Shipwrecks and Sessional Papers:

In 1823, Thomas Mears and Philemenon Wright launched the first steamboat in the Ottawa River [1]. Named the Union of Ottawa, its launch marked the beginning of more than one hundred years of steam vessel use on the river. Over the course of the century, hundreds of steam vessels plied the Ottawa River. Some were retired or sold for use on other waters, but many sank and remain under the river's surface. Very little scholarly research has been done on these wrecks, or the boats that they once were. As such, digging into historical documentation is a necessity for those wishing to learn about the wrecks and their history.

Newspapers are an obvious historical source to turn to, and local papers such as the Bytown Gazette (1840-1845), Ottawa Citizen (1846-date), Ottawa Free Press (1871-1900), and Ottawa Journal (1885-1980) all contain reference to steamboat travel. However, searching every page of a daily or weekly newspaper is time-intensive, especially given the 117 years of steamboat history on the Ottawa River [2].

Instead of combing through a century of newspapers, it is helpful to know that there was a Steamboat Board of Inspection, overseen by the Department of Marine and Fisheries. As a government agency, the Department of Marine and Fisheries submitted annual reports on the status of its affairs. These reports are published as part of the Sessional Papers [3].

First published in 1842 as the Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, the Journals were renamed to the Sessional Papers in 1867, post-Confederation. The Sessional Papers are compilations of reports submitted to the House of Commons and serve as historical records of material presented at parliamentary sessions. They cover a broad range of content, including reports on agriculture, trade and commerce, Indigenous affairs, and other national concerns  [ 4]. These compiled reports, running from 1842 to the present, make the Sessional Papers an invaluable source for historical research.

The Sessional Papers are available at the Library of Parliament. Within their collection, the Sessional Papers are archived with other government publications. They are collected under the Library of Parliament's mandate of "creating, managing and delivering authoritative, reliable and relevant information and knowledge for Parliament" [5].

In regards to shipwrecks, most volumes of the Sessional Papers included a supplement containing various reports from the Department of Marine and Fisheries [6]. Among these are reports pertaining to new, retired, and wrecked steam vessels.

To demonstrate the historical value of the Sessional Papers for researching shipwrecks, this blog post will examine Volume 5 of the Sessional Papers [7]. Also referred to as "The First Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Dominion of Canada," it contains the twelfth annual report of the Department of Marine and Fisheries, presented as 'Supplement No. 1' (image to the left).

The report includes fifty-four sub-reports, several of which are helpful for researching wrecks. The most useful reports are presented below, along with brief descriptions of the information they contain and how they pertain to researching wrecks in the Ottawa River. These reports are common to most volumes of the Sessional Papers, though their content obviously differs.

This appendix serves as the preface to the reports. It also includes brief discussions of important department-related events, such as deaths, important vessel collisions, summary of the annual meeting, and rule changes. This is useful for learning about news that was considered important by the Chairman of the Board of Inspectors.

A major focus of the 1879 report is the "greater loss of life by steamboats, during the past year, than has occurred in Canada in the past twenty-two years" [8]. The "Waubano" sank with everyone on board (no number provided) and there were three other deaths. 1879 is also the first year a 'maximum capacity' limit was put on steamboats, due to the frequent "overcrowding excursion steamers with passengers" [9].

This appendix has several useful sub-statements. These include tables on the gross and registered tonnage of steamboats, fees, and the number and class of all steam vessels in the Dominion of Canada at the end of the year. Appendix 2 also includes lists of yearly steamboat additions, which are not helpful for finding records of wrecks, but can provide useful information about steamboats for research into later wrecks. These lists include information such as their class and horsepower, their make (wood or iron), gross and registered tonnage, where they were built, and where and how they were employed [10].

Tallies of losses or retirements are also included. Following the tally are brief descriptions of various losses, divided by division. These are extremely helpful, as the descriptions are recorded geographically. Results for the Ottawa River and Rideau Canal are usually located in the 'East Ontario Division,' though they can also appear in the 'Montreal Division' or 'Kingston' depending on whether they were on the upper or lower Ottawa River or Rideau Canal. Placing these results on the Ottawa River or Rideau Canal often requires knowledge of place names along the waterways, as well as knowledge of historical place names (such as Bytown, Pontiac Village, etc.). There is both a table version and a paragraph version, though they contain different information. Within the losses table, the vessel entries contain information such as their class and horsepower, their make (wood or iron), gross and registered tonnage, where they were built, and where and how they were employed. However, only some of the records have a note about the circumstances of their loss. Within the 'East Ontario Division' and the 'Montreal Division' there are four entries, but no circumstances recorded. Among these are the "Emerald" and the "Witch of the Wave," which both served as passenger boats on Lac Deschênes on the Ottawa River [11].

