deplore, the more acceptable will he be to us, and the more likely to promote the interests of this congregation.'"

There is no one living who remembers Mr. Barclay, and I have not been able to discover any of his writings with the exception of the sermon which I have mentioned, so that there are few facts of a personal kind about him. The following story was told to my great-aunt (a niece of the Rev. John Barclay), some years ago by an old parishioner of his: In a family in Kingston where Mr. Barclay was a frequent guest, were two little twin girls who had been given two dolls dressed as babies. One day they were missed by their nurse, and she finally traced them to the door of the Manse, where they were interviewing the housekeeper, who was telling them that the minister was not at home. When their nurse asked why they had gone to Mr. Barclay's, they replied that they wanted to get their dolls baptized.

At the time of his death Mr. Barclay was engaged to be married to a young Kingston lady-an aunt of the twins, I believe-and my great-aunt remembers seeing years ago an invoice of the household furnishing for which Mr. Barclay, in preparation for his marriage, had sent to the Old Country.

He died a few days after returning to Kingston from London, where he had ridden to hold communion services. In the words of an old newspaper clipping: "He died in the same month (as his ordination), in the fifth year of his ministry, in the flower of his manhood, deeply regretted by his congregation. The monument erected by the people stands in the old Presbyterian burying ground in the north part of the city."

VI.

HISTORY OF THE WINDSOR AND DETROIT FERRIES.

BY F. J. HOLTON, D. H. BEDFORD, AND FRANCIS CLEARY.

In the early days of the eighteenth century in the Great Lakes region. transportation was to a great extent carried on by means of birch bark canoes and bateaux. A bateau was a particular kind of boat very generally used upon the large rivers and lakes in Canada. The bottom of it was perfectly flat and each end was built very sharp and exactly alike. The sides were about four feet high, and, for the convenience of the rowers, four or five benches were laid across, according to the length of the bateau. It was a heavy sort of vessel for either rowing or sailing, but preferred for the reason that it drew little water and carried large loads, and was safer on lakes or wide rivers where storms were frequent. The bateau was at times propelled by means of sails. oars, and poles. The early inhabitants brought their furs to market either in canoes or bateaux. The furs were exchanged with the traders in return for supplies, ammunition, trinkets, etc.

In this region, nearly surrounded by water, the question of transportation was a most important one, and in the early days of the nineteenth century one among the modes in vogue between Detroit and the Canadian shore, of which we have definite knowledge, was that of a log canoe owned by a man named Pierre St. Amour, who, during the period of 1820-1830 kept a small tavern about where the north-east corner of Sandwich Street and Ouellette Avenue now is, and ran his ferry from the shore there across to Detroit, and landed his passengers as might best suit them, either at Griswold Street or Woodward Avenue.

The other ferry was log canoe (No. 2), owned by a man named Francois Labalaine, who lived on the Jeanette farm, about where the Canadian Pacific Railway station now stands. He ran his ferry from the shore at that point to the Detroit side of the river. At the door of his home was hung a tin horn. four feet long, which was used by Madame Labalaine to call him from across the river when passengers were waiting to cross over.

In the winter at that period, and for a long time previous to that time when the river was frozen over, the trip was made in sleighs crossing over on the ice. They were guided by brushwood placed at intervals on each side of the course to be followed. Crossing in this way was attended by great risk of danger and even by loss of life at times. As a proof of this the following is taken from the parish records of the Church of the Assumption, Sandwich, under date of January 1st, 1785: "Time, 8 a.m.; Menard, wife of Belair, was drowned with Demer's little girl while crossing the ice on a cutter. Demer's wife, who held her one-year-old child in her arms, was rescued by her husband. Were rescued also Belair and Duroseau, who hung on to Demer's cape."

Friend Palmer, in his book, "Early Days in Detroit," published in 1906, gives the following account of a trip he made from Buffalo, N.Y., to Detroit.

Mich, in May, 1827: "We came from Buffalo on the steamer Henry Clay, Captain Norton. She was a luxurious boat and the captain was an aristocrat. While walking on the streets of Detroit he was the observed of all observers. The trip covered a period of two days and two nights. After passing by Sandwich, the first sight that greeted us was that of the Windmills-three on the Canadian side and two on the American side. On nearing Detroit a more interesting sight was that of a horse-ferry boat, Captain John Burtis, running between Detroit and the Canadian side. It was propelled by a horse walking around in an enclosure which looked like a large cheese box on a raft."

The ferry business at that time was not a very paying one, as is shown by the following statement, taken from an old record of 1828: "John Burtis filed his statement of income in 1828 of the Ferry between Detroit and the Canadian side. The income was $1,325.66 and expenses $1,704.33, leaving a deficit of $378.67."

It is very well known that Robert Fulton was the first one who successfully developed the idea of the steamboat. In 1807 he brought out the steamer Clearmont on the Hudson River at New York City, and for some time she made regular trips between New York and the City of Albany at a speed of five miles an hour. One of the first steam-propelled ferry boats between Detroit and the Canadian side was the Argo (No. 1), built by Louis Davenport, of Detroit, in 1830. It was built on the catamaran plan, being composed of two dugouts decked over and propelled by steam power. In 1836 Mr. Davenport built the steamer United, and in 1837 and for a number of years after that she ran as a ferry between Detroit and the Canadian side.

Captain John D. Sullivan, at one time superintendent of the Detroit & Windsor Ferry Company, in his account of the Battle of Windsor, which took place on the 4th of December, 1838, makes reference to the steamer United, as follows: "The old officers' quarters were occupied by Robert Motherwell and family, the father and son being respectively first and second engineers on the steamer United of forty tons, a ferry between Detroit and the Canadian side. This boat was some years afterwards destroyed by an explosion of her boiler, and Engineer Motherwell killed."

