March 1971 Number I Little on Its "Peek Into the Past" Feature
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THE BRIT SH CO UMBIA MA CH 1971 Runner PUBLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS VOLUME 8, NUMBER 1 ISLAND PRINCESS SPLIT TO INCREASE CAPACITY The British Columbia Ferries Island Princess (bottom photo) servicing the Kelsey Bay-Beaver Cove-Alert Bay-Sointula area is now in Burrard Drydock undergoing a major conversion. Greatly incre ased capacity will be achieved with a unique cata maran design (see drawing on the right). The present hull will / be split longitudinally to form two hulls, both supporting a common deck and superstructure. The ship will be lengthened from its original 131 feet to 186 feet by adding a new section, the breadth will also be increased from the old 34 feet to 57 feet. This will increase the vehicle capacity to 49 from the original 20. The restaurant facilities will also be changed to a cafeteria style service to accommodate more passengers. A pas senger lounge and rebuilt engines will complete the conversion. The British Columbia Ferries Division, operators of the ser vice, say the job is expec ted to take eight to ten weeks. Re pillfement vessel for the period will be the Queen of the Islands, and modifications have been arranged for the loading ramps at Kelsey Bay and Beaver Cove to handle her and the Island Princess when it returns to service. The new Island Princess will be able to handle drive-on load ing at all four terminals. While the conversion is in progress, revised vehicle end-loading facilities will be installed at the existing Federal government docks at Alert Bay and Sointula to accommodate the new end-loading system. When all this work is completed the British Columbia Ferries will have the first commercial "catamaran" on this coast. 2 I am told that durin g this THE ROAD RUNNER British Columbia Centennial Y ear the RR will expand a Volume 8 March 1971 Number I little on its "Peek into the Past" feature . This is fitting because we are all fascina ted ** by photographs of those Publish ed Quarterly by the early day s, and by the star tling contrast with scenes of British Columbia Department of Highways today . Y et there is a curious Victoria, British Columbia similarity. The differences Ray Baine s, Executive Editor are not in kind but in degree. Arthur J. Schindel, Editor Th e basic ingredient s of road- building and mainte nance are the same, but the ** scale is different. Now we Associate Field Editors can m ove vastly more material, co ver m ore miles, and A. R. Limacher Victoria do it faster. Because the product we make is wider, smoother, straight er, and more carefully maintained it is, BiII Ingram Victoria by most standards, better. But what we are really doing Al Wali sser Bridge District is serving the public, and those m en in the old pictures Jim Winton North Vancouver were doing th e sam e thing. There are many more of us S. J. Tognela Burnside 110 11', we wear hard hats, we are paid mo re, we ha ve m ore J. W. Morris., Nanaimo efficient equipme nt, m aterials, and techniques. and we can M. Butler Courtenay provide m ore service to m ore peopl e. L et's hope it is also better, because we have been learning for 100 years. Bill Bouchard British Columbia Ferries Division Georg e Cooper Patrol, North Vancouver W . D. BLACK, Mi nister Ellis Meads Dock District Lloyd Burgess . New Westminster Don Osborne Chilliwack Jim Ferrier -- Kamloops Edie Smith Williams Lake Murray Ramsay -- Salmon Arm M. J. Newlands Revelstoke Al Desimone . .._. _._._._..__Vernon Fred Evans Kelowna J. W. Zaporozan Penticton Jim Chenoweth ...Merritt Dave Roberts --- Lillooet Dorothy Wilk ins Grand Forks R. E. McKeown ----- Rossland S. J. Dixey ------------------ ..Nelson Fred Angrignon New Denver Fred Ryckman Creston N. K. Molander Cranbrook Sam Caravetta Fernie J. W. Hickmott Golden Steve Sviatko . Smithers J. C. Bartsch Pouce Coupe Homer Good Fort St. John Don Hutton . Terrace Shirley Hrechka Prince George Jack Doddridge Prince George C. R. Stephenson Quesnel George Harper Vanderhoof H. R. Walker Burns Lake W. R. Ball Prince Rupert FRONT AND BACK COVERS To mark British Columbia's Centennial Year the RR shows the Ch ief Officer Bob Davey is directing the last car to be hoisted difference of almost a century in bridge building. Front cover on board the British Columbia Ferries Di vision Island Princess is the North Arm Bridge , just completed in 1889, from Sea Island over the North Arm of the Fraser River at Vancouver. at A lert Bay. The Island Princess is now in Burrard Drydock for The bridge had just been opened. Sign says "Parties driv ing faster a major conversion. When the work is complete, British Columbia than a walk over this bridge will be prosecuted according to law." Ferries Division will have a "catamaran" added to its fieet of In sharp contrast, on the back cover is a telephoto view of the vessels. Port Mann Bridge over the same river, nearly 100 years later. 