Dateline -- Propeller Club today announced ...
John Weichel found this quote about the extensive construction of the long dock that so dominated the Southampton scene for many decades. As I run along the beach near the island pictured on my home page, I see remnants of it washing up on the shore. As a boy I spent many happy hours on it playing in the sun. It was left to disintegrate under the forces of the powerful inland sea winters that can move and finally destroy the grandest creations of the civil and marine engineer.
SOUTHAMPTON HARBOUR WORKS
( From the Paisley Advocate)
Amongst the public works now in progress in this country, by far the most important is the Harbour improvements at Southampton, and comparatively few persons are aware of the magnitude of these undertakings. The distance from the mainland to the long narrow island which stretches parallel with the shore is one mile, with deep water through which the largest steamers can pass with the heaviest loads. The position of the island is such that vessels taking shelter behind it are safe from any storm save a blow from the Nor-west, but wind from that direction will completely sweep the open water between the island and the mainland, and to afford protection at such a time about a mile and a quarter of cribwork, of the most massive and enduring construction, has been extended from the mainland to the north-east end of the island. The cost of this gigantic work up to the present time has been $220,000. It is only about a year and a half since the main portion of the above work was begun, and under the management of the energetic contractors the advancement made has been rapid beyond the most sanguine expectations. The quantity of timber used is enormous, and stone enough to build the Chinese wall or the Tower of Babel has been sunk and held by these enormous cribs. Excepting in windy weather, eleven scows are constantly employed in carrying stone from the shallow water of the lake, while a railway track has been constructed along the completed portion of the breakwater connected with the shore. The rails extend some distance on the mainland, and the stone which abounds on this portion of the coast is thrown from wagons alongside the track and loaded upon cars. These run on the down grade without assistance until the breakwater is reached, here a grave-looking horse is attached, and his strength is sufficient to move the entire train At the proper time, he horse, without the notice of a driver steps briskly to one side on a small platform prepared for him the chain is thrown off and the train moves along the half filled piers, where the stone is thrown in as required. We have said that the work is well-advanced. Only about 100 feet of cribwork remains to be sunk. A considerable number of cribs now resting in there places in the bottom of the lake have to be built to the proper height, and next season will no doubt see fully completed the best harbour on the Canada shore of Lake Huron. the water encircled and rendered perfectly safe for vessels in every storm, will be a mile one a, by a mile and a half the other, and would be sufficient to hold all the shipping of the Upper lakes. This extensive basin of protected water may properly be called a roadstead than a harbour, as vessels can enter at either end and pass directly through. Although there are are mooring posts placed at intervals along the whole extent of the breakwater, no vessels will be permitted to load or unload and the great work is to be used only by ships injured at sea or seeking shelter from storms. For commercial purposes wharf has been extended into the lake within the roadstead where vessels can load and unload with safety and convenience. A track or switch of the Great Western Railway is being laid along the wharf, and as the large steamers of the Beautie and Windsor Lines, engaged in the western traffic land safely and easily at this pier, the most complete connection possible will be made for the passage of the Western trade through Ontario towards the seaboard; and not only has Southampton the best harbor on the shore of Lake Huron, but it lies in the proper place on the most direct route to countries which will yet send east a trade of which we have no conception at the present time.
~~Globe, Tuesday, August 24, 1875.~~
The Propeller Club is a Southampton based organization whose motto is:
"If you come to one of our meetings you are a life member. If you don't come back, we make you president!"