camps, food and sleeping quarters, the number of men that he lost was still phenomenal. The Chinese dependency on rice led to some deaths due to a lack of proper nutritional intake, or scurvy, and thousands more lost their lives to the perils associated with building a line through the treacherous Fraser Canyon. In the winter of 1881-82 he imported 2000 more men from China to work on the railway and replace lost workers.
Onderdonk was well aware of the dangers related to railway construction. He built a hospital in Yale and his wife, Delia Onderdonk, served as superintendent for the first year until Dr. Ernest Hanington was brought in to take over her duties.
A daring builder and contractor, Onderdonk's mind was always working in an effort to increase efficiency and reduce costs. One such venture was the building of the paddlewheel steamer SS Skuzzy at Spuzzum in 1882 to transport supplies further up the Fraser Canyon. The spectacular feat of dragging the Skuzzy up through Hells Gate is a story in itself; which involved 125-150 Chinese workers hauling on ropes placed through ringbolts on the cliff walls; this after a 10-day struggle to make it past there under her own power. He hired three different captains before finding one that was either brave enough or crazy enough to attempt the Black Canyon. This was Captain S.R. Smith out of Idaho, along with his brother David Smith and an engineer named J.W. Burse. All of this was observed by cheering spectators who had laid their wagers, and were transported daily from Yale via five railroad cars. Odds against the little steamboat reached as high as 100 to 1.
The need to reduce costs was never more apparent than in 1883 when he had ran out of money. Appealing to Ottawa for funding he was granted none and was left with the responsibility of completing his contracts with little money. In the end "he cut costs drastically by tightening the curves of the track and generally lowering standards."(7)
Finishing the contracts must have been a welcome relief to Andrew. By 1885 (8) the end was almost near with the section from Port Moody to Savona's Ferry completed. On September 30, 1885 the last link of Onderdonk's line was completed between Savona and Eagle Pass, and October 8th Onderdonk paid off his men, a mass of humanity so large it has been compared to an army. (9)
Onderdonk was 31 when he began the contract to build the railway through the Canyon. Upon its completion he donated his large home to the Anglican Church and it's three nuns, to become the well-respected girls' school, All Hallows in the West; and he and his family left Yale.
After the CPR he went on to build another line in South America and constructed the water intake system in Chicago (in which his brother died), as well as railways and tunnels in Ontario, Argentina and New York.
He worked on the Trent Valley Canal System between the hamlet of Kirkfield, through Bolsover, to Lake Simcoe, with Trent Canal Supervising Engineer Richard Birdsall Rogers. He loaned his son Sherley and senior Construction Engineer, William Dennon for the deep underground foundation work for both the Kirkfield and Peterborough lift locks. William B. Dennon, (son of William Dennon was left to largely supervise the Onderdonk work thru Bolsover.). Andrew began work on the Jerome Reservoir, also with his son Sherley.
Andrew lost his brother, John Remsen Onderdonk, to an unknown circumstance during their contract on the Chicago water system, and had to finish his brother's work. More research needs to be done to find out what actually happened.
"Overwork killed him (Andrew) in 1905." (10) This statement by Molyneux is not entirely accurate, states Gordon Young. "He died of heart failure, and not necessarily from overwork; he was into tunnelling and some of that heart failure may well have been rushing himself through the de-locks that you need to do when you go far underground...remember the ‘bends'?" said Young. "He was tunnelling for the New York Subway system as a subcontractor when he died." (11)
Andrew Onderdonk died at the age of 56 at his summer home at Oscawana NY (an exclusive enclave of upper middle-class families that no longer exists). He is buried in the family plot in the churchyard at Montrose NY.
In his death he left behind engineering feats that remain an essential part of our transportation system, and many of the inventions that he co-created with brilliant engineers such as Brig. General Herman Haupt, who was for a number of years President of the American Compressed air company, amongst a long list of other men and engineers. Many of the pieces of railway construction equipment remain in today's railroads.
