Tag Archives: BC

Lighthouse History – 12 (1901-01-18 to 1901-01-25)

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.

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

The wreckage found on West Coast, of which news was given in the Colonist yesterday, was the theme of much speculation along the waterfront yesterday, but no one could offer any information regarding the identity of the vessel which has been lost, if, as appearances seem to indicate, such has been the case. The uncertainty regarding the letters on the nameboard found in the vicinity of Carmanah balks all attempts to take the shroud from the mystery . Lighthouse-keeper W Daykin, in charge of Carmanah lighthouse, in a letter sent down by Queen City, says that this black-painted nameboard, which is a 6×8 timber, about 8′ long, has white painted letters on it, which one man reports as “Rei-ner” – the centre letter being missing and another reports “Rin-ter”. The boats, which were described yesterday, were unmarked. The one found to the westward of Carmanah was the bow boat, and about 12′ long, Continue reading Lighthouse History – 12 (1901-01-18 to 1901-01-25) →

Lighthouse History – 11 (1900-06-20 to 1901-01-17)

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.

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

‘Queen City’ returned from Ahousett and way ports last night, after a dirty trip, replete with fog and rain, bringing a small complement of passengers, including Mr Flanders a mining man from Clayoquot; T Daykin, keeper of the lighthouse at Carmanah, who has been ill; Captain Byers, who has been up to ship a crew of Indian hunters at Village I; and James E Sutton, mgr of the Wreck Bay placer mines near Ucluelet. [Colonist, 1900-06-20]

 

The botanical station to be situated at San Juan, on the West Coast Vancouver Island, is creating quite a deal of interest here. The buildings, 2 or 3 in number, will be commenced this winter, and it is expected they will be ready for occupancy in the spring. For the 1st year 30 or 40 students will be accommodated, and this number is expected to be much increased in time. 
The establishment of this station at San Juan will widely advertise the island, and particularly that district, as the members of the society are drawn from all parts of the United States and Canada, and the immense mineral and lumber wealth will thus be brought before likely investors, with it is hoped, good financial results. The Lieutenant-Gov has signified his intention of being present at the inauguration, and it is expected that a number of members of the house and prominent Victorians will accompany him. The expenses connected with the erection and equipment of the station have been raised by private subscription, and it is hoped that the provincial government will expend some little money in the making of a road from the government wharf at San Juan to the station – about 4 miles. The Messrs Baird, of San Juan have donated to the organizers and had surveyed 4 acres of their land, upon which the buildings are to be erected. 
No goods could be taken to the buildings by land: all the material must be sent by water, and this at many times is unsafe and impracticable.  Continue reading Lighthouse History – 11 (1900-06-20 to 1901-01-17) →

Illness at Boat Bluff – c. 1970s

Lighthouses, Medical, Medical Emergency, Old Website, , , , , , , , ,

The following memory was passed on to me by Margit Losel. It happened during their time at Boat Bluff in the years 1977 – 1980. They were lucky! They were able to get off and on the lighthouse. Some stations were too isolated for this method to work. – JAC 

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

Boat Bluff c. 1970s - photo credit - Ray Mackenzie

We were living on Boat Bluff Light and my oldest son Simon was an infant. He developed a very bad case of Croup. One stormy night he all but stopped breathing and we tried frantically to get some help.  Continue reading Illness at Boat Bluff – c. 1970s →

More Delays for Cape Mudge

Automation, Coast Guard, Government, Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, History, Information, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , , , , ,

– from Campbell River Mirror News by Kristen Douglas, online under  BC Local News

The chief of the We Wai Kai First Nation is not pleased the Strathcona Regional District may seek heritage protection for the Cape Mudge Lighthouse.

 Chief Ralph Dick says the land surrounding the Quadra Island lightstation belongs to the We Wai Kai/Cape Mudge Band and he doesn’t understand why the Regional District is trying to protect a lighthouse it does not have direct access to.

 “We want them to just butt out, we don’t want them involved at all,” Dick says. “They can’t get at it by road or water, it’s our land all around it, so we’re quite upset they’re trying to muscle in there. Continue reading More Delays for Cape Mudge →

Lighthouse Advocate Frustrated by Delays

Automation, Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, History, Information, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , , , , ,

– from Campbell River Mirror News by Kristen Douglas, online under  BC Local News

A petition to save four area lighthouses could have been circulating by now if Strathcona Regional District directors had been more informed, says the district’s vice-chair.

 Jim Abram, the vice-chair and a former lightkeeper who has been fighting to save lightstations for several years, is disappointed his latest bid has temporarily stalled largely because of a staff report.

Abram received an e-mail from former senator, and lightkeeper advocate, Pat Carney asking him to bring forward letters detailing legislation that allows regional districts to sponsor lighthouses. Continue reading Lighthouse Advocate Frustrated by Delays →

Protection Sought for Trial Island Lighthouse

Automation, Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , ,
Trial Island lighthouse

– from the Goldstream Gazette.com 

“. . . The Trial Island lighthouse was built in 1906, and is one of 27 lighthouses in the province that are permanently staffed. Though it is not currently in danger of being shut down or defunded, there has been plenty of debate in recent years at the federal level about the future of Canada’s lighthouses, including the one on Trial Island.” . . .

More on the story here. 

 

 

Unwatched Lights – All Automated

Anti-Automation, Automation, Coast Guard, Equipment, Government, Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, History, Keepers, Lighthouses, Old Website, Stories, Weather, , , ,

In the early twentieth century there were many navigational lights on the British Columbia coast maintained by individuals under contract. These were not lighthouses but pylons, piles, posts, rafts, or dolphins of wood or cement, or metal tanks made from disused military mooring buoys.

