Editorially speaking…
I’m not the only one who collects old photos. From Al Maas, this query:
Hey, Tom
Thanks for getting back to me, I'm hoping someone will be able to identify some of these people. I got the picture at the Whippletree Auction years ago, so am hoping it's a local picture of rail workers? bridge builders? Beams are quite long and may have been used for trestles etc? Hope you see something here that you might recognize.
Thanks, Al
By the neatly stacked piles of lumber, I’m guessing these are sawmill workers. If so, which mill? Al bought it at a Cowichan Valley auction but the men in the photo could be at a mill almost anywhere in B.C.—or below the border, for that matter.
Any ideas, readers?
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Great news from the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ!
As we know, the Martin Mars water bomber Hawaiian Mars, currently at her longtime Sproat Lake anchorage, is to take up permanent retirement at the BC Aviation Museum in Sidney sometime later this year.
—Pima Air and Space Museum
Her one surviving sister, Philippine Mars, has also found final anchorage at the Pima Museum. Both were last owned by Coulson Aviation. According to the news release,
Coulson Aviation’s Philippine Mars will soon find its forever home at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona this year. The Philippine Mars is one of only five Martin JRM Mars flying boats that served in the U.S. Navy.
Coulson announced the destination of another Martin JRM Mars, the Hawaii Mars, earlier this month to the BC Aviation Museum in Sidney, British Columbia. “This has been an exciting month for both Martin Mars waterbombers,” said Wayne Coulson, CEO of Coulson Group. “As a fitting tribute to their years of service and years of hard work by many people in B.C. and the U.S., we are pleased to see both Mars aircraft landing to rest at world class institutions in 2024.”
Produced between 1942 and 1947, the Mars fleet flew cargo between Hawaii and the Pacific Islands to support the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, they supported the Korean War with medical air transport lifts between Hawaii and California, later transitioning to cargo lift work between Hawaii and California before being decommissioned in 1956.
The surviving fleet of four aircraft were sold in 1958 to a consortium of timber companies in British Columbia, Canada, and converted into the world’s largest waterbombers carrying 7,200 U.S. gallons per drop. Coulson purchased two of the aircraft, the Hawaii Mars and the Philippine Mars, in 2007, which marked the beginning of the company’s fixed-wing air tanker operations for aerial wildfire support.
Hawaii Mars and Philippine Mars are the only Martin JRM Mars aircraft remaining today.
“We are pleased to have the Philippine Mars join our museum where we will preserve this World War II-era aircraft for decades to come,” said Scott Marchand, CEO, Pima Air and Space Museum.
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From Maureen Alexander of the Malahat Mill Bay Historical Society, an update on the forthcoming theatre production they’re going to stage at various venues throughout the Valley, beginning in July.
As the poster says, Messages in the Dust are fascinating true stories from Vancouver Island’s past—including at least one based upon a Chronicle of years ago. The sad story of Camp 6 (Caycuse, Cowichan Lake) school teacher Mable Jones has always resonated with me.
I work with words; I’m looking forward to seeing how Will Johnson has transformed what I and others have written about poor Mable into a live performance.
—seedsandsalt2024eventbrite.ca
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Last week’s flashback to the Point Ellice bridge disaster left me feeling that it was incomplete, that I should have written more about the 55 victims. Ergo, this clipping from the Victoria Daily Times of May 27, 1896, the day after. Note the one-fifth of those lost were visiting Victoria from elsewhere when they chose to join in watching war games in Esquimalt and boarded the overloaded and ill-fated No. 16 streetcar:
—BC Archives
THE ROLL OF DEATH
List of Those Whose Lives Were Sacrificed in the Horrible Disaster.
MRS. J. A. TROUTT, of Seattle, was identified by her husband almost as soon as her body reached the Market hall. The husband was with her on the car and escaped he scarcely knows how.
SOPHIE and ALICE SMITH of Victoria, daughters of Captain Smith, formerly of the tug Mogul, were going with their sister Inez to the parade ground. Inez Smith being unable to find a seat in the crowded car. She stood on the rear platform and so was able to strike clear of the debris and struggling crowd and swim ashore. Her two sisters were both drowned.
JAMES THOMPSON PATTERSON, a chipper employed at the Albion Iron Works, 32 years of age, and leaving a wife and three children, was identified by his brother.
MISS GRACE ELFORD. about 17 years old, a daughter of D. Elford of this city, was identified early last evening, first of all by Mr. William Munsie, who had known here intimately.
