Category Archives: Construction

Lighthouse History – 26 – Pachena Point (1906-10-05 to 1908-05-24)

Construction, History, Information, Keepers, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , , , , ,

The following extracts taken from early Victoria, British Columbia (BC) newspapers are credited to Leona Taylor for her excellent work in indexing the papers. Full information can be found here: “Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers“, 2007-09.

As I was collecting this information from the newspaper archive website, I noticed that many articles were in consecutive order and applied to Pachena Point, so I collected them all together here. It is a bit long, but interesting, as it describes the building of a lighthouse from the ground up as they say. Take note of the dates at the end of each article. it surely was not done overnight. More extensive information can be obtained from the actual scanned copies of the newspapers themselves on the above website.

************************************ 

Dominion Government Steamer Quadra, Captain Hackett, arrived at the government wharf last night, and will today commence loading for Pachena Point, to which the vessel will carry material to be used in the construction of the lighthouse to be built there. It is hoped, by Dec. It is anticipated that 2 days will be occupied in loading the Steamer, and she will leave without delay to endeavor to land the material before the heavy swells make landing too difficult of accomplishment. [Colonist, 1906-10-05] Continue reading Lighthouse History – 26 – Pachena Point (1906-10-05 to 1908-05-24) →

Lighthouse History – 25 (1906-01-23)

Construction, History, Information, Keepers, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , , , ,

The following extracts taken from early Victoria, British Columbia (BC) newspapers are credited to Leona Taylor for her excellent work in indexing the papers. Full information can be found here: “Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers“, 2007-09.

************************************

(see the beginning of this tragedy in Lighthouse History – 24 . . .)

 

The Lost: A W Wollstein, 24, Oxford, New Zealand; John Rogers, 50, Liverpool; H G Ray, 20, Newport, Monmouth; Evan Jones, 45, Carnarvon; Martin Pedersen, 27, Norway; J Poda, 24, Denmark; P Sorrensen, 20, Denmark. 
The survivors: Captain Davidson; 2nd Officer, W E Edwards; A Ericsen, carpenter; Duncan MacFarlane, steward; John Youngson, cabin boy; Alex Ferson, W Oag, J Robinson, apprentices; George Pine, Edward Hay, Jack O’Flaherty, Paul Handloss, A Gustavson, P Johnson, George Hamilton, AB’s J Dennis, Ordinary Seaman. 
Captain Davidson and 16 other survivors of the wrecked British ship King David, which dragged her anchor and drifted broadside on Bajo Reef, where 2 knuckles of rock penetrated her plates and held her fast while the roiling seas listed her to starboard and rolled her so that the rocks churned the bottom out of her, arrived in Victoria on Sun, having been rescued by the Canadian Pacific Railway Queen City, Captain Townsend, after spending nearly 5 weeks on the shingle beach, sheltering in an abandoned Indian fishing camp, with big driftwood fires burning nightly, vainly seeking to attract attention.  Continue reading Lighthouse History – 25 (1906-01-23) →

Website – Rough Radio – Wireless on the BC Coast

Adult Memories, Advertisement, British Columbia, Construction, Equipment, Genealogy, History, Information, Lighthouses, On The Job, Operators, Photos, Radio, , , , ,

This is a promotion for my friend Frank Statham’s website Rough Radio – Wireless on the British Columbia Coast.

As I started off collecting lighthouse keeper names for genealogy records, Frank started with a collection of photographs, and with his past work as a radio operator, his interest was sparked into creating a website to help people remember the early days of radio on the BC coast. He also has been keeping a list of station personnel which you will find here.

The quotes below from Frank’s website show that lighthouses came first, but with the advent of radio, the two worked closely together, in fact sometimes so close together that they were on the same station – e.g. Estevan Point  or Pachena Point. 

“At the end of the 19th Century, the west coast of Canada was dangerous place for the movement of vessels.  There was little European settlement along the coast north of Victoria.  The only navigational aids for vessel traffic consisted of a scattering of lighthouses.”