Upon these moorings was placed a kerosene (coal oil) lamp which would have to be tended. Some of the lights in accessible locations were lit before sunset and extinguished after sunrise, daily, weekly, for years, and with little pay.

Other lights were supplied with a two day lamp that remained lit for two days (the extent of the fuel reservoir) and then were changed over with a full, clean lamp. A later invention was a low maintenance, thirty-one day coal oil lamp. This also proved useless as it carboned up and was not very bright.

For example, before the real Capilano lighthouse (aka First Narrows) was established 1913 at the mouth of the Capilano river – List of Lights #394 – near the entrance to Vancouver Harbour, a black cylindrical tank was installed on a dolphin or piling, and a man was hired to row over and maintain the light and also wind the fog bell when it was installed at a later date. This was not an easy job because tides and fog competed with the Capilano river outflow to hamper any but the strongest of men.

 

First Narrows light 2006

When the Capilano lighthouse was automated in 1969, the lighthouse, complete with the engine room and residence on its wood pilings was burnt to the water and again a light beacon was established on a concrete pillar. This was later replaced with another beacon on a wood dolphin which stands today. 

 

 

 Another local light that was unwatched was Garry Point – List of Lights #333 – off the mouth of the Fraser River. Because of its location, this could be easily be reached by land and so did not require a manned station. It was probably maintained by a man from Steveston. Continue reading Unwatched Lights – All Automated →

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC)

Equipment, Government, Information, Lighthouses, On The Job, Tsunami, , , , , ,
PTWC webpage warnings for July 29, 2011

On the Pacific Coast of British Columbia tsunami warnings are posted to all coastal communities and marine traffic by radio broadcasts. On the British Columbia lighthouses there is one monitoring station located at Langara Point lighthouse. In the event of a significant earthquake readings are taken from this site to observe forecasted tsunami waves. Up to date tsunami warnings may be found on this page. of the PTWC.

For those interested in monitoring earthquakes, there is a sidebar gadget for Vista and Windows 7 that lists earthquakes as they occur. You can see it here.

A bit of history from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) webpage:

The era of tsunami warnings began in the United States with Thomas Jaggar’s (founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)) attempt to warn the Hilo harbormaster of the possibility of a tsunami generated by the 1923 Kamchatka earthquake. His warning was not taken seriously, and at least one fisherman was killed.

 

Official tsunami warning capability in the U.S. began in 1949 as a response to the 1946 tsunami generated in the Aleutian Islands that devastated Hilo. The U.S. federal government already had a sizable piece of property in ʻEwa Beach to house the Honolulu Geomagnetic Observatory. The Tsunami Warning Center was co-located with this facility, which is maintained by PTWC staff today. Continue reading The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) →

Prince Rupert’s New Coast Guard Vessel Arrives

Coast Guard, Information, Lighthouses, Ships, , , , , , , , ,
The Coast Guard vessel Cape Dauphin sits docked at the Seal Cove base.

By Shaun Thomas – The Northern View

Prince Rupert’s new Coast Guard vessel, the Cape Dauphin, was on display at the Coast Guard station today and those who work with the ship outlined the role it will play in search and rescue on the North Coast.

 She ship is a 47 foot cape-class vessel with a combined 900 horsepower. It can house a crew of four with a maximum speed of 25 knots and is designed to withstand 80 knot winds and 30 foot seas. The ship is also self righting, which means if it flips over in rough seas the engines won’t cut out and the boat will automatically roll back into the proper upright position.

 “This is the standard boat across the country and across the continent. America has about 200 and we have a significant number here in Canada. They fulfill their mission perfectly because of their speed and nimbleness,” said Kevin Tomsett, superintendent on small vessels.

 “They’re a good size and can get into a lot of the areas that other big boats can’t access.”

 The Cape Dauphin, named after a cape in New Brunswick, also features side decks that can be lowered to bring someone out of the water more efficiently and will carry the same medical equipment as the much larger Point Henry, which was decomissioned earlier this year. The two 450 horsepower engines are rated for fuel efficiency and longevity, with the Cape Dauphin able to cover 200 nautical miles on a tank of gas at full speed and the top 2,120 RPM, and up to 800 nautical miles at lower speed.

 A dedication ceremony for the ship will take place later this afternoon.

– photo by Shaun Thomas – The Northern View

Lighthouse History – 10 (1898-05-06 to 1899-11-28)

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.

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

Captain Gaudin says that in addition to the lighthouses for which tenders are already being invited, there may be a few new ones built on the northern coast but they will be small. Those which have been called for will be located at Cape Mudge, on Sister I, on Egg I, in Queen Charlotte Sound, on Fiddle Reef off Oak Bay and in Burrard Inlet narrows… [Colonist, 1898-05-06]

 

Dominion Government Steamer ‘Quadra’ leaves for Cape Beale and West Coast lighthousestations tomorrow. [Colonist, 1898-06-07]

 

Dominion Government Steamer ‘Quadra’ leaves for Cape Beale and other coast lighthouse points this morning. [Colonist, 1899-04-04]

 

Dominion Government Steamer ‘Quadra’ returned to port yesterday afternoon after a short and uneventful trip to Cape Beale and Carmanah, at which stations stores were landed. Captain Walbran reports that a heavy sea was running on the West Coast Tues, which moderated sufficiently the following day to permit of communication being made with the lighthouses. [Colonist, 1899-04-07] Continue reading Lighthouse History – 10 (1898-05-06 to 1899-11-28) →