Editorially speaking…
Further to today’s story on the collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge in June 1958....
History almost repeated itself in May 2006 when it took the combined efforts of seven tugboats to keep a freighter from crashing into the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing.
On Jan. 13, reported the Times Colonist, after the 223-metre bulk carrier Isla de Cedros had cleared the Canexus terminal in North Vancouver, strong currents pushed her toward the CN Rail Burrard Inlet bridge and the adjacent Ironworkers Memorial bridge.
Disaster had seemed unavoidable despite a frantic call from the operator of the rail bridge to raise the span to allow the freighter to pass through—his request being denied because “a train was on its way and had priority”!
The accompanying pilot ordered the Isla de Cedros to reverse engines and drop her anchors. But slowing large ships takes a long time and five towboats besides the two attending to the ship—the news report doesn’t explain where they all came from at a moment’s notice—saved the day.
It had been a perfect storm for the freighter. Forced to raise anchor at the chemical plant because of a falling tide, she and two attending tugs were then caught in the tide’s flow. Among conclusions drawn from the incident was a promise by the chemical plant to dredge its anchorage so as to allow moored ships to ride out low tides and not have to shift position in a hurry.
The result of a previous encounter between the first bridge and marine traffic. —Vancouver City Archives
For those with long memories, this near-miss recalled ‘the good old days’ when the original Second Narrows Bridge had endured numerous fender-benders and, once, near-destruction, by ships passing through the constricted Narrows.
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As shown in this week’s feature story, the strong tides flowing beneath the so-called Bridge of Sighs long challenged vessels of all sizes—to the point that, in 1928, the Victoria Colonist accused the bridge of being a “mental hazard”.
This odd sobriquet came out during a court case between the owners of the bridge and those of the freighter Eurana which had struck the bridge the previous year. The short news article serves is a good introduction to the tragic tale of the disaster of June 1958:
Vancouver November 29th - For the purpose of proving that the Second Narrows Bridge was built in accordance with plans which had been approved by the Federal authorities, A.D. Swan, consulting engineer for the project, was called to the witness stand today by Dugald Donaghy. K.C.
Mr. Swan was permitted to state that he has been practising his profession for 35 years, and to give particulars of the various undertakings on which he has been employed, but when confronted by the bridge plans, Martin Griffin, K.C. objected to his evidence.
His objection was that the plans in question had not been passed under the proper statutory authority. Testifying for the Eurana, Captain Robert McMurray, marine superintendent for the CPR coastal service, and Captain Thomas Thompson, pilot, Victoria, said that the bridge was an interference with and a menace to navigation.
Captain McMurray explained that the bascule span was too close to the South Shore and just too narrow.
The same opinion was expressed by Captain Thompson, who has navigated the bridge 61 times this year and, in addition, he said that the bridge was a “mental hazard” to navigators. If an oil tanker should, in navigating the bridge, spring open her oil tanks, either through striking the bridge or running ashore, and the oil spread over the harbour, such a condition might readily lead to disaster in case of fire, he said.
In view of the danger encountered in navigating Second Narrows Bridge, no vessels over 12,000 tons of the Imperial Oil Company were permitted by their owners to go through the bridge.
This was the evidence yesterday in Admiralty Court before Justice Martin of Charles Arnberg, marine superintendent of the company. He was a witness for the steamship Eurana, which is being sued by the Burrard Inlet Tunnel & Bridge Company for $8,000 damage to the bridge. The Eurana has counterclaimed for $77,000 damage which it incurred through a collision with the bridge on March 10 1927.
Corroborating other witnesses, Captain E.L. McKay, master of the Nanaimolite, stated that the bridge was a menace and obstruction to navigation.
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A recent post on my Facebook page drew considerable comment:
In all my cemetery travels throughout southern British Columbia over the years, I’ve never seen a headstone like this one. It’s right in my own backyard and it has to be unique.
As shown, it marks the resting place of Nigel Henry Kingscote in the small, rustic cemetery of St. Ann’s Church, Cowichan Station, B.C.
If you look closely, you can see the pores, hairs and wrinkles of his hands and wrists, having been cast, I’m assuming, in wax while he was alive.
The triangular stone and the hands on the staff almost suggest that he was a mountain climber!
No, Nigel Kingscote was a farmer. Can we assume that he’s resting on his shovel?
I recently visited St. Ann’s with friends and fellow historians Blake Mackenzie and Dan Marshall, shown here, who were impressed with this outstanding memorial. They’d never seen anything like it.
I tell Nigel Kingscote’s story in my book on Cowichan Valley cemeteries, Tales the Tombstones Tell; A Walking Guide to Cemeteries of the Cowichan Valley; FirGrove Publishing, 2012.
This week’s digital colourizing wizardry by Nigel Robertson shows the E&N Railway water tower that once stood on the Malahat. Only the Parksville tower survives today and it’s threatened with possible demolition because of the cost of necessary repairs.
Here’s hoping that Parksville Council—someone!—appreciates its historical value enough to initiate the necessary maintenance. Did we learn nothing from saving the Kinsol Trestle?