Within the paragraph version, the entries are entirely different and contain a focus on the circumstances. Within the 'East Ontario Division,' there are five entries. One of these are relevant, and refers to the steamer "Olive" running into and sinking the steamer "Peerless" (no date) along the Rideau Canal. Within the 'Montreal Division," there are three entries. One is relevant, and notes the burning of both the "Lincoln" and "M. 16. D." in New Edinburgh near Ottawa, in March and August, respectively. In the 'Kingston Division' there are four entries, one of which is relevant. It notes the burning of the barge "Kitty Friel" after its lumber cargo caught fire from a chimney spark. No date is provided, but it is noted as a total loss [12].

This section of Appendix 2 is very useful for learning general information about wrecks from that year, though it does not provide specific dates as its purpose of the section is to record complaints or potential sources of complaints against steamboat engineers.

While this appendix is not useful for researching wrecks in the Ottawa River or Rideau Canal, it is important for research pertaining to the wider Canadian waters or Canadian vessels worldwide. It contains the date of the casualty, vessel name, age, port of registry, type, registered tonnage, port sailed from, port sailed to, and location, nature, and cause of casualty. It also records the lives lost, whether it was a total or partial casualty, and the cost of the casualty [13].

This appendix is extremely useful for researching all inland vessel wrecks, which includes wrecks on the Ottawa River. Like Appendix 3, it contains the date of the casualty, vessel name, age, port of registry, type, registered tonnage, port sailed from, port sailed to, and location, nature, and cause of casualty. It also records the lives lost, whether it was a total or partial casualty, and the cost of the casualty [14].

Within this table, there is only one wreck that pertains to the Ottawa River or Rideau Canal.

The table entry details the burning of the "Kitty Friel" on August 18 on the Rideau Canal, due to a spark from its funnel. Registered at Kingston, Ontario, it sailed the Ottawa to Kingston route. The "Kitty Friel" was ten years old at the time of the accident, and was carrying a cargo worth $800. The boat was a total loss, with a write-off value of $2,500. From information provided in Appendix 2, it is also known that the vessel was specifically a barge carrying lumber, and that the spark came from the chimney and lit the lumber on fire [15].

While examining the 1879 Sessional Papers, several results pertaining to the Ottawa have surfaced.

• "Witch of the Wave," no circumstance, no date.
• "Emerald," no circumstance, no date.
• "Peerless," sank in collision with the "Olive" on Rideau Canal near Merrickville, no date.
• "Lincoln," burnt near New Edinburg, April.
• "M. 16. D.," burnt near New Edinburgh, August.
• "Kitty Friel," burnt on Rideau Canal, August 18.

The question is, what to do with this list? Examining newspaper stories for more context is one option, but for many of the steamboats there were no specific dates attached. Many also have no mention of the circumstances of their status, and depending on the drama of their circumstances and their relative importance, they may or may not appear in the newspapers. The solution is to find out more information about the undated or uncategorized losses, for which the best resource is the New Mills List: Canadian Coastal and Inland Steam Vessels, 1809-1930.

First published in 1979 by John M. Mills with three thousand steamboat records, The New Mills List was re-released in 1999 with more than six thousand records [ # ]. The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston has since turned The New Mills List into a searchable database, complete with newspaper clippings, photographs, and ship documents [16].

The New Mills List is an invaluable resource for finding further information about specific steamboats, as it references vessels by name and build year and also provides associated newspaper clippings or images.

The New Mills List provides information for five of these six vessels. There is no information available on "M. 16. D.," which is not surprising. Given its lack of a proper name, it was likely a small tug and was never officially registered. The "Witch of the Wave," the "Emerald," the "Peerless," the "Lincoln," and the "Kitty Friel" all have additional information available. This information is presented below.

