The Islands: Lighthouses: Simcoe Island Headlines

Simcoe Island Headlines

Copyright 2004 Pat McAvoy-Costin





British Whig, (Kingston), Feb. 17, 1880

p.3 Public Accounts - The duties and fees collected at this port during the year ending 30th June, 1879, and forming the 'Steamboat Inspection Fund' amounted to $643,60, all of which was paid over to the Receiver General.
- Superannuation List - Daniel Buck, retired lock master, Rideau Canal, allowed 199.80 per annum; John DUNLOP, lighthouse keeper, Simcoe Island, $133.08; several other Rideau Canal employees also mentioned.

Editor�s Note: Getting a pension of $133.08 a year was a pretty hefty pension back in those days.


British Whig, (Kingston), Sept. 8, 1881

p.3 MARINE NOTES
On Sunday the schooner Elgin went ashore on the shoal to the west of Simcoe Island, and was obliged to throw overboard part of her cargo of timber before she could be gotten off. Captain Lawson has gone with a tug to try and find the missing timber.


British Whig, (Kingston), March 1, 1883

p.3 OUR MARINE INTERESTS
The annual report of the Minister of Marine & Fisheries gives the following statistics of a local character: Number of sailing vessels registered here 208 (298 ?); number of steamers, 58; gross tonnage, 11,526, steamers; total net tonnage 27,189. The salary of Mr. Peter Kiel, Fishery Inspector of the district, is $200 per annum. The salary of Mr. P. Harty, Light-house Inspector, is $1,000 and expenses; that of Mr. Cook, keeper of the light at Gananoque Narrows $400; A. DUNLOP, Nine-Mile Point, $400; John Prinyer, Point Pleasant, $300; W.H. Sherwood, Presqu' Isle, $375; L. Hudgins, Salmon Point, $300; R. Pye, Scotch Bonnet, $400; N.T. Orr, Snake Island, $495; D. McIntosh, South Bay, $112.50; R. Young, Weller's Bay, $150; R. Gillespie, Wolfe Island, $250.


British Whig, (Kingston), Feb. 24, 1885

The city was paid $388.13 by the Dominion Goverment for lighting the city clock. For maintaining the lighthouses about Kingston the following sums were paid: P. McAvey, Brown's Point, $190; F. Swetman, False Ducks, $410.60; C. Cook, Gananoque Narrows, $480; ALBERT DUNLOP, Nine Mile Point, $490; Jos. Burlingham, Point Peter, $400; Lewis Hudgins, Salmon Point, $300; N.T. Orr, Snake Island, $562; A. McCorkell, $55; Robert Gillespie, Wolfe Island, $250.

Editor�s Note: That $90 a year pay raise in the course of a few years�was worth a lot more back then.


British Whig, (Kingston), Aug. 9, 1888

p.8 Incidents Of The Day - The captain of the schr. B.W. Folger states that the keeper of the lighthouse at the head of Simcoe Island is lax in his duty. He failed to ring the bell which it is his duty to do when the schr. B.W. Folger approached on Wednesday evening last. The schooner narrowly escaped running aground.


British Whig, (Kingston), May 19, 1890

Editor�s Note: This is the way the keeper at Nine Mile Point viewed the tragedy of the sinking of the Jessie Breck.

A Lighthouse-Keeper's Story

Mr. DUNLOP, keeper of the Nine Mile lighthouse, was watching the vessel and saw her go down. He says that he saw the vessel making for the bar. It would only have taken the boat ten minutes to have reached it, and then they would have been safe. Four men were pumping as hard as they could and there was one man at the mainsail, and another at the jib, besides a man at the wheel. Mr. DUNLOP could see them very plain. While he was looking at her the mainsail dropped and the vessel went under like a stone. He kept a lookout for her but she did not come up for about a minute and a half. When she did come up she was on her side. Mr. DUNLOP thinks that there must have been a leak in the vessel as the men were working very hard at the pumps. The sailors on board knew their work well. They knew that if they could have reached the bar their lives would be saved. Mr. DUNLOP says she went down so quick had not time to do anything. They were all working at the time. As Mr. DUNLOP was the nearest to her and could see everything his version of the disaster is likely the right one.

Mrs. DUNLOP, wife of Franklin DUNLOP, lighthouse keeper, saw more of the disaster than perhaps any other person. When her husband levelled his marine glasses upon the vessel he observed men clinging to the wreck. He turned to his wife and giving her the glasses told her to keep sight of them till he could have a message sent for help. She could see the men on the vessel after it turned over. There were three or four holding on to the railing of the boat and there was another in the rigging. The vessel disappeared from sight but a minute or so and then came to the surface. Three men ran along the side towards the cabin of the boat and the man in the rigging kept waving his hat to those on shore. They held bravely on for fully three quarters of an hour then began to be washed off one at a time, the man in the rigging being the last to disappear.

Mrs. DUNLOP had the best opportunity of seeing the vessel through the trough of the sea. Those on shore were looking against the waves, hence the supposition that she foundered outright. Had a life-saving crew been stationed at the Point at Nine Mile light, as the Whig has repeatedly advised, it would not be necessary in this issue to chronicle the loss of so many lives. Fifteen minutes would have brought such a crew to the side of the Breck and those clinging to the wreck would have been saved. The government has a surplus of which they seem more willing to lavish on unnecessary canal and other improvements and show a cold heart in the matter of saving the lives of those who have to follow the lakes for a livelihood. True there are many good life-saving crews in existence but not half enough for the protection of the brave fellows who face the storms.

Editor�s Note: The reference in this article to the �unnecessary canal� may be a reference to the Wolfe Island Canal. This canal was an effort of the influential ship-owners of Kingston to cut through Wolfe Island starting on the North by Barrett�s Bay terminating on Bayfield Bay on the South of the island. By cutting shipping time and linking with a railroad in Cape Vincent, NY, it was hoped that commerce would increase. The canal actually happened�but it was not a success. The former canal was allowed to silt over and is no longer used today for shipping or island transportation.


British Whig, (Kingston), May 21, 1890

p.1 THE LOSS OF THE BRECK

Life-saving stations should be located at Nine Mile Point and at Long Point and with the one at Wellington would do much to save life. There have been numerous disasters at these points, and life could have been saved each time if the government had been alive to the needs of the hour. The mariners are indeed left to their fate by the dominion authorities.

The prop. Persia arrived this morning. None of the crew had seen or heard of Frank George at the Canal. He was on the vessel when she reached the lower lock and must have continued the run down because he was not seen after the Breck had cleared. Had he left the vessel he would have been seen by some of the lock attendants as they all know him.
Law Is Urgently Needed - pushing for Plimsoll mark - Breck overloaded? - details [Montreal Witness]





The Islands: Lighthouses: Simcoe Island Headlines
Return to The Islands Main Page
Copyright (�) 2000-2004 Jennifer Hoeltzel. All rights reserved.
Send comments or suggestions regarding this site to the webmaster:

Jen Wylie nee Hoeltzel