Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited

This is an historical account of the Owen Sound Transportation Company, Limited (OSTC), the forerunner of the enterprise that currently operates the vehicle and passenger ferry - M.S. Chi-Cheemaun - between Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula, and South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island. For updated information, see M.S. Chi-Cheemaun.

Owen Sound Transportation Company

The Owen Sound Transportation Company, was established by businessmen in the Owen Sound area, in 1921. These included: W. G. Hay, president, J. H. Hay, vice president and J. Garvey, secretary-treasurer. These three men were also associated with the Owen Sound based North American Bent Chair Company, it was their objective to use the company’s steamboat, SS Michipicoten, in freight only service from Owen Sound to isolated communities along the north shore of Lake Huron and Manitoulin Island.

It is likely the intended purpose of the navigation company, was in connection with the North American Bent Chair Company, as a means of procuring the materials necessary for the manufacture of its Bentwood chairs, as well as the transportation of packaged freight from Owen Sound. It was the objective of the officers of the firm to carry on the business of the furniture manufacturer, as a subsidiary of Owen Sound Transportation Company (OSTC).

Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited

Early in 1921 a rumor was circulating through Owen Sound, of a new steamboat line that was being formed to re-establish cruises to the popular tourist destination of Mackinac Island. Until about 1903 these steamboat excursions crossing Lake Huron, were popular from the Georgian Bay area, since the late nineteenth century, being the promotion of a Collingwood steamship line . It was not until the spring of 1926 that the Owen Sound Board of Trade was appointed to form a committee, to sell stock to finance the purchase of a steamship and refit it for reopening direct traffic between there and other points on the Mackinac route. In 1926 the Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited was granted supplementary letters patent, under the Ontario Companies Act, increasing its authorized capital stock from $ 40,000 to $ 150,000.

In 1926 the OSTC purchased the steel hulled, screw steamer Modjeska, a former Lake Ontario excursion boat, intended as a day cruiser. The ship had been laid up since 1924, following a serious collision in Toronto Harbour. Repaired and outfitted for service, the Modjeska arrived at Owen Sound late in the season, but with time enough to operate a few excursions, as well as two round trips to Sault Ste Marie. Over the following winter the ship was equipped with cabins and staterooms, with accommodation for up to150 passengers. Renamed SS Manitoulin, she began her first full season June 6, 1927, with Norman McKay as Captain.

Cruising the North Channel

The SS Manitoulin’s weekly schedule began with an 11:15 p.m. Monday departure from Owen Sound, arriving Tuesday morning at Killarney, then through the North Channel, calling at Manitowaning, Little Current, Gore Bay, Meldrum Bay, Cockburn Island, Hilton Beach, Richards Landing, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, arriving at Mackinac Island, on Wednesday evening. Returning over the same route with departure from Mackinac Island, 11 a.m. Thursday, arrival at Owen Sound, was on Saturday morning at 4:30. Weekend trips on the SS Manitoulin, departed 11:15 p.m. Saturday, calling at Killarney, Manitowaning and Little Current, and return, arriving back at Owen Sound 4:30 Monday morning.

The SS Michipicoten continued on an unscheduled freight only service between Owen Sound and Sault Ste. Marie, calling at Manitoulin and North Shore ports. The Michipicoten was destroyed by fire, at the Cooks Dock, near Silverwater, on Manitoulin Island, October 11, 1927.

To replace the Michipicoten, the OSTC purchased the SS Macassa, then under the ownership of Canada Steamship Lines’ Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company. The Macassa had completed her season as a day excursion steamer, between Toronto and Hamilton, September 30, 1927. Originally part of the Toronto and Hamilton Steamboat Company, along with sister ship, the SS Modjeska. Over the following winter in Toronto, she was converted for the accommodation of overnight passengers. Renamed SS Manasoo, she departed from Toronto for the last time April 16, 1928.

The 1928 OSTC schedule for the SS Manitoulin continued as she had through the previous year, while the Manisoo departed Owen Sound, on Thursdays at 11:15 p.m. without continuing on to Mackinac Island, returning from Sault Ste Marie at 4:30 Tuesday mornings.

