Inlet a clumsy old vessel known as Spratt’s Ark. She was built originally as a
floating cannery. Her “log” of 1890-93, written by her then owner and operator,
Capt. J. H. Cates, in his own improvised spelling, is one of the choice relics of
pioneer seamen. Cates, a State-of-Mainer, had been round the Inlet since 86. He
had done stevedoring at Moodyville, and continued to adjust himself to circumstances.
In 1903 he moved his family to Moodyville, and in 1904 to North Vancouver.
At that time he owned and operated the tug Stella. In 1907 he built the first dock
in North Vancouver with his own pile-driver. He built also a shed which reached
back to Esplanade—not so far in those days. In the winter of 1909 that warehouse
was filled with a cargo unloaded from S.S. Lonsdale, and destined for the Klondyke. °
It was trans-shipped in the spring.

In 1911 Andy Linton moved his boat-building equipment from the south shore to
just west of Cates, who had him build the Gaviota, a tug that proved to be very
useful around Wallace's shipyard in World War I. It was found that in inner
harbours such as Burrard Inlet smaller tugs were more serviceable in the moving
of ships than larger ones.

A depression period followed the war. By 1920, however, the marine ways which
Cates had constructed was doing better. His sons were now back from overseas,
and they put new life into the business. A boom in shingles began in 1921. Another
boat was needed. Donald McPhee, a native of Owen Sound, who had built boats in
New Westminster, Victoria and the Yukon, was engaged to build the Gorilla on
Cates’ own ways. She was 36x 10, and powered with a 50-h.p. engine, considered
rather heavy for a tug of her size in those days. She is now powered with engines
of 105 h.p. Cates’ son Charles equipped and installed the Gorilla’s engines.

By 1922, while the shingle trade was still heavy, the export of logs to Japan
became active. In this the Gorilla was in a class by herself. But this boom collapsed
after the Yokohama earthquake in 1923. Meantime the Garduna, built by S. R.
Wallace, successor to Linton, had been added to the fleet.

The building of Burrard Drydock in 1925, and of the grain elevators of the Inlet,
1925-30, created a new demand. Hitherto the tugs had been built primarily for the
handling of logs. Now the emphasis came to be on ship shifting.

McPhee built another on the Cates wharf in 1923. She was named the Chas.
H. Cates, or, more affectionately, just the Charles. No boat in the harbour compared
with her in ship assisting. When the Lions’ Gate Bridge was built in 1937-38, she
was always on the difficult work. So popular did her name become that the Spanish
names Gorilla, Gaviota and Garduna were changed to the Chas. H. Cates 2ytsuanded:
Number 5 was purchