1873 to 1904
In 1873 a company was formed to build a railway across Canada, Atlantic to the Pacific. Its President was Sir Hugh Allan, founder of the Allen Shipping Line. Its name was to be The Canadian Pacific Railway Company, though it was to be some eight years before work was to commence. The whole project was dogged by delays and financial problems until Donald A. Smith (later to become Lord Strathcona) and his financial partner George Stephen (later to become Lord Mount Stephen) Intervened and brought everything back under control. George Stephen was later to become the Company’s first President, Sandford Fleming was appointed Chief Engineer and William Van Horne was in charge of construction.
By 1883 the Company had issued some 550,000 shares in the main they were held by the following:
Citizens of Quebec Province 100,000
Great Britain over 90,000
Holland 57,000
France 15,000
Donald Smith 23,000
Duncan MacIntyre 20,000
(Manager Canada Central Railway)
R.B. Angus 15,000
J.S. Kennedy 10,000
J.J. Hill 10,000
Funding Bank 60,000
In this year also a syndicate led by Captain John Irving took over the Hudson Bay Shipping Division of ten ships, purchased another eleven and called the new company Canadian Pacific Navigation. The funnels were buff with a black top. Canadian Pacific Railway at this time had no involvement.
In 1884 a clause within the Company Charter read as follows ‘ The Company shall have the power and authority to erect and maintain docks, shipyards, wharves, slips and piers at any point on or in connection with the said Canadian Pacific Railway and at the termini thereof on navigable water, for the convenience and accommodation of vessels and elevators; and also acquire and work and run steam and other vessels for cargo and passenger upon any navigable water which the Canadian Pacific Railway may reach or connect with’. The Company had therefore entered shipping.
The first three ships, which were built on the Clyde, were Algoma, Alberta and Athabasca. All three were too big for the St. Lawrence river locks and had to be cut in half (designed so it was possible) and reassembled at Buffalo. They were mainly used for transporting men and materials to the railhead but when time permitted operated the Company’s Great Lake Service.
In 1885 Canadian Pacific joined other companies in tendering for the Vancouver Hong Kong Service but their bid at a million pounds subsidy spread over ten years was considered too high even when they argued that mail would reach London far quicker via Canada as opposed to the existing P&O service then currently in operation.
Also this year Lord Strathcona spiked the last sleeper at Craigallachie halfway between Vancouver and Calgary thus completing the Transcontinental Railway. On the same day the railway was completed, 7th November, the Company’s ship Algoma sank with a loss of 48 lives in a storm off the Isle Royale in Lake Superior.
On 28th June 1886, with a journey time of five and a half days, the Rail Passenger Service was inaugurated between Montreal and Vancouver. A Canadian Pacific Navigation Co. steamer liked Victoria Island with Vancouver thus completing the route.
Everett, Frazer and Co. were appointed Far East Freight Agents in an attempt by the Board to make sure that their freight cars were full in both directions and eight ships were chartered in to operate a Far East - Canada service. They were as follows:
Carrie Delap
Eudora
Flora P
Freida Gramph
Stafford
W.B. Flint
Zoraya
The Vancouver link on the West Coast is finally completed. Here is a photograph of the first train arriving in Vancouver.
In 1887 with the railway up and running Adamson and Bell were appointed managers in Hong Kong and ships were chartered in to commence the transpacific service.
Also this year saw the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. This photograph shows how the railway workers celebrated by decorating the trains.
1888 saw the introduction of Vancouver USA service, ostensively for Chinese workers.
1889 The Manitoba built at Polson Iron Works, Owen Sound on Lake Huron replaced the lost Algoma using the Algoma’s engines.
Canadian Pacific Railway signed a ten year mail contract with the British Government with a subsidy of £60,000 per annum, £15,000 of this subsidy was underwritten by the Canadian Government. The mail route was Halifax to Vancouver by rail and then Vancouver-Yokohama-Shanghai-Hong Kong by ship, time penalties were agreed. It was also agreed that the Admiralty could charter the ships not only in time of war but if its Pacific Squadron was to fall below operational strength for the sum of £1 per gross ton at any time of the Admiralty’s choosing. Troops were carried at cost (what price a squaddie) and finally the ships were to be built to the Admiralty’s satisfaction with regards specifications and regulations whether the ships were to act as troopships or armed Merchant Cruisers.
To this end three ships were ordered from the Naval Construction and Armament Co. of Barrow-in-Furness. They were Empress of India, Empress of Japan and Empress of China. All with service speeds of 17.5 knots but 18 knots attainable.
June of 1890 the Alberta and Athabasca commenced full time passenger services Toronto-Chicago/ Montreal-Chicago as they were no longer required for railway construction. In late 1890 the Company announced delivery voyage round the world trips at £120 a ticket on their three new ships. The first ship completed, Empress of India, was fully booked and sailed from Liverpool Feb 8th 1891, her sisters followed in quick succession, Empress of Japan beat the transpacific record. Passengers and mail then travelled by boat train arriving in New York in time to catch the Inman liner City of New York bound for Liverpool. The mail from Yokohama reached London in less than 3 weeks, some 10 days below the contract time, an event which drew world wide comment and praise.
Tonnage: 5, 905g, 3, 003n.
Engines: Twin Screw, 2 x Triple Expansion, 10, 000 IHP, 17.5 Knots.
Passengers: 50 First Class, 150 Second Class, 400 Third Class.
Launched on the 30th August 1890 by Lady Louise Egerton, completed February 1891.
