The Old Mira River Steamers
By Douglas Brodie
From Cape Breton Mirror, June 1953
Transcribed by Roger Tobin
Reminiscing is, of course, always a rather delicate matter. In the words of a recently popular song, "Dearie, if you remember, then you're much older than I." Yet, even at the risk of being definitely dated, many residents of the Sydney Glace Bay area of Cape Breton will remember the old river boats with pleasure, and many delightful excursions upon our scenic stream in "the good old days."
A family excursion on the Mira, usually on a holiday, such as Dominion Day, was an event eagerly anticipated and thoroughly enjoyed, especially by the younger fry, of which the author was one. The first stage of the journey, was made on the S & L (later derisively christened the Slow and Lazy). At that time, however, the service was by no means slow, as the express made the run from Glace Bay to Mira in about 45 minutes, as we recall. Arriving at the Gut, we all trooped down to the wharf where the little steamer lay waiting, a plume of smoke curling lazily from her funnel. A warning hoot from the whistle brought the last stragglers aboard, a bell clanged in the engine room, and we were off on a great adventure.
To a little boy, these voyages provided endless delight and interest, as we steamed through the narrow gorge of the lower river, with its steep wooded banks and overhanging crags, and then glided out upon the broad upper reaches, dotted with green islands, where the summer breeze kicked up white caps which sparkled in the bright sunlight.
Overhead, kingfishers screamed and flashed their bright plumage in their endless search for fish. A muskrat, surprised at his meal of mussels, would slip into the water and silently disappear. A stately blue heron (crane to us) standing like a sentry on a sandbar, would flap lazily away as the steamer approached. Perhaps a doe at the water's edge, would raise her beautiful head in mild astonishment as the steamer drew near, and then vanish in the woods with a flick of her white tail.
Several drawbridges had to be passed on the trip, and as we approached one of these, a blast from the whistle, would bring the bridge tender, usually accompanied by a flock of kids, who looked on excitedly as we steamed through.
Then there was the steamer itself, a never failing source of interest and amusement, particularly the engine room, with its flashing piston rods and cranks, the hiss of steam, and the intermittent glow from the fire door, as the fireman stoked the ever hungry boiler. It was all very delightful and fascinating.
The Mira is navigable for fairly large craft from the Gut, at its mouth, to Victoria Bridge, a distance of 30 miles, and the round trip took about 6 or 7 hours, connecting with the morning and evening trains at the Gut. Stops were made at the intermediate points of Mira Ferry, Sangaree, Marion Bridge, Salmon River, and Grand Mira. In the years before the coming of the automobile, the steamer was the principal means of transportation for both freight and passengers and was depended upon by permanent residents and summer campers alike.
Navigation of the Mira, particularly with the larger boats, was a tricky affair, and required an intimate knowledge of the river with its narrow winding channels and hidden sandbars. At the Gut, a powerful ebb tide made docking rather hazardous, as the treacherous current threatened to sweep the little steamer down upon the steel bridge with the water boiling around its stone piers. "There were times", Captain Nicoll confesses, " When my heart was in my mouth." If so, the passengers never suspected it, as he stood in the wheel house, expertly and nonchalantly conning the passage, and in the eyes of us boys, at least, the Mira Captains rated with the Mississippi pilots, the heroes of Mark Twain's boyhood.
The early steamers were mostly small craft, owned and commanded by Captain Joe Phillips, the genial, bearded skipper, a familiar figure on the river for many years. Later, the boats were commanded by Captain J.M. Nicoll, veteran river pilot, still active, and presently operating the Miss Mira, the gas powered cabin cruiser, which succeeded the old steam boats.
The first steamer on the Mira was put into service about the year 1895, and was formerly owned in Glace Bay. This palatial craft, humorously christened the S.S. Barleycorn was 25 feet long.
Succeeding vessels were progressively larger and included the Vesta and the Marietta, the latter having seen service on the Miramichi before coming to the Mira. These boats were in operation shortly after the turn of the century. Of course, the periods of service of the steamers, overlapped to a considerable extent and there were usually two in service at any one time.
About this time, too, the Alameda began operating on the river and continued for several years. A 60-foot vessel, she was owned by L.M. Petrie, promoter of the summer resort at Sangaree.
Around 1910, the S.S. Volunda arrived on the Mira, and this is where we came in. This is the first of the Mira steamers of which the writer had personal recollection. A 75 footer, she was the largest of the river boats, and was purchased from Graham Fraser, an executive of the Steel Company. Built at New Glasgow, and designed as a private yacht, the Volunda was rather luxuriously fitted out, having teak wood finish and red plush upholstery in the cabins. Originally equipped with a water tube boiler and two triple expansion engines, she was quite fast in her day, although at the time of her Mira service, one of these engines had been removed. She was used on the river run until 1915, when she was scrapped. Her decaying hulk lay at the Mill, home port of the river boats, for some years, and presented a sad contrast to her palmy days as a luxury yacht.
The Volunda was followed by the Avonlea, perhaps the best remembered of the old Mira steamers. This trim little double decker was built in Chatham, New Brunswick, especially for the Mira service, and made her maiden voyage in 1913. She was 60 feet long, 24 tons, and carried up to 120 passengers.
A contempory of the Avonlea, was the Volunda II, built on the Mira in 1917. She was used as a tug and as an auxiliary passenger boat when traffic was heavy, as it usually was on holidays.
The rapid increase in the use of the automobile sounded the death knell of the river boats. Passenger traffic on the river fell off to the point where the service could no longer be maintained, and it was discontinued in 1926.
The passing of the river steamer marked an end of a colorful era in life on the Mira. Her whistle echoes no more along the wooded banks, now unfortunately scarred by forest fires, and the wharves where she discharged crowds of happy people, haven fallen into decay. Today, if we want to reach the upper reaches of the river, we travel swiftly and comfortably in a powerful motor car. We have gained a great deal by the advances of science and engineering, and probably few of us would care to forego these advantages. But we have lost something too, the color and charm and jolly companionship, which we always enjoyed during a voyage up the river on an old Mira steamer.
These pages were created by Lark Szick
© Copyright All Rights Reserved. April. 29, 2007.
Space donated by the C.B.G.H.A.
http://www.cbgha.org
To a little boy, these voyages provided endless delight and interest, as we steamed through the narrow gorge of the lower river, with its steep wooded banks and overhanging crags, and then glided out upon the broad upper reaches, dotted with green islands, where the summer breeze kicked up white caps which sparkled in the bright sunlight.
The Mira is navigable for fairly large craft from the Gut, at its mouth, to Victoria Bridge, a distance of 30 miles, and the round trip took about 6 or 7 hours, connecting with the morning and evening trains at the Gut. Stops were made at the intermediate points of Mira Ferry, Sangaree, Marion Bridge, Salmon River, and Grand Mira. In the years before the coming of the automobile, the steamer was the principal means of transportation for both freight and passengers and was depended upon by permanent residents and summer campers alike.
The first steamer on the Mira was put into service about the year 1895, and was formerly owned in Glace Bay. This palatial craft, humorously christened the S.S. Barleycorn was 25 feet long.