September 15, 1928 the Manasoo foundered near Griffith Island, in Georgian Bay, while fighting a heavy storm, she capsized when her cargo of 116 cattle apparently shifted to one side, overbalancing her. The recent addition of increased passenger accommodations on her upper deck is thought to have contributed to her instability, she sank quickly. The bodies of her cattle are said to have stocked many a winter larder along the shores that year. All five of the survivors drifted for 60 hours in a life raft before being picked up by the CPR’s SS Manitoba.

Ferry Service to Manitoulin Island

From their commencement of operations, the SS Manitoulin (1927) and SS Manasoo (1928) were capable of transporting automobiles. A competitor to the Owen Sound Transportation Company, the Dominion Transportation Company, also operated a pair of passenger and package freight vessels out of Owen Sound, over much the same route as the OSTC. In 1927 an automobile ferry the SS Winona provided service from Cutler to Gore Bay. Another automobile ferry serving Manitoulin Island, was John Tackaberry’s Motor Ship Alice, serving on a route from Owen Sound, via Wiarton, Lion's Head and Tobermory to South Baymouth, terminating at Providence Bay, and return to Owen Sound.

Throughout the 1927 season, Tackaberry operated the MS Alice on the run to Providence Bay, he was, however, unsatisfied with the performance of the ship. Anxious to dispose of her, on April 3, 1928, Tackaberry sold the Alice to the Booth Fisheries Corporation of Canada Ltd. The MS Alice was operated for Booth by a subsidiary company, the Dominion Transportation Company Limited (DTC). She served Dominion's routes from Owen Sound to Manitoulin Island and the ports of Lake Huron's North Channel. The Alice was renamed MS Hibou to bring her in line with the other ships of the Dominion fleet, namely, SS Caribou and SS Manitou. "Hibou" is a French word meaning "owl."

Tobermory - South Baymouth Ferry Service

In 1930, Captain R. Vittie and H W Harmer, of Southampton, Ontario, obtained a charter for the Georgian Bay and Manitoulin Transportation Company. They had purchased John Tackaberry’s SS Henry Pedwell. The steamer was taken to Midland where it was widened and its gangway modified to accommodate automobiles. Later that summer the Henry Pedwell was placed in ferry service between Tobermory and South Baymouth.

With the 1930 season underway, OSTC purchased a retired Detroit Fire Department Fire boat, the SS James R Elliot, delivering it to the Midland Shipbuilding Company for conversion into a combination package freighter and passenger ferry. Replacing her boiler and steam engine with a new diesel engine increased her freight capacity and enabled her to transport automobiles. Overnight passenger cabins were also added. In 1931 the vessel was renamed the MS Normac which was the namesake of the OSTC general manager Norman Mckay, captain of the SS Manitoulin.

The MS Normac began her scheduled route on July 16, 1931, taking the place formerly assigned to the SS Manasoo, leaving Owen Sound, 11:15 p.m. Thursdays, returning at 4:30 am on the following Tuesday. While the SS Manitoulin continued with weekly Monday evening departure from Owen Sound, the OSCT also acquired the service of the Georgian Bay and Manitoulin Transportation Company, its steamer the Henry Pedwell, renamed SS Kagawong was returned to the Tobermory - South Baymouth route, running from July 1 to September 15, 1931. During early and late seasons the SS Kagawong operated on the Sault Ste. Marie route from Tuesday evening to Saturday morning, with weekend trips to Providence Bay.

From 1932 the (summer only) ferry service between Tobermory and South Baymouth, was assigned to the MS Normac, a position it occupied for the next 30 seasons. The owners of the SS Kagawong, Captain R. Vittie and H W Harmer defaulted on the mortgage held on the ship, by its previous owner and it was relinquished back to John Tackaberry. Dominion Transportation Company was operating its MS Hibou between Owen Sound and Providence Bay until 1933 when it was assigned to other duties. John Tackaberry operated his SS Islet Prince over the same route, although this ship was better known as a Pelee Island ferry.

In 1936 the Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited and its competitor, the Owen Sound based Dominion Transportation Company Limited, managed by R. V. Malloy, decided to merge their operations. Together the two companies, under the joint management of Mckay and Malloy, operated a pool service to Georgian Bay and North Channel ports and continuing through the Soo Locks and on Lake Superior to Michipicoten, as well as the ferry service between Tobermory and South Baymouth.

