|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 20, 2011 11:48:39 GMT -8
If you could ask one question (or a few) to some of the Westcoast ferry / steamship pioneers, what would it be?
ie.
- to Captain Peabody
- to Phil Spaulding
- to W.A.C. Bennett or Monty Aldous
- to Canadian Pacific's Captain James Troup
- to photographers Harre Demoro and/or Joe Williamson
- to others who made decisions or who recorded the history
|
|
Neil
Voyager 
Posts: 7,196
|
Post by Neil on Aug 21, 2011 13:56:48 GMT -8
I guess we need to assume that our question(s) would actually get an answer... that maybe the recipient of the query would have swallowed some truth serum, or something.
One thing I've always wondered about is the exit of Black Ball from BC. Did the head of Black Ball actually say that the company was not willing to upgrade facilities and service to meet our growing needs? We've never heard the story from the Black Ball side.
I would also ask WAC Bennett if he did absolutely everything to work with the private companies, or if he just wanted to be admiral of his own fleet, because pushing no less than four private firms out of the market in the space of two years seems an odd accomplishment for an avowed 'free enterpriser'.
To Bill New, I would ask about Coast Ferries being frozen out of the central coast by BC Ferries starting their current service. I know he has partly answered that, but I'd like to hear it minus the diplomacy.
I would also love to know if David Hahn is cleverly trying to get the government to increase the subsidy with his no holds barred description of the near future for ferry users, despite his avowal that he doesn't believe in big subsidies.
Finally, for some comic relief, I would like to ask Ihab Shaker if he actually had the slightest notion of what he was doing with Coastal Link Ferries.
|
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 21, 2011 17:01:03 GMT -8
Thanks for getting it started, Neil.
My question to Captain Peabody would be why he brought the Smokwa to Canada (she was in poor shape), and if he ever entertained the idea of brining the Malahat to Canada.
|
|
D'Elete BC in NJ
Voyager
Dispensing gallons of useless information daily...
Posts: 1,671
|
Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Aug 22, 2011 3:41:31 GMT -8
...brining the Malahat... lol...sometimes a mistype leaves me really chuckling...I guess it was a lot easier than packing her full of MSG!  Neil, after having several convos with our infamous Mr G, I am left wondering if Ihab has a notion at all.  |
|
|
|
Post by EGfleet on Aug 22, 2011 6:04:58 GMT -8
Thanks for getting it started, Neil. My question to Captain Peabody would be why he brought the Smokwa to Canada (she was in poor shape), and if he ever entertained the idea of brining the Malahat to Canada. I think I may have figured out the reason for his not bringing the Malahat over, even though she was in pretty good shape. In '51, when the Malahat subbed for the Chinook a few times while she was in drydock, it became apparent pretty fast that the Malahat did not handle open water very well. Somewhere I've got an article where it describes it as "her antics on the often rough crossing on the Strait of Juan de Fuca terrified her passengers." Given that she used to sail on SF Bay, I can only conclude that her new cabin built after the fire must have done something to her stability, as I've not come across anything about her handling poorly as the Napa Valley.
I think that factored in with the high cost of running her likely is why she never went to Canada. I'd still like to know why he ended up with/kept the boats he did bring to Canada. I've never found a concrete reason why he kept or didn't include the boats in the sale to state. All I've ever seen was "not included in the sale to state were the..." and never a reason why.  |
|
Mill Bay
Voyager
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,886 
|
Post by Mill Bay on Aug 22, 2011 21:28:03 GMT -8
I'd still like to know why he ended up with/kept the boats he did bring to Canada. I've never found a concrete reason why he kept or didn't include the boats in the sale to state. All I've ever seen was "not included in the sale to state were the..." and never a reason why. For the Chinook and the Kahloke, at least, the reason he held on to them should be quite clear, as they were newly updated and modernized from their recent rebuilds, and the most suited to efficient operations on the Horseshoe Bay run. |
|
mrdot
Voyager
Mr. DOT
Posts: 1,252
|
Post by mrdot on Aug 22, 2011 22:15:35 GMT -8
:)a little of my knowledge on Capt. Peabody's move north with his two major keepers, the rather dowager one was the City of Sacramento which he took to Yarrows of Esquimalt for a wonderful rebuild from the car deck up, and it was totally rebuilt as the now near new Kaloke which only retained her wonderfully strong iron hull from 1903 and virtually everything else was a new build, but she was a galloping goose to steer! also kept was the near new Chinnook, which only had to suffer the indignity of her snubbed bows to become a true roll-on-roll off ferry. After these rebuildings he was ready to start up his new Nanaimo service in 1953-4. The remarkable thing was he was able to sell off a relitively rag-tag fleet, with the only really near new Chinnook, for over 6 million $s to premer Bennett's new ferry authority! :)mrdot.