• Sessional Papers: no circumstance, no date.
• The New Mills List: #71198, screw propulsion, 40' x 9' x 3', 27 tons. Owned by W. Beck of Carleton, Ontario beginning 1877. Sold in 1886 to P. Harvie of Ottawa, Ontario. Built by J. J. Phillips of Kemptville, Ontario in 1875. First engine 4' x 4' by Haskins Machine Company of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Later engine 8' x 10' by McFarlane Brothers, Ottawa. Final disposition: removed from register [17].

• Sessional Papers: no circumstance, no date.
• The New Mills List: sidewheel steamer, 140' x 19' x 9', 174 tons. Owned by Egan & Armond originally; later sold to the Union Forwarding Company of Ottawa. Built by W. Miller of Aylmer, Ontario in 1846. Launched on March 1, 1846 (01/03/46). Used on Chats Lake, for passengers at first; turned into a towboat after 1862. Carried Prince of Wales on tour of Chats Lake in 1860. "She is a small but exceedingly comfortable boat and the table was one that would have graced a London Inn, both in material and setting out" (Montreal Gazette, 1851). Final disposition: broken up [18].

• Sessional Papers: sank in collision with the "Olive" on Rideau Canal near Merrickville, no date.
• The New Mills List: #72562, screw propulsion, 60' x 13' x 5', 26 tons. Owned by T. Moffatt of Perth, Ontario. Built by F. A. Gardner of Hamilton, Ontario in 1873. Engine was 10' x 12', made by builder, and it initially served as a passenger vessel. The "Peerless" was badly damaged ("cut in two") in collision with the "Olive" on October 9, 1878 (09/10/78) near Merrickville. It was later raised and rebuilt as a tug [19].

"Lincoln"

• Sessional Papers: burnt near New Edinburg, April.
• The New Mills List: sidewheel steamer, 92' x 11' x 7', 152 tons. Owned by Sincennes-McNaughton, no location. Built by D. & J. McCarthy of Sorel, Quebec, in 1861. Served as towboat on lower Ottawa River. Destroyed by fire on March 8, 1878 in Ottawa [20].

• Sessional Papers: burnt near New Edinburg, August.
• The New Mills List: not recorded.

• Sessional Papers: burnt on Rideau Canal, August 18.
• The New Mills List: screw propulsion, 92' x 20' x 4', 66 tons. Owned by Fraser & George of Kingston, Ontario from 1869 to 1873; sold to H. Harris of Kemptville in 1873. Sold again to J. Neville of Nepean, Ontario in 1877, and again to Capt. Lafreniere (no location) in 1878. Built by R. Friel, Dog Lake (near Battersea), Ontario in 1869. Engine by Kingston Foundry. The "Kitty Friel" was a steam barge, and first sank on September 9, 1872 near Cape Vincent, New York. It was raised and rebuilt by Kingston Marine Railway in 1873. It was badly damaged by fire June 17, 1873, after it was rebuilt again. It was frozen in the ice on November 12, 1878 between Merrickville and Smiths Falls. The "Kitty Friel" was finally destroyed by fire on August 18, 1879 near Merrickville when its lumber cargo was ignited by sparks from stack [21].

The New Mills List is an extremely useful resource for finding more information, but using it successfully depends on initial research in the Sessional Papers. Without that initial research, searching the database turns into an aimless and time intensive search. Combined, these resources serve as invaluable sources for both primary and secondary source research on shipwrecks.

The aim of this blog post was to demonstrate how to use the Sessional Papers to research shipwrecks, using the 1879 Sessional Papers to identify wrecks on the Ottawa River and Rideau Canal. Looking back at the results of the 1879 Sessional Papers, there were six ships reported as a 'loss' within the various appendices. The New Mills List provided further information, and revealed that the "Witch of the Wave" was removed from the register (likely junked), the "Emerald" was broken up for parts, the "Peerless" sank on the Rideau Canal but was later raised and rebuilt as a tug boat, the "Lincoln" and the "M. 16. D." burnt on the Ottawa River near New Edinburg, and the "Kitty Friel" burnt and sank on the Rideau Canal. Though the "Peerless," "Lincoln," "M. 16. D.," and "Kitty Friel" are only four out of the seventy-three wrecks identified on the Ottawa River so far, they demonstrate the value of the Sessional Papers as a starting point in researching shipwrecks [22].

Provided below are a list of web resources and further reading recommendations. They are primarily on the history of steamboats in Ontario, focusing on the Ottawa River and related areas.