3 L I THOGRAPHE D IN CANADA B YK . M . M ACDON ALO . QUEEN'S PRI N T ER . VICTORIA , BR ITISH CO LUMBIA 10-7 CLUB Long Term Service CAPTAIN 1'. HER Courtenay Mechanical CUS, of British Co Kamloops Foreman H etires lumbia Ferries Divi Foreman Retires w. K. (KEN) TRAIL, Road Mainte sion, retired recently MA RK N ICHOL· nance Foreman in Kamloops, retires after 44 years at sea. SON, Mechanic Fore- • March 29, 1971 after 36 years of service, Capt. Hercus started man, Courtenay Dis At a party held recently, R. G . White, his career at the age trict, has re tired after Regional Highway Engineer, read mes of 17, serving on the 29 years of service. sages from the Hon. W. D. Black, Minis Canadian Government Merchant Marine Born in Hawkesbury. ter, and H. T. Miard, Deputy Minister, vessels in local and deep-sea routes. He Ontario, Mark joined and presented Ken with a certificate of also served on CPR lines, and was deco the Department as a rated during North Atlantic service in Mechanic in Cranbrook in 1929. From World War II. He joined Black Ball 1936 to 1941 he was in private business, lines in 1954, where he became a Master rejoining the Department as a M,echanic in 1955, and in 1961 transferred to Brit Foreman in Golden in 1941. SIX years ish Columbia Ferries Division, when later he transferred to New Denver, and Black Ball was purchased, and served on in 1951 he went to Courtenay, where he the Howe Sound run until his retirement. remained as Mechanical Foreman until UU U his retirement in September 1970. '/;; '</ '( 'v"? MRS. IDA VIVA A. M. STRAND THOMAS retired re LUND retired in No cently after 14 years vember 1970 after 16 with Black Ball and years with the Fort St. British Columbia Fer John Bridge Crew. ries Division at Horse Algot was born in shoe Bay. Mrs. Saskatchewan in 1905, Thomas was secretary long service. He was also presented with where he lived until to the Terminal Agent. Two parties were gifts from his fellow employees in Karn 1952. He served in the Canadian Army held for Mrs. Thomas, one a combination loops, and others in the Department who from 1941 to 1945, where he learned to birthday and retirement party, January had worked under him. Ken has worked handle explosives, and in addition to his 24, and the other a presentation at the under 10 district officials during his bridge construction and maintenance Horseshoe Bay Terminal office, January career, and has operated all types of work, he was the District powder man. 29. equipment, including the first power o{:, U )': grader in Kamloops District. He has U o{:: U H. 1'. FRANKLIN, seen the operation grow from a single P. GUNNAR AX Oiler on the Kootenay grader and a handful of men to one with ELSON, operator at Lake ferries, recently 40 men, 3 graders, and 7 dump trucks. the Deas Tower in the retired after 20 years' Bridge District, has re service. Born in Lon tired from the Depart don, England, Harry ROBERT E. CROS ment. Gunnar was started work on the BY, Bridge Tender on first employed with construction of the the Fraser Avenue the Department of ferry docks at Balfour, and then com Bridge in New West Highways in November 1952, as Chief menced in the engine-room of the MV minster Highway Dis Engineer on the Ladner - Woodward A nscomb. He continues to live at Bal trict. retired in No Ferry, and in May 1957 he became Con four, pursuing his hobby of cutting and vernber 1970, after 2 I trol Tower Operator at Deas Tower and polishing semi-precious stones. years' service. Born in continued in this capacity until his recent ~t! .:r '/r Verdun, Manitoba. in 1905, he is married retirement. Although retired, Gunnar is A retirement banquet was held in No and has one son. He started as a labourer still active with the Swedish Canadian vember 1970 , honouring FREDRICK in 1949, with the old Aldergrove Mainte Resthorne Association. He was among NORCROSS and ERNEST H. WEL nance Crew under Foreman Stan Deans, the original group in 1946 which built and worked as a Truck Driver until 1963, BOURN, retired Nelson District em the Swedish Resthome on the North ployees. when, due to health reasons, he took the Shore, later to become Region 1 Head G. R. Kent, District Superintendent, Fraser Avenue Bridge job. He will con quarters. when it was bought by the De tinue living at 696 Donald Road in welcomed the 84 employees and their partment in 1956, because it was affected wives on the special occasion.