“The 1907 Canadian Dominion Government, in an effort to provide some measure of safety for mariners, implemented a plan to provide a life saving trail along the Juan de Fuca Strait Vancouver Island, lifeboat stations, and wireless radio stations.  The first five wireless stations, Vancouver, Victoria, Pachena Point and Estevan Point were all operational by January 1908.”   Continue reading →

Some photo samples from Frank’s website below:

 [nggallery id=17]

Lighthouse History – 24 (1906-01-20)

Construction, History, Information, Keepers, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , , , ,

The following extracts taken from early Victoria, British Columbia (BC) newspapers are credited to Leona Taylor for her excellent work in indexing the papers. Full information can be found here: “Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers“, 2007-09.

************************************

Clayoquot, Jan 19 – When interviewed today, one of the crew of King David said: “We left Salinas Cruz, Mexico, in ballast on Oct 1 and went along fairly well until we got off the Vancouver Island coast, and then we struck a series of southerly and southwesterly hail and snow squalls. We finally drifted into Nootka on Dec 10, and in trying to beat out again struck Bajo Point. All the crew got ashore safely. The sailmaker, Donald McLeod, who is over 60 years of age, went insane when the vessel struck. After getting on the beach 2 men were despatched to find signs of habitation. Returning after 2 days search, they reported meeting a man, who informed them there would be no steamers up the coast till Mar 1. On hearing Continue reading Lighthouse History – 24 (1906-01-20) →

Lighthouse History – 23 (1905-04-01 to 1905-12-13)

Construction, History, Information, Keepers, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , , , ,

 The following extracts taken from early Victoria, British Columbia (BC) newspapers are credited to Leona Taylor for her excellent work in indexing the papers. Full information can be found here: “Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers“, 2007-09.

************************************

Some of the lighthouses have no foghorns and when the mariners are creeping through befogged channels they know this. But the lightkeepers do their best. 
There is one lightkeeper in a certain pass, not 100 miles from the city, who makes a fog horn of coal-oil tins. He beats these as the Steamer nears the pass he guards as a Chinese villager clangs a gong when brigands are descending on the village. 
When the Steamer has successfully voyaged through the channel, creeping in the fog, the lightkeeper starts a gramophone which plays: 
‘Keep a-moving’; keep a-movin’; 
Keep a-moving’ right along, 
Cross de ribber o’ Jordan – keep a-movin’ right along.” 
–er-r-r-r-bang!  Continue reading Lighthouse History – 23 (1905-04-01 to 1905-12-13) →

Lighthouse History – 22 – Lennard Island (1902-09-13 to 1909-10-12)

Construction, History, Information, Keepers, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , , , ,

The following extracts taken from early Victoria, British Columbia (BC) newspapers are credited to Leona Taylor for her excellent work in indexing the papers. Full information can be found here: “Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers“, 2007-09.

As I was collecting this information from the newspaper archive website, I noticed that many articles were in consecutive order and applied to Lennard Island, so I collected them all together here. It is a bit long, but interesting, as it describes the building of a lighthouse from the ground up as they say. Take note of the dates at the end of each article. it surely was not done overnight. More extensive information can be obtained from the actual scanned copies of the newspapers themselves on the above website.

************************************

Five new lighthouses are to be established in British Columbia waters. Colonel W P Anderson, chief Engineer of the Department of Marine & Fisheries, who has just completed his tour of inspection of the aids to navigation and lighthouses in these waters has located the sites of several newlighthouses… The 5th light to be established by the Marine and Fisheries Department will be placed on Lennard I at the Southeast entrance of the East channel to Clayoquot Sound. The site for this light was selected by Colonel Anderson on his recent visit to Clayoquot on Dominion Government Steamer Continue reading Lighthouse History – 22 – Lennard Island (1902-09-13 to 1909-10-12) →

Building a Lighthouse – McInnes Island c. 1953

Adult Memories, British Columbia, Childhood Memories, Construction, Equipment, History, Information, Lighthouses, Ships, Transportation, , , ,
McInnes Island (marker with "A" - left) & Shearwater (far lower right)

McInnes Island had a light since 1921. There still are the remains of a wood post and a cement footing high on the SW corner of the island. But then in the early 1950s the Canadian government let a contract to build a lighthouse on the island. This was awarded to Stewart & Slade Construction who worked through 1953 and 1954 to complete the construction.