On the 8th February she made her maiden voyage from Liverpool via the Suez Canal to Hong Kong and finally her homeport of Vancouver arriving on the 28th April. She was then placed on her intended Trans-Pacific service of Vancouver- Yokohama_ Kobe- Nagasaki- Shanghai- Hong Kong and all the same ports homeward. She always bunkered coal at Nagasaki the work being done by women and children each carrying sacks weighing 15lbs, their record was 1, 210 tons in 3.25 hours.
In 1901 she carried the Duke and Duchess of York for part of the World cruise from Victoria to Vancouver. On the 17th of August 1903 she was in collision with the Chinese cruiser Huang Ti, with the Chinese warship sinking as a result. The new mail contract between Vancouver and Yokohama called for a reduction in the crossing time from 12 days to 10.5 days in 1908, this severely stretched the ship's capabilities to the limit. To facilitate for extra bunkers required her carrying capacity of passengers was reduced and Kobe was omitted from the service. This led to Canadian Pacific ordering new ships for the service which were introduced in 1912 and on the 7th December 1914 Empress of India was sold out of the fleet to the Maharajah of Gwalior who had her converted to an Indian Army Hospital ship. She was commissioned on the 19th January 1915 and renamed Loyalty and used mainly on the Bombay, Mesopotamia route. In March of 1919 her war service over she was sold to the Scindia Steam Navigation Company of Bombay for their Bombay- Marseilles service, she ran for eighteen months making no profit and was subsequently laid up off Elephanta Island in the March of 1921. In February of 1923 she was sold for scrap and was broken up by Maneckchand Jiyray of Bombay.
Built: 1891 by Naval Construction & Armament Co, Barrow.
Tonnage: 5, 905g, 3, 003n.
Engines: Twin Screw, 2 x Triple Expansion, 10, 000 IHP, 17.5 Knots.
Passengers: 50 First Class, 150 Second Class, 400 Third Class.
Launched on the 13th December 1890 by Lady Alice Stanley, completed April 1891.
The Empress of Japan made her maiden voyage on the 11th April 1891 sailing from Liverpool via Suez Canal, Hong Kong arriving at Vancouver to take up her service on the Pacific. All three sisters had topped 19.5 knots at trails but Empress of Japan proved to be faster than the other two sisters holding the Trans-Pacific record for twenty-two years in a time of 9 days, 19 hours and 39 minutes. She was out of service for three months in 1892 due to an electrical fire. In 1914 she was requisitioned by the Government for war service and was commissioned as an armed Merchant Cruiser. She was in Admiral Jerrams Far East Squadron based in Hong Kong and on the 10th November recaptured Exford from her German prize crew, sailors of the Light Cruiser Emdun. Once the German East Asiatic Squadron had been destroyed at the Battle of the Falkland Islands the Empress of Japan was released from her Military role and returned to her more normal commercial service. Affected by the changes in the mail schedules like her sisters she was laid up on the 18th of July 1922 and put up for sale. With little or no interest she was finally acquired for scrapping in 1926 by R. J. Christian & Co of Vancouver and work was carried out at Burrard Inlet, North Vancouver. Her bell now hangs in the Merchant Exchange Building in Vancouver and her figurehead is in a local public park.
Built: 1891 by Naval Construction & Armament Co, Barrow.
Tonnage: 5, 905g, 3, 003n.
Engines: Twin Screw, 2 x Triple Expansion, 10, 000 IHP, 17.5 Knots.
Passengers: 50 First Class, 150 Second Class, 400 Third Class.
Launched on the 25th March 1891 by Lady Stafford Northcote, completed July 1891.
After her maiden voyage which commenced on the 15th July she entered service on the Trans-Pacific route. On the 27th July 1911 she ran aground on the Mera Reef in Tokyo Bay, contributing factors were thick fog, no fog horns warning her of the reef and swift currents which drove her landwards, no lives were lost and the mails were saved. In October of 1912 she was refloated and towed to Yokohama for scrapping by Sasso Shojiro.
In 1897 the Company entered Sternwheeler ownership when it purchased Columbia and Kootenay Steam Navigation Company for $200,000.
The next gold rush after Klondyke was this year at a place believe it or not called Bonanza, with thousands of prospectors travelling to the area. CPR bought two ships from the Union Steam Ship Co., Athenian and Tartar.
On the 8th February 1898 Tartar sailed from Southampton carrying prospectors, the Athenian followed a few days later each carrying as much prospecting equipment as they possibly could. When the gold rush finally neared its end both ships finished up on the Transpacific service.
On 5th March 1901 CPR acquired Canadian Pacific Navigation Company the fleet list was as follows:
BEAVER
CHARMER
DANUBE
ISLANDER :
5th August struck an iceberg and sank in Lynn Channel with loss of 65 lives.
MAUDE
OTTER
PRINCESS LOUISE
QUEEN CITY
R.P. RITHET
TEES
TRANSFER
WILLAPA
YOSEMITE
1902 The Canadian Government approached CPR again with a view to starting a transatlantic service. Half the Canadian mail carriage was guaranteed as was the monies required to purchase the ships needed. In February 1903 the 1902 deal was announced and CPR purchased the fleet of Elder, Dempster and Co. Ltd.. Also its subsidiary Beaver Line which Elder’s had only purchased five years earlier. The route interests were also purchased, the fifteen ships taken over were as follows:
LAKE MICHIGAN
LAKE CHAMPLAIN
LAKE ERIE
All Beaver Line Ships
MILWAUKEE
MONTREAL
MONTCALM
MONTFORT
MONTEREY
MONTEAGLE
MONTROSE
MONMOUTH
MONTEZUMA
MOUNT ROYAL
MONT TEMPLE
All Elder Dempster Ships.
Go to 1904 to 1923