A vital part of the early history of New Westminster’s connection to the Fraser River links are the vessels that sailed with and against the river’s current. The many stories of boats on these waters fill volumes and supply great colour and character to our maritime heritage. There are many of these descriptive “images” to consider.
A favourite image is of First Nations canoes and local rowboats by the hundreds on the river at night with flaming torches in a massive twisting “snake parade” of light. What an amazing scene it must have been.
Another favourite image is of a sailboat that was trying to reach Agassiz to pick up agricultural cargo. The vessel’s captain did not want to pay for any towing help, so he endeavoured to travel up the river using his sails. Frequently he drifted back downriver farther than he had managed to struggle upriver that day. Finally after many weeks, he returned to the city defeated to plot his next course.
And there were boats fighting against the winter freeze-up, becoming stuck in the ice, unable to move, waiting and watching for the slightest sign of a break to push free and continue their journey. Great celebrations awaited their arrival at a destination with people and supplies against very dangerous odds of numbing cold and turbulent water.
There were many different types of vessels, large and small, sleek and cumbersome, crude and well-appointed, fast and ponderous, highly regarded and denigrated. The class of vessel that met all of the previous comparisons and dominated the river for decades was the paddlewheeler, mostly of the sternwheel variety. Their stories fill volumes all on their own.
New Westminster was a home port for many. A mercantile centre for incoming and outgoing cargo for many others, and a friendly safe harbour for all. The docks lining Front Street and other riverfront roads knew them all. The slap of the paddle, the call of the steam whistle, the shouts of captain and crew, were all part of this particular heritage.
Today we use many paddlewheelers in stories of the local waterfront from Sapperton to Queensborough. The RP Rithet and its first arrival here; the Onward or Reliance carrying Captain Irving and family; Captain Moore and the Henrietta; the Senator Janzen pulling log booms; and the Samson V lifting massive deadheads from the river. All great stories in a long, long list of maritime stories.
And there is another sternwheeler at our quay. For 25 years Doug and Helga Leaney have operated river tours out of a New Westminster location. For much of this time, the MV Native, a sternwheel cruise vessel, has drawn rapt attention as she sails the waters of the lower Fraser River. For 25 years people have discovered new and exciting aspects of this waterway with the Leaneys. Congratulations for playing an important part in our community’s maritime history.