The Yale and District Historical Society would especially like to thank Gordon Young and the Lakefield Heritage Society for their valuable information, input, and corrections to our research on this article. We would also like to thank Liz Malloy, Montrose NY for the photo of the Onderdonk family's gravestone; and Robert Boyle, Local Studies Reference Librarian at the Field Library, Peekskill NY, Dr. Bernadine Dodge, Archivist, Trent University Archives, Lt. Col. and Mrs Richard Dewing of the Durham NH Historical Society, and the late Pierre Berton's "Last Spike"
Written by Darla Dickenson and Irene Bjerky
1- August 30, 1818
2- Waite, Donald E. The Fraser Canyon Story. Surrey; Hancock House Publishers Ltd, 1988; p 56
3- Gordon Young, Editor, Lakefield Heritage Research, Lakefield, Ontario; email rc'd July 29, 2004
4- Now renamed Rensalaar Poly-Tech
5- Waite, Donald E.; ibid., pp 53-94
6- Waite, Donald E., ibid
7- Molyneux, Geoffrey. British Columbia: an Illustrated History. Vancouver: Polestar Press Ltd, 1992 p. 61
8- July 29, 1885
9- Hutchison, Bruce. The Fraser. Toronto: Clarke, Irwin & Company Ltd, 1950. p 306
10- Molyneux, Geoffrey, ibid, p 61
11- Gordon Young, Editor, Lakefield Heritage Research, Lakefield, Ontario; email rc'd July 29, 2004
Delia Onderdonk
Photo courtesy of B.C. Archives
1898
Yale, B.C
Mrs. Sarah Delia Onderdonk.
The Silent Partner
Candles glistened from their holders; the guests below were officials, inspectors and all the likes of people associated with the railway. They talked in a heated clamour over the latest political issue. Presiding over this mass of bodies was Mrs. Delia Onderdonk. (1) Delia was the wife of Mr. Andrew Onderdonk who built the railway through the Fraser Canyon
When Andrew got the contract to build the railway through the canyon "his first concern was for his family and as a result he ordered the construction of a palatial home in Yale." (2) He moved Delia and their four children to Yale in 1880.
Delia was a woman of strong character, a character that tended to lend itself to her husband's strengths and aspirations. "Onderdonk -reserved, always polite and smartly dressed- was helped by his wife Delia, who entertained the notables who came to inspect his work." (3) She was a strong woman, and appears to possess a unique ability to delegate work and responsibilities. No task was too small and she approached any obstacle with an indomitable will and presence of mind.
The practice of entertaining notables connected with the railway gave them the reputation of being not only hospitable and eager to socialize, but 'shifty' as well. The list of those entertained at the Onderdonks' expense ranged from the Marquis of Lorne to government inspectors. Many newspaper editors of the time felt that this entertaining served an ulterior motive for the Onderdonks. One such editor was Michael Hagen, the editor for the Inland Sentinel, "he held a very dim view of 'wining and dining' since he believed this prejudiced government officials in Onderdonk's favour, particularly when the officials were ostensibly in Yale to inspect the construction and to investigate various charges by sub-contractors who were not paid by Onderdonk & Co. In his later columns, Hagen often referred to the Onderdonk residence as 'Hotel d'Onderdonk." (4) Whether the hospitality was there in order to further her husband's career, or from the simple fact that they were fond of entertaining, the end result demonstrates Delia's fortitude in the world of men and business. She may not have been signing the papers, but there is little doubt that she was essential to Andrew's success.
Not only did Delia expend her energy for her husband's business acquaintances, but for his workers as well. Delia ran a small hospital out of Yale and saw to the injured that came in. There "was a great difficulty in conveying the injured down to Yale, where Mrs. Onderdonk, a capable and unpretentious women did a fine job of superintending the hospital." (5)
Upon completing the railway Andrew Onderdonk went on to build another line in South America, parts of the Trent Valley Canal and other projects. If these experiences were similar to the ones he had at Yale then there is little doubt that Delia continued to be an indispensable factor in her husband's career.
Written by Darla Dickenson, edited by Irene Bjerky
1- Fictional re-enactment
2- Building of the Railway. Yale & District Historical Society Archives
3- Molyneux, Geoffrey. British Columbia, and Illustrated History. Vancouver: Polestar Book Publishers, 1992. Pg 61.
4- "Onderdonk residence at Yale. Internet: www.galleries.bc.ca/kamloops/74917.html.