1.  Maritime History of the Great Lakes : This is a searchable database containing material from John M. Mills' The New Mills List. It also contains information on ships, links to articles, excerpts from the Sessional Papers and other government documents, and connections to other marine heritage societies and their archives.
2.  Sessional Papers (UBC) : This is a research guide from the University of British Columbia's library. It contains basic information about the Sessional Papers and their various iterations. The guide also provides links and information about accessing the Sessional Papers digitally.
3.  Shipwrecks of the Ottawa River and Rideau Canal : This is an interactive map of known steamboat shipwrecks in the Ottawa River and Rideau Canal, created by the author of this post. It contains images, information, and relevant links about the various wrecks, dating from 1835 to 1987.
4.  Early Canadiana Online : This is a database of digitized Canadian heritage content, including government publications. The Sessional Papers and their earlier iteration, the Journals of the Legislative Assembly, are available online for no cost. It also includes Ottawa River Travellers' Guides, steamboat timetables, and compilations of photographs of the Ottawa River and Rideau Canal, among other items.
5.  Bytown.net : This is primarily a genealogical search website, but it also contains information on local history. Run by Al Lewis, it is slowly being morphed into a local history site. It contains information about historical Bytown and area, including steamboats. His new steamboat section will be located  here .
6.  Comitté des Affaires Maritime : This is a website created by the Naval League of Canada. It combines work by the Santa Maria Society and the Underwater Society of Ottawa in regards to Ottawa-and-area shipwrecks to create a map of twelve shipwrecks. These wrecks are confirmed to remain in the Ottawa River, and are presented with coordinates, their ship registration indices, and dive information.

1. Bush, Edward Forbes. "La navigation commerciale sur le canal Rideau 1832-1961." Histoire et Archaéologie 54 (1981): 1-295. http://parkscanadahistory.com/series/ha/54-fra.pdf
2. Ottawa River Heritage Designation Committee. A Background Study for Nomination of the Ottawa River under the Canadian Heritage Rivers System. QLF Canada, 2005. https://ottawariver.org/pdf/10-ch2-8.pdf
3. Mackey, Frank. Steamboat Connections: Montreal to Upper Canada, 1816-1843. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2000.
4. Wilson, Andrew H. "Some Notes on Early Canadian Steamboats." Engineering Canada’s Historical Notes and Papers Collection 43 (2016): 1-79. https://www.eic-ici.ca/PDFs/history/EIC%20Paper%2067%20-%20Early%20Cdn%20Steamboats.pdf.
5. Lafrenière, Norman. "The Ottawa River Canal System." Parks Canada (1984). http://parkscanadahistory.com/series/saah/ottawarivercanalsystem.pdf
6. Lamirande, Andre E., and Gilles L. Seguin. A Foregone Fleet: A Pictorial History of Steam-Driven Paddleboats on the Ottawa River. Cobalt: Highway Book Shop, 1982.
7. Tatley, Richard. Northern Steamboats. Erin: Boston Mills Press, 1998.
8. Nelles, Mike. "Steamboating on the Rideau Canal." Parks Canada (2007). http://parkscanadahistory.com/publications/rideau/steamboating.pdf

