Today we ask you to use your imagination as we are going to talk about a photograph. The photo in question, identified as Steveston, B.C., is about five-by-seven inches in size, mounted on a typical backing and marked with the date July 19, 1909.
The image shows a group of men, dressed in business attire of the time, all standing on the foredecks of a vessel and on the dock alongside the ship. From part of a name board barely visible between two of the gentlemen, a couple of ship components that can be made out, and with our knowledge of Fraser River maritime history, we can tell that the vessel is a Samson. Since the date is 1909, we can further tell that this is the Samson II, one of the "fleet" of five such named sternwheel snagpullers that worked the local river. The Samson V is now a maritime museum on the New Westminster waterfront. We checked the newspaper of the day to see if we could uncover the story behind the image.
In 1909, the federal minister of public works was the Hugh Pugsley, and we learned that he and a colleague were in B.C. to "inspect local conditions" that included Burrard Inlet, First Narrows, False Creek, Chilliwack and New Westminster. The Fraser River was a major focus, with proposals to dredge the waterway at a number of locations.
The photo shows Dr. Pugsley at Steveston, where he was taken to meet a delegation from river communities, most prominently New Westminster. This group was to board the Samson II for the run upriver to see the region, talk of the needs of the area, and finally arrive at the Royal City for a meeting and dinner.
The meeting on arrival in New Westminster was with the board of trade, who wished to discuss harbour improvements, and then a dinner and reception were to follow at the Russell Hotel. The minister, we learn from the newspaper article, was impressed with the "value of the Fraser," and the whole event seems to have been successful.