The United was under command of a Captain Clinton, father of Captain W. R. Clinton, who at a later date was for many years connected with the Detroit & Windsor Ferry Company.

The ferry United ran from the lower Ferry Street dock to the Griswold Street dock in Detroit. In connection with the landing on the Canadian side, the location is set forth in the following advertisement of Provett's Hotel, which appeared in 1838: "Windsor Castle Ale and Beer House. S. T. Provett respectfully informs the inhabitants of Windsor and Sandwich that he has opened a small establishment on the old country plan, where he always keeps on hand good schnaps in the Edinboro Ale, Sandwich and Detroit Beer brewed from the London recipe. Soda Water, etc., etc. A good snack in the shape of spiced beef and tongue, boiled eggs, pickled fish and crust of bread and cheese. Tarts, crackers, etc., always on hand. Moreover, a private room where an old countryman or others who prefer it may enjoy the river breeze over a jug of the best beer this country affords and their pipe and tobacco or first rate cigar. The Windsor Castle stands on the Ferry wharf between the two tailor shops." The small, square, two-storey brick building at present standing on the

wharf on the west side of Ferry Street was occupied as a customs house in the days when the first steam ferries ran from that dock to Detroit. Between the years 1845 and 1858 the ferries brought out were the Alliance, afterward called the Undine; the Mohawk, Captain Thomas Chilver; the Argo (No. 2), built by Louis Davenport, of Detroit; and the two steamers Ottawa and Windsor, built by Dr. George B. Russell, of Detroit, who was a son-in-law of Mr. Davenport.

The Ottawa and Windsor were used as ferries by the Great Western Railway between Windsor and Detroit. The Ottawa carried freight, and the Windsor carried both passengers and freight. When the late King Edward VII, as Prince of Wales, visited Canada, he arrived in Windsor at the Great

THE WATER FRONT IN THE LATE FIFTIES.
Old Type of Steam Ferry in Central Position.

(Looking toward Detroit.)

(By courtesy of the Pere Marquette Railway.)

Western Railway station in September, 1860, and crossed over on the ferry Windsor to the Woodward Avenue dock in Detroit.

The Argo (No. 2), Captain James Forbes, ran on the regular ferry route until 1872. The steam ferries previous to 1858 ran from the lower Ferry Street dock in Windsor, but after 1858, in which year the town dock was built at Upper Ferry Street (Brock Street), the dock at the Lower Ferry Street was then abandoned, and the boats afterwards ran from the Brock Street dock in Windsor to the Woodward Avenue dock in Detroit. This change was made on account of the building of the old Great Western Railway into Windsor and the locating of the passenger station at the foot of Brock Street. The old passenger station is still standing, having been for a number of years past used as a freight shed.

The town dock at Brock Street had the distinction of being the site of the original Windsor water works, viz., the town pump, from which anyone with a horse and wagon and a barrel could fill the barrel with water and sell to anyone desiring to buy the same for the sum of fifteen cents a barrel, a common practice before the establishment of the present fine water works system in 1872.

The old Great Western Railway (now a part of the Grand Trunk system since 1882) was built into Windsor in 1853, and the passenger station built at the foot of Upper Ferry Street (Brock Street). The road was opened for traffic on the 31st of January, 1854. To connect with the railways in Detroit the company operated ferries for passengers and freight. The steamer Transit (No. 1) was put on the ferry between Windsor and the Third Street dock of the Michigan Central Railway of Detroit, and the steamer Windsor, built by Dr. Geo. B. Russell, of Detroit, was run as a ferry between Windsor and the Brush Street dock of the old Detroit and Milwaukee Railway Company.

In 1856 the Great Western Railway Company had under construction the steamer Union, which was built by Henry Jenking at his ship yard, which was then located at Walkerville, on the Canadian side just above Windsor, and the Union made her first trip in June, 1857. She was a large side-wheel steamer, with a large cabin and dining room on the upper deck, and had two smoke stacks standing side by side. She was equipped with powerful condensing engines, consisting of two cylinders placed in the hold at an angle inclined upwards to connect direct with the wheel shaft. She was put on the run between Windsor and the Michigan Central Third Street dock, Detroit.

The smaller ferries at that time burned wood for fuel, but the Union was one of the few coal-burning boats and had a coaling dock enclosed at the sides and located at the foot of Church Street, where the Cadwell Sand & Gravel Company now is. She was the ice-crusher of that period, and, besides helping to keep the river clear of ice in winter, often went to the assistance of the smaller boats. During the years 1857 to 1870 the Union was often resorted to by the residents of Windsor in crossing the river in winter when the smaller ferries were laid up on account of the ice.

After the Union was brought out, the Transit (No. 1) was used for ferrying cattle across the river until 1867. Captain Charles W. Stone was her captain for a number of years previous to that time. The propeller Globe was also used by the Great Western Railway for ferrying cattle across the river until March, 1866, when, at the Michigan Central Third Street dock in Detroit, owing to a rush of cattle on board, she capsized and sank. Of the eighty head on board, a number swam across the river and landed on the Canadian shore.

The steamer Windsor, Captain W. R. Clinton, ran until the night of the 29th of April, 1866, when, at the Brush Street dock in Detroit, she was burned. The fire started in the warehouse, and, fed by the oil stored there, burned so rapidly that it spread to the boat, cutting off all means of escape by way of the dock and leaving only one way of escape for those on board, and that was by jumping overboard into the river. Twenty-eight lives were lost by drowning. Others were rescued, a number being saved by the efforts of two sons of John Horn, of Detroit. The son, John Horn, Jr., was for years afterward the champion life-saver of the river front.