Ken Stewart 1953

In August of 1953,1 a young man, aged 19 years old at the time, was in the work crew hired by Stewart and Slade Construction. He was actually a relative of the boss as his Dad owned the company! His name was Ken Stewart and he worked with a group of other young men to build the lighthouse. Continue reading Building a Lighthouse – McInnes Island c. 1953 →

Lighthouse History – 21 (1903-04-25 to 1904-04-17)

Construction, History, Information, Keepers, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , , , ,

The following extracts taken from early Victoria, British Columbia (BC) newspapers are credited to Leona Taylor for her excellent work in indexing the papers. Full information can be found here: “Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers“, 2007-09.

************************************

W P Daykin, of Carmanah Point, who came from the West Coast lighthouse with his son in an open boat in 45 hours, has been conducting some signalling experiments, using a 25-candle power incandescent light. Mr Daykin sent messages from the vicinity of the Marine hospital, which were received by Mr E J Haughton of the Canadian Pacific Railway telegraph staff, without difficulty. Mr Daykin, who has had long experience in signalling in connection with his extended lighthouse service, has invented a new system of signalling by night, using the Morse code. In the past signals have been sent by flashes and fixed glares of a white light, but Mr Daykin has substituted a red light, by placing a red glass in front of the light, for the dash, thus avoiding confusion which has occurred in the past regarding the duration of the dot or dash shown by the white light. [Colonist, 1903-04-25] Continue reading Lighthouse History – 21 (1903-04-25 to 1904-04-17) →

Lighthouse History – 20 (1902-09-12 to 1903-03-27)

Construction, History, Information, Keepers, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , , , ,

The following extracts taken from early Victoria, British Columbia (BC) newspapers are credited to Leona Taylor for her excellent work in indexing the papers. Full information can be found here: “Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers“, 2007-09.

************************************

Dominion Government Steamer Quadra, Captain Walbran, returned to port yesterday afternoon with Col. Anderson, chief Engineer of the Department of Marine & Fisheries, on board. Steamer has been to the West Coast, going as far as Clayoquot. Colonel Anderson has been inspecting the Coast and Gulf lighthouses and aids around the Coast. He did not go further West than Clayoquot on the West Coast, and therefore did not see Cape Cook, where many mariners have longed to see a light for seasons past… [Colonist, 1902-09-12] Continue reading Lighthouse History – 20 (1902-09-12 to 1903-03-27) →

Lighthouse History – 19 (1902-05-13 to 1902-08-06)

Construction, History, Information, Keepers, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , , , ,

The following extracts taken from early Victoria, British Columbia (BC) newspapers are credited to Leona Taylor for her excellent work in indexing the papers. Full information can be found here: “Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers“, 2007-09.

************************************

 Dominion Government Steamer Quadra returned yesterday from a short but useful cruise to Clayoquot Sound. Two additional buoys were placed in position as aids to navigation, one off Echatchet’s I, Templar Channel to mark the rock nearby in the centre of the fairway, and the other off the Southwest point of Meares I, to show the turn into Deception Channel. The old buoy off Stubbs Spit was replaced by a new one. 
When in the Sound Captain Walbran carefully fixed the position of 4 uncharted rocks. Two of these are dangerous to navigation, one in the fairway of Browning Passage, with only 5′ of water over it at low water and the other, which dries at a very low tide, at the East end of Hecate Passage. Particulars of these rocks will be published by the Marine and Fisheries Department at an early date.  Continue reading Lighthouse History – 19 (1902-05-13 to 1902-08-06) →