|
|
|
|
Post by EGfleet on Aug 23, 2011 5:09:07 GMT -8
I'd still like to know why he ended up with/kept the boats he did bring to Canada. I've never found a concrete reason why he kept or didn't include the boats in the sale to state. All I've ever seen was "not included in the sale to state were the..." and never a reason why. For the Chinook and the Kahloke, at least, the reason he held on to them should be quite clear, as they were newly updated and modernized from their recent rebuilds, and the most suited to efficient operations on the Horseshoe Bay run. No question as to why he kept the Chinook--it was still turning a tidy profit on the Seattle-Port Angeles-Victoria run, and was practically new, having been built in '47. No way was he going to give her up. Remember, though that the Chinook didn't drop the Port Angeles-Victoria run until 1955. At least when starting operations at Horseshoe Bay he didn't anticipate putting the Chinook there. It was only after the profits started to slip on the Port Angeles-Victoria route and the service out of Horseshoe Bay really took off did he haul the Chinook into the yard and had her overhauled for the run. But why the Quillayute and Bainbridge? I've always thought that WSF didn't want the smaller of the boats, but if that's the case, why not push off the Kitsap or Rosario? Or the Crosline? If Peabody had his pick of vessels, why take the wooden ones, which have more cost up front with caulking of hulls, etc, and not take say the Enetai or Willapa, with their steel hulls and faster engines? It would be interesting to get a copy of the sale from the State archives. Wonder if any of that stuff is online?  |
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Oct 4, 2011 15:24:22 GMT -8
I'll ask a question to our own "Mr. DOT":
- what's the most beautiful ship (in your opinion) that you've ever seen in our west-coast waters?
|
|
mrdot
Voyager
Mr. DOT
Posts: 1,252
|
Post by mrdot on Oct 4, 2011 19:00:55 GMT -8
:)I would answer the pre-war Princess Margurete and sister Kathleen would be my choice, but again this is very subjective, the original Grand Trunk Princes George and Rupert were good looking ships, and from a modern perspective the Black Ball`s as built Chinook of 1947, was ultra modern sheek looking, before her looks were totally spoiled by a re=worked design! :)mrdot.
|
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Oct 4, 2011 19:12:01 GMT -8
:)I would answer the pre-war Princess Margurete and sister Kathleen would be my choice, but again this is very subjective, the original Grand Trunk Princes George and Rupert were good looking ships, and from a modern perspective the Black Ball`s as built Chinook of 1947, was ultra modern sheek looking, before her looks were totally spoiled by a re=worked design! :)mrdot. I agree with the beauty of the first Marguerite and the Kathleen, very fine looking ships. Speaking of CP coasters, I regret that we were never able to see the CP Princess Irene and Princess Margaret in CP colours and service. Too bad that they were both lost in the Great War. From what I've read, those 2 1914 sisters would have been the largest ever CP coasters. Thanks for your thoughts, Mr. DOT. |
|
mrdot
Voyager
Mr. DOT
Posts: 1,252
|
Post by mrdot on Oct 4, 2011 19:37:55 GMT -8
:)just a further thot, my best one's having actually seen in person, I think the arrival of the Norwegean Amerca Sagafjord under the Lions Gate is rite up there in my view of shipshape vessels I have actually viewed in person, and not in a modell case! I can barely remember the Chinook as built, the others only in a model case! The best looking ferry was Queen of the North as first displayed in the first dogwood livery! I am sorry to dissagree with twit Falcon, but she was our modern northern caddy! :)mrdot.
|
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Oct 4, 2011 19:48:46 GMT -8
my best one's having actually seen in person, I think the arrival of the Norwegean Amerca Sagafjord under the Lions Gate is rite up there in my view of shipshape vessels I have actually viewed in person, and not in a modell case! Here is a website with photos and history of this ship www.simplonpc.co.uk/Sagafjord.html |
|
mrdot
Voyager
Mr. DOT
Posts: 1,252
|
Post by mrdot on Oct 4, 2011 19:51:30 GMT -8
:)to our Niel voyager, I would like to point out that Wacky strayed from his free enterprise ideals on many occasions, and was quick to adopt CCF platforms whenever it looked to his advantage! Yes maybe their was a bit of the admiral in him, but he had BC in mind much more than Hahn ever will! :)mrdot.
|
|