1. Frank Mackey, Steamboat Connections: Montreal to Upper Canada, 1816-1843, (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2000), 15.
2. Mackey, 15.
3. Library of Parliament, "Catalogue," Library of Parliament, accessed April 10, 2020, https://lop.parl.ca/sites/PublicWebsite/default/en_CA/Catalogue
4. UBC Library, "Sessional Papers," University of British Columbia, March 23, 2020, https://guides.library.ubc.ca/c.php?g=307049&p=2048472#:~:text=What%20are%20Sessional%20Papers%3F,other%20matters%20of%20national%20concern.
5. Library of Parliament, "Mandate," Library of Parliament, accessed April 10, 2020, https://lop.parl.ca/sites/PublicWebsite/default/en_CA/About/Vision?selected=Vision
6. UBC Library, "Sessional Papers."
7. "Reports of the Chairman of the Boards of Steamboat Inspection," Sessional Papers, Parliament of the Dominion of Canada, 5th Parliament, 1st Session, 1879, Ottawa: MacLean, Roger & Co., 1880.
8. "Reports of the Chairman of the Boards of Steamboat Inspection," 1879: 1.
9. "Reports of the Chairman of the Boards of Steamboat Inspection," 1879: 2.
10. "Reports of the Chairman of the Boards of Steamboat Inspection," 1879: 10.
11. "Reports of the Chairman of the Boards of Steamboat Inspection," 1879: 75.
12. "Reports of the Chairman of the Boards of Steamboat Inspection," 1879: 8-9.
13. "Reports of the Chairman of the Boards of Steamboat Inspection," 1879: 132.
14. "Reports of the Chairman of the Boards of Steamboat Inspection," 1879: 160.
15. "Reports of the Chairman of the Boards of Steamboat Inspection," 1879: 161.
16. Maurice D. Smith, "New Mills List," Maritime History of the Great Lakes, Marine Museum of the Great Lakes, May 12, 1999. https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/about/4
17. John M. Mills, The New Mills List: Canadian Coastal and Inland Steam Vessels, 1809-1930, (Kingston: Marine Museum of the Great Lakes, 1999), 108639.
18. Mills, 104282.
19. Mills, 106938.
20. Mills, 105875.
21. Mills, 105662.
22. Jaime Simons, "Shipwrecks of the Ottawa River and Rideau Canal," Padlet, December 1, 2020, https://padlet.com/jaime6simons/fnkkvgdz99pr7l1e.

Library of Parliament. "Catalogue." Library of Parliament. Accessed April 10, 2020. https://lop.parl.ca/sites/PublicWebsite/default/en_CA/Catalogue. // This site hosts the catalogue for the Library of Parliament. Within it are almost all volumes of the Sessional Papers and Journals of the Legislative Assembly, from inception to present.

Library of Parliament. "Mandate." Library of Parliament. Accessed April 10, 2020. https://lop.parl.ca/sites/PublicWebsite/default/en_CA/About/Vision?selected=Vision // This page presents the mandate of the Library of Parliament, which can be used to discuss the collecting mandate of the library. The page also discusses the vision, accessibility, and size of the collection.

Mackey, Frank. Steamboat Connections: Montreal to Upper Canada, 1816-1843. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2000. // This monograph provides an early history of steamboats in Upper Canada, including a section on the Ottawa River. Using archival documents, Mackey narrates the beginning of steamboat travel from Montreal throughout Upper Canada, including discussions of social, economic, and geographical development accomplished through the help of steamboats.

Mills, John M. The New Mills List: Canadian Coastal and Inland Steam Vessels, 1809-1930. Kingston: Marine Museum of the Great Lakes, 1999. // Both a monograph, archive, and database, The New Mills List is an invaluable resource in researching shipwrecks. Including a prologue by John Mills, Maurice D. Smith, and Gordon C. Shaw, it represents twenty years of marine vessel research. A significant portion focuses on steamboats and provides a wide variety of useful information.

"Reports of the Chairman of the Boards of Steamboat Inspection." Sessional Papers. Parliament of the Dominion of Canada, 5th Parliament, 1st Session, 1879. Ottawa: MacLean, Roger & Co., 1880. // This is supplement no. 1 to the 1879 Sessional Papers, which contains reports submitted by the Department of Marine and Fisheries to the House of Commons. It contains information about ship additions, losses, casualties, finances, and inspector qualification.

Simons, Jaime. "Shipwrecks of the Ottawa River and Rideau Canal." Padlet. December 1, 2020. https://padlet.com/jaime6simons/fnkkvgdz99pr7l1e. // This interactive map shows the seventy-three currently known shipwrecks or wreck sites on the Ottawa River and Rideau Canal. It contains images, links, and information about each of the vessels.

Smith, Maurice D. "New Mills List." Maritime History of the Great Lakes. Kingston: Marine Museum of the Great Lakes, May 12, 1999. // This is an article discussing the usefulness of The New Mills List for nautical researchers, written by the curator of the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston. It provides information about the previous iteration of The New Mills List, which was originally released in 1979 with approximately half of the current information.

UBC Library. "Sessional Papers." University of British Columbia, March 23, 2020. https://guides.library.ubc.ca/c.php?g=307049&p=2048472. // This website is a guide for both researching and accessing the Sessional Papers and the Journals of the Legislative Assembly. It also provides information about the contents and supplements of the various iterations of the Sessional Papers.