Navigating the Lower Saint Lawrence in the 19th Century.
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Hitherto, in proceeding to, as well as from the Lower Provinces,
the troops have all been forwarded by way of the Rideau Canal, but,
a few small steamers have been built, on mercantile speculation, of
small draught of water, expressly for navigating the rapids of the
St. Lawrence, with a view of expedition and economy. The regiments
proceeding down this year have all been sent by this new route, an
experiment that, if repeated, it is feared by many, will result,
sooner or later, in some wholesale catastrophe. It is true that
time and expense are both saved by this rapid mode of conveyance,
which may do very well for insurable goods; but to huddle a mass of
powerless human beings into small boats, and whirl them, with the
speed of lightning, down these fearful rapids, seems "a clean
tempting o' Providence." The Upper Rapids, the Cascades, the Cedars and the Long Sault, have for many years past been navigated by bark canoes and large bateaux, and latterly even by steamers, with comparatively little risk, but the Lower or La Chine Rapid, until the year 1843, has never, I believe, been shot, except by Indians or other adventurous individuals. This magnificent rapid (over which flows, it will be recollected, the waters of six of the largest freshwater lakes in the world) is by far the grandest of the St. Lawrence rapids, though of less extent than some of the others, its length probably not exceeding a mile or a mile and a half, but the slope is so precipitous, and the bed of the river so rugged, and broken by ledges and masses of rocks, that the headlong rush of the stream, and fury of the foaming waters, are appalling to look on. Though the river is wide, the channel, or navigable part, is winding, narrow and intricate, and the pilot should be thoroughly acquainted with its course, and possessed of great nerve and presence of mind, from the moment he enters the rapid, he is whirled along with such fearful velocity, that he has not an instant for reflection, and one touch upon a rock hurls the vessel, and all on board her, to instant and inevitable destruction. On our approach to the head of the La Chine Rapid, the two bateaux were cast adrift, and left each to the independent guidance of an Indian pilot, the captain of the "puffer" not daring to take the three vessels together through so narrow and dangerous a passage, the officers of companies, too, left the steamer, to take up their station in the bateaux of their respective companies, and share the fortune, whatever it might be, of their men. Up to this point the two boats were firmly lashed, one on either side, to the little steamer, but the moment the lashings were let go, they fell astern, in the smooth water, at the head of the broken stream, and, as we looked forward at the "hell gate" we were just entering, and looked backwards at the two helpless barks from which we were about to fly, it seemed as though we were meanly deserting our companions, and abandoning them to certain destruction. Here oars and sails are alike unavailing, the boat is swept along by the force of the current alone, the helmsman guides her, as he best can, through the centre of the rushing stream, and, besides his, every arm is useless and inactive, should a rock be struck, every soul on board must perish, the strong swimmer, as well as the feeble infant, no power can save from such a gulf, but One! Those on the main deck of the steamer were ordered to stow themselves away amidships, and remain perfectly quiet, and the officers and a few others who were allowed to keep the upper deck, were obliged to lay themselves at full length, in order that there should be nothing to obstruct the view of the man at the wheel, nor any risk run of being jerked or washed overboard. The pilot (a fine intelligent-looking Indian) seized the helm with a powerful grasp; his dark eye became fixed, and lighted up with unwanted fire; and even his imperturbable countenance showed that the whole powers of his mind, as well as those of his body, were concentrated on the one all-absorbing point. We now entered the boiling rapid, and were instantly swept onwards at a pace, compared to which the utmost speed of a railroad seemed as nothing; and the two bateaux quickly followed in the same impetuous career. But I shall not attempt any detailed description of this thrillingly exciting and most magnificent scene, hoping that the accompanying Print may convey a more accurate idea of it than I can hope to do by mere words. We watched not only the progress of our own little craft, but that of the two bateaux, with intense and breathless interest; loosing sight, now and then, of one of the boats, as she disappeared for a moment behind the crest of some foaming wave, or become lost in a cloud of spray. About half-way down the rapid we passed the wreck of a large boat that (having lost the channel) had been driven, a day or two before, upon the end of a rocky islet, fortunately somewhat out of the force of the current. A party of Indians had contrived to reach her, in their bark canoes, and were endeavouring to save some of the barrels of flour which composed her cargo. The wild rush, the uncontrolled fury of the waters, white with foam, or dashed into columns of spray against contending rocks, showed the extreme peril of our course, the inevitable destruction that must follow the slightest collision of the vessel, the utter fruitlessness of any efforts of ours, in the event of an accident, and the insignificance of man's works, when placed in comparison with those of the Creator, on a scale of such magnitude and grandeur. |
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| G. R. Bossé©2001-03 | Page 18 | Chapter 1843 |
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