The Fay

This post may not follow the previous one in the finished "book" but I needed to write about something that did not include snow today. We're in a snow globe in Ottawa and I wanted to concentrate on summery (not summary) thoughts.
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The Fay

The sound of a champagne bottle smashing, with its bubbly contents splashing his shirt, was what Ned had been awaiting rather impatiently, for weeks now. His largest purchase ever would soon be delivered and the party would be the first of many a great round of celebrations. Just as eagerly, Alex Potvin and John Harris had been expecting word from their good friend and builder of their shared dream. They were partners in a new venture and as the final days ticked down, none of the men could talk of anything else. Their pipe stems were well chewed, even when there was no lit tobacco in the bowls. Edward T. Edwards was part of this dream too and as the builder, his every waking moment was devoted to making this dream come true. Finally the last lick of paint was added to the deck and all was ready. Edward’s ship-building skills had been taxed and the pressure from his friends and partners was keenly felt. It had to be perfect. And so it was, with the launch of the Fay on July 16, 1904 their dreams came true.

The cloudless sky, the warm sunshine on this perfect day of 25C, and the merest hint of a breeze greeted the excited group as they made their way to the dock. The group of family and friends was in high spirits and the buzz of conversation was punctuated with bursts of laughter and rounds of congratulatory handshakes and back slaps. The girls,15 year old Bea, 13 year old Aggie and 10 year old Lena, tried to behave calmly as their mother Minnie had asked, but they fidgeted all the same. Eddie at 12, the eldest son, had to restrain 5 year old Allan who kept jumping up to see over taller heads, and kept an eye on 7 year old Frank who was tossing the baseball he insisted on taking with him everywhere. 

The four partners, dressed in their finest suits, sported grins wider than their moustaches. Soon they would add the title of ‘Captain' to their names. Having drawn the longest straw, Ned launched the magnum of bubbly, smashing it against the bow of the Fay. The clapping and cheering echoed across Dow’s Lake. The steamboat was large enough to accommodate the entire party on the dock on its maiden voyage. Gathering up their long skirts, the ladies stepped aboard. The children, refusing any helping hands, clambered over the side and up onto the roof for the best view. The Fay was built for pleasure and indeed that feeling could almost be felt from the huge grins on all of the passengers and especially the newly minted captains.  

The Fay made many pleasant voyages with the passengers enjoying their rides on the Rideau Canal. Sometimes they would sail between the locks at Black Rapids and Long Island and sometimes they would venture closer to the city, or even farther through the locks past Manotick and even beyond. There were, however, a few trips every year that were not as much fun.

Near the base of the Long Island Locks, at the end of Nicholl’s Island closest to the city, a little tent city would rise every year. The large flat area at the north end of the island was their summer retreat. Posh? Oh no, but everyone had wonderful memories of preceding summers to make them yearn to get the new season underway. Except for sleeping in tents rather than houses, the other amenities were not really that different from what they had in town. The biggest obstacle every year was transferring the tents and much more, from the city to the camp.

Not owning a truck, or even a car, Ned had to find a way to get all of this gear to the summer camp. A boat was the best solution - and they had that with the Fay. Transporting the tents, stoves, beds, oil lamps and other necessities was a huge undertaking. The Fay was 37 feet long and 9 feet wide. The roof served as a kind of balcony for touring on the Rideau Canal and was used for lighter items when pressed into service as a transport barge. The main deck was spacious enough to accommodate the biggest items, even if a second trip was needed.

On its first run each spring, from the boathouse at Dow’s Lake through Hartwell’s and Black Rapids locks, it became a supply ship. Imagine all the tent poles laid out on the floor of the deck, topped with the canvas tents, beds and bedding, every sort of kitchen supply, pails for laundry, and at least once, a piano. From a position on the river bank anywhere along the route, it would have been quite the sight to see the Fay steaming along. Once the camp was established for the year, the Fay returned to being a pleasure boat.

That old boat had a good life for 22 years. For a wooden boat it must have been kept in very good repair. No reports have been found of Ned’s partners actually taking the Fay out without him. All the stories revolve around Ned and his boat. When the end came for the Fay, only his name was mentioned. One can speculate that at some point he bought out his partners.

The Fay was lost in a fire at the Dow’s Lake boathouse late on the night of January 3, 1926. It was later deemed to have been accidental. The boat and its boathouse were completely destroyed. Other nearby boats and boathouses suffered varying amounts of damage. Sadly, Ned was not insured.

It was a sad end to such a wonder era for the campers at Long Island. This article from the Ottawa Journal of January 4, 1926 recounts what happened. The precise age of the Fay is wrong as it was used for longer than 18years.