Steamboat Races 1889

Lake monsters like myself live long lives, and, luckily, we have equally long memories. I can still clearly recall things that happened well before your grandparents were born.

Take the summer of 1889, for example. That was the last summer of steam ship races between Collingwood's Great Northern Transit Company and Owen Sound’s Canada Transit Company.

Back then there were three or more steam ships leaving the Owen Sound harbour every day during shipping season. The owners of the ships were eager to earn more money by getting their ship to the next port before their competition, so that they could pick up the choice cargo and the most passengers.

The confident captains and crews were up for the challenge if not always up to the task. The watery depths of the Great Lakes claimed many lives because of captains who decided to risk it all to claim the net payload rather than wait out a storm.

But the story of the summer of 1889 was not one of disaster, it was one of raucous rivalry.

Passengers, often supporting their home port, would bet on which ship could reach their destination first (or fastest, if they departed at different times). The route between Meaford and Owen Sound was one that both companies ran regularly, and if they had ships leaving at the same time then the race was on.

It was all very exciting, even for me. I’d see twin columns of smoke on the horizon and swim out to meet them. As they got closer I’d dive down deep, letting the ships glide across the surface of the water above me as I watched from below. Then I would turn and follow the ships into port to see who won.

If the racers were close enough to each other I’d often hear passengers yelling back and forth from one deck to the other. Sometimes I’d see flames leaping from the tall smoke stacks amid the billowing black smoke as each crew pushed their ships to the limit for victory.

Lake monsters are co-operative rather than competitive by nature, but I do enjoy co

mpetition vicariously through you humans, and these races allowed me a front row seat.

Sadly the steamboat races came to an end that summer after two ships full of passengers “traded paint” while racing to Collingwood. The passengers were afraid the ships would crash and sink.

Both companies realized that if they continued to allow these increasingly reckless races that they might scare off all their paying customers and called for an immediate stop to all racing. The steam ship races ended, and before long the steam ship era was over.

I miss those hectic harbour days.