5- Waite, Donald E. The Fraser Canyon Story. Surrey: Hancock House Publishers Ltd, 1988. Pg 75.
Michael J. Haney
The Forgotten Addition
His mark on the past is overshadowed by the likes of other railway greats, from Cambie to Onderdonk. The only information readily available on this man is as it relates to the greats he was associated with. Yet, Michael J. Haney was indispensable to these great men that were credited with the honour of laying iron across B.C.; in their memoirs only positive recollections of the man are said, if any reference is made at all.
In his own day Haney's name was tossed about with respect and admiration, today it is forgotten by even the most ardent admirers of the railway. Henry J. Cambie, the man responsible for planning and surveying the entirety of the Canadian Pacific Railway recalled that "Mr. Haney, who now resides in Toronto, became a well known contractor and a wealthy man." 1
Michael Haney had the position of manager and superintendent of construction under Andrew Onderdonk. Originally the position had been held by a Mr. Tilton, who left after two years.
When Haney is recalled today it is in the context of his unique problem solving skills and ability to think on his feet. In Don Waite's book, "Tales of the Fraser Canyon", he explains a particularly sticky situation that Onderdonk found himself in while building the railway. Bridge construction was delayed, making it difficult for supplies to get up the canyon for the railway. "Fortunately for Onderdonk he hired Michael Haney. He was a first rate trouble shooter and he soon had ironed out all the kinks in the operation." 2
Haney delivered a speech to the residents of Cranbook, following the railway's presence in the town. The town would become the official headquarters for the Crows Nest Pass line. "Length after length of rails were laid by the large force of men employed for that purpose, and when the sun dipped behind the timber covered hills to the southwest, the dying rays were reflected back from the steel rails." He goes on to say that they "brought the railroad, and with it the fruition of the people's fondest hopes, and the material evidence of the prosperity that is to follow." 3
Despite the fact that Haney's name in history has faded into the distance, his presence is forever etched in the steel rails that stretch across our province.
Written by Darla Dickenson
1- Robinson, Noel. "Blazing Trails in B.C." Maclean's Magazine. February 1, 1924
2- Waite, Don. Illustrated Tales of the Fraser Canyon. Maple Ridge: Don Waite Photo Center, 1974. Pg 74.
3- The Cranbrook Herald. "Railroad is Here." August 25, 1898
Alan & William Urquhart
Devoted CPR Employees
1865-1956; 1857-1934
Alan Urquhart was born in Scotland September 2, 1865. Both he and his older brother, William, immigrated to Canada about 1886, William moving to B.C. about 1891, and Alan in 1896. They both later settled in Spuzzum and married into the aboriginal community.
The brothers both found employment with the CPR. Alan became a Roadmaster, working for the CPR from 1891 to 1916, a total of 25 years before retiring.
His death certificate states that he lived in B.C. for 60 years, but that he had lived in Canada for 70 years. It is likely that he found a job with the CPR five years after his arrival in Canada, probably back East, and was sent to British Columbia in 1896. His elder brother William appears to have arrived a few years earlier, and probably encouraged Alan to join him, first in Canada then in B.C.
Alan and William's parents were Alan Urquhart Sr, and Jane Steadsman, of Pershire, Scotland. The brothers would make a home and a name for themselves in Spuzzum, B.C.
On March 23, 1927 at the age of 62 Alan married the local storekeeper's widow, Catherine (nee Gilmore) Howson, who was eight years his senior. Catherine was the daughter of Hugh Gilmore, a merchant in Hope, and a native woman called Nehe, who was from somewhere between Spuzzum and Hope.
William married Rhoda (nee Dominic, later Kimm, Urquhart) York of Spuzzum. They had one son together, Arthur, who became a well known resident of the surrounding area. Arthur was the informant on his uncle's death certificate.
William died at home in Spuzzum in 1934, and is buried beside Rhoda in the Yale Pioneer Cemetery.
Alan died on January 16, 1956 at the Mayfair Rest Home in Vancouver, B.C. and is buried at Ocean View Burial Park. He outlived his wife Catherine by 24 years.
Their presence in the area will never be forgotten for a mountian is named in the family's honour. Mount Urquhart is situated in Spuzzum at the divide between the Fraser River and Harrison Lake.
Written by Irene Bjerky
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