MRS. FRED ADAMS, SR., relict of the late contractor F. Adams, who lost his life in the wreck of the ill-fated Velos, was drowned with her son, Fred, the latter leaving a widow but no children.
MRS. WILLIAM HEATHERBELL, of South Road, Spring Ridge, was sitting with her husband about the centre of the car. Mr. Heatherbell had a miraculous escape, receiving few injuries. His wife was drowned.
MRS. G.H. WOODHOUSE, of Seattle, was pinioned in the shattered car and had no chance for her life. She was a bride of but four months.
MRS. S.L. BALLARD, of Providence, R. I., was spending the celebration days with friends in Victoria, by whom she was identified soon after her body reached the improvised morgue.
WILLIAM VAN BOKKELIN, of Port Townsend, for some time a well known custom house officer of Puget Sound-a married man.
J.K. LEVERIDGE, grocer, of Spring Ridge. He was on his way to the military spectacle accompanied by his step-daughter, Nellie Preston, the latter of whom was taken from the water before life was extinct and resuscitated.
GABRIELLE MAROTTA, of Seattle, positively identified by acquaintances.
GUISEPPE MAURO, also of Seattle, and well known in this city.
MRS. THOMAS PIIYSICK, wife of a C. P. R. boiler maker, residing at 812 Richards Street, Vancouver; leaves two children.
MISS EMILY NATHAN, of Victoria, identified by her father last evening.
MR. AND MRS. SIMON PEARSON, of North Park street, this city; leave three children, the eldest of them a boy of 9 years.
MR. JAMES; no other particulars obtainable.
MRS. P. ELFORD, of Shawnigan Lake.
B. W. MURRAY, a son of Foreman Murray of the city water works.
W. J. CROWELL's little son, 10 years old or thereabouts, whose parents reside on Spring Ridge.
MRS. PRIESTLEY, of Minneapolis, identified by papers found on the body.
— MARATTA, an Italian harpist from Seattle, identified by Mr. R. J. Dodds of the Sound City.
MRS. DR. PRESTON, a resident of Seattle, leaves two children; she was identified by her sister, Miss Evelyn Farrelly.
MRS. EDWARD HOOSEN, wife of Nightwatchman Hoosen, of this city, and
CLARENCE HOOSEN, their son, aged about five or six years.
JAMES WILSON, five years old, the son of Street Inspector Wilson.
EMMA OLSEN, of 73 Frederick street, twenty years of age, has no relatives so far as known in this city or province.
MISS LESTER. No other particulars obtainable.
MISS ANN KEAST, daughter of Deputy Registrar Keast; her mother was resuscitated with extreme difficulty.
MISS FLOSSIE JACKSON, 50 Quadra street.
J. B. GORDON, manager of Bradstreet's commercial agency at Vancouver, for some
time a resident of Victoria .
MR. AND MRS. E. B. CARMICHAEL, of Menzies street, for many years residents of Victoria; they leave two in family. Their daughter, with her escort, was intending to take the car with her parents, but found it too crowded, and they were forced to take the one in advance, by which they escaped.
GEORGE FARR, conductor, leaves a widow and two children.
HARRY TALBOT, the conductor in charge of No. 16 at the time of its awful plunge. He leaves a wife.
MISS. SLOAN, of Seattle, was accompanying Mr. and Mrs. Trout and their party, and was drowned with the majority of the little circle of holiday makers.
— BOSSI, storekeeper of Store street.
J. H. TYACK, a blacksmiths helper residing on Humboldt street; his body was at first mistaken for that of his cousin, Jimmie Laurie whose brother was drown ed only a couple of months ago. Laurie is safe.
TWO CHILDREN, Archie and Julia, son and daughter of G. W. Biggar of this city, who himself narrowly escaped.
— EDMONDS, of Pembroke street.
W. ARTHUR FULLERTON. son of W. F. Fullerton, of Clarke and North Pembroke streets.
MRS. G. I. POST and her son, of 153 Fernwood road.
FRANK ORESTA, bootblack, of Yates street.
MISS MINNIE ROBERTSON, daughter of ex-Ald. W. A. Robertson, who with his son was also a passenger on No. I6 and who escaped with some bad cuts and serious bruises.
THE MISSES BOWNESS (2); their mother was with them on the car, but was among the saved.
IDA FLORENCE GOODACRE, of Tacoma, but whose parents, as weIl as her uncle, Mr. Lawrence Goodacre, reside here.
R. S. HOLMES, bookkeeper at the Sayward mill.
TWO CHILDREN, daughters of Mrs. Sheppard, of Spring Ridge.