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The following is the Introduction and Table of Contents from The Second Tay Canal in the Rideau Corridor, 1880-1940, Manuscript Report 295 by Larry Turner, Parks Canada, 1986. Republished by Friends of the Rideau as digital book DB-MR295, 2014:
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The history of the Second Tay Canal is very much a companion volume to my study, The First Tay Canal in the Rideau Corridor, 1830—1850 (Parks Canada, Microfiche Report Series 142, 1984). In this volume an examination is made of the promotion, construction and use of the Second Tay Canal between 1880 and 1940. Unlike the First Tay Canal which is barely discernible in its ruins and where little documentation survives of its use, the Second Tay Canal is still in use and is accompanied by a wide range of source material in the form of Federal Archives Division papers, contemporary newspaper accounts and the photographic record. The first chapter creates a link between the private venture of the first Canal and the public promotion of a second Canal. To place the new canal in a local, provincial and national perspective, the second chapter takes account of the post—confederation economic climate in Perth. The third chapter describes the economic and political promotion of the new canal with special emphasis on iron smelting possibilities, phosphate mining, local promoters, outside promoters and the singular force of John G. Haggart as a promoter of a canal that would wear the facetious name ‘Haggart’s Ditch’. Chapter four encompasses the construction history of the Second Tay Canal. Like the gradual and piecemeal building of the canal, the chapter is divided into seven parts which include: the planning stage; Beveridges Bay to Perth; the Perth Basin; Perth swing bridges; Tay Canal extension; Gore Street Bridge; and small contracts. Work was begun in 1883 and the final touches were not completed until 1892. This chapter describes innovations in technology, the construction chronology as well as problems with contracts, contractors, government engineers, and labourers. Chapter five is an investigation of Tay Canal administration with special reference to the dispute over Sunday lockages, the Beveridges lockmaster and the unique evolution of the Perth bridgemaster into first—rate gardener and park—warden on the canal banks. In three parts encompassing navigation, commercial traffic and recreational boating, chapter six outlines the use of the Tay Canal including its physical limitations and shortcomings, its commercial failure, and the surprising success of recreational activity on the waterway. One aspect of Tay Canal history not discussed was the flooding of lands, and resulting legal difficulties over the nature of the rights and obligations of government and landowners which continues to this day. The first two appendices record the differing amounts for tenders on two of the Tay Canal contracts while the latter two outline the House of Commons Debates that raged on Parliament Hill in 1891 and 1894 when full disclosure of the cost of construction and the limited use of the Tay Canal called into question the ruling Conservative government and the ubiquitous John Haggart. Attention should also be addressed to the illustrations at the end of the report which include maps, plans, postcards and photographs of various phases of the Tay’s history. The research and writing of this report were completed in six months. This study is intended for the development of the economic, social and cultural interpretation of the Tay Canal for Environment Canada — Parks. i Table of Contents iii Illustrations viii Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 Chapter I. The Old Tay Canal Lies Abandoned. 7 Chapter II. Post—Confederation Economic Climate in Perth. 17 Chapter III. The Economic and Political Promotion of a New Canal. 18 Iron Smelting 27 Phosphate Mining 30 John Haggart 36 Local Promoters 44 Outside Promoters 48 Chapter IV. Construction of the Second Tay Canal. 48 Part I: The Planning Stage 54 Part II: Beveridges Bay to Perth, 1883—1887 54 Project Commenced 62 1884 75 1885 81 1886 89 1887 97 Part III: The Perth Basin 1888—1889 97 Prelude to Construction 106 The Basin Constructed 1888 115 A Feeling of Deja Vu 124 Part IV: Perth Swing Bridges,1888—1889 133 Part V: Tay Canal Extension to Haggart’s Mill 143 Part VI: Gore Street Bridge 151 Part VII: Small Contracts 156 Chapter V. Tay Canal Administration 156 Beveridges Lockmaster 160 Bridgemaster 173 Sunday Lockages 178 Chapter VI. Use of the Tay Canal 178 Part I: Navigation 185 Part II: Commercial Use 201 Part III: Recreational Boating 205 Private Recreational Boating 211 The Small Scale Dual—Purpose Steamer or Steam Yacht 219 Cabin Steamer 227 In Conclusion 230 Appendix I. List of Tenders received for the Construction of the Tay Canal from Beveridges Bay to Craig Street January, 1883. PAC RG43, Vol. 998, file 98085. 231 Appendix II. List of Tenders for the extension of the Tay Canal from east side of Craig Street to South Side of Peter Street, Perth. May 1888. PAC RG43, Vol. 1002, file 199475. 232 Appendix III. The Tay Canal Debate 1891 260 Appendix IV. The Tay Canal Debate 1894 270 Endnotes 286 Bibliography 290 Illustrations |