The MS Hibou did not run much during the early spring of 1936 but in June she was placed on the Tobermory ferry service. In the previous year the Hibou had operated as a ferry and excursion boat out of Kingston where most of its staterooms on the promenade deck had been removed to make room for sightseers and dancing. With the loss of her cabins, the Hibou was best suited for day use such as the ferry route it shared with the MS Normac.

On November 16, 1936, the Hibou made her last run on the ferry crossing and returned to Owen Sound were it was to be reassigned to take a few more trips to Killarney and Manitoulin Island. It was, of course, late in the navigation season and the only ships of the pool service still in operation were the motor ships Hibou and Normac, since SS Manitou, SS Caribou and SS Manitoulin had already gone into winter quarters at Owen Sound. Captain Norman McKay, himself master of Manitoulin, stepped down to take over Hibou while the regular captain of the Hibou, James Agnew, regular captain of the Hibou, moved back to the position of First Officer.

On its second trip to Killarney on Saturday, November 21, her cargo shifted in relatively calm waters, causing her to fill and sink, only 10 minutes out of Owen Sound. While testing the accuracy of a new compass, Captain Mckay made a sharp turn to the Port side, causing the cargo to shift to Starboard and as a result the ship began to lean to that side, from which it did not recover. It was not only the loss of the ship, but also 7 of the 17 member crew, Captain Mckay himself, being one of the fatalities.

New Management

The pool agreement between the two navigation companies continued through the 1930s and into the 1940s. The SS Manitou served on the Tobermory ferry route from 1937 to 1941 when it was retired, being replaced with Dominion Transportation Company’s SS Caribou, as its regular assignment during the summer season. The SS Manitoulin carried on its regular scheduled route via the North Channel of Lake Huron, but instead of terminating at Mackinac Island, continued through the Soo Locks and proceeding to Gargatua Harbour, and Michipicoten.

The 1936 pool arrangement between the two companies had been suggested by Ivor Wagner, a director of Booth Fisheries Corporation in Chicago. Wagner purchased the Dominion Transportation Company Limited in 1937 and moved to Owen Sound the following year. In 1944 the outstanding shares of the Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited were acquired by Dominion Transportation Company.

Ivor Wagner had managed both firms since 1937, although absent from the area while he served overseas in the Canadian Army during World War II, he returned to Owen Sound in January 1945 to resume his responsibility as president and general manager of both companies. Other directors included: W W Barnard, of Owen Sound, employed by OSTC since 1927, served as vice president and manager of operations; W A Alexander, secretary-treasurer, had been with Dominion Transportation Company since 1924; William Owens, chief engineer, had a lengthy connection with both firms, his association with the SS Manitou commenced when the ship was constructed in 1903. Mr. Owens had been chief engineer of OSTC since 1926. The two concerns remained a separate entities until the last DTC vessel, the SS Caribou, was sold at the end of the 1946 season.

In September 1946 a new ship, the SS Norisle was put in service on the ferry route. Built by the Collingwood Shipyards Limited for OSTC, the Norisle had a capacity of up to 50 automobiles and 250 passengers. Having more than twice the capacity of the SS Caribou and MS Normac combined, it was expected this new ship could handle the Tobermory - South Baymouth route alone, however, an anticipated increase in the volume of traffic after the war, the Normac continued in service with the Norisle. Like her predecessors the Norisle was also equipped with staterooms for the accommodation of up to 100 passengers, enabling her to be used on the Owen Sound - Sault Ste. Marie route during early and late navigation seasons.

The SS Manitoulin continued to navigate the North Channel from Owen Sound until its retirement in 1949. This route became affectionately known as the Turkey Trail, as a large number of turkeys were transported from Maitoulin’s island ports along the north shore during the years immediately following World War II. The 60 year old SS Manitoulin was replaced with the SS Norgoma, built by the Collingwood Shipyards Limited in 1950. Unlike the Norisle, the SS Norgoma was designed as a package freighter and passenger steamship, specifically for the Georgian Bay and North Channel route, however, like its predecessors she was also capable of transporting a limited number of automobiles.

External links

* [http://www.ontarioferries.com/chi/english/index.html Owen Sound Transportation Co home page]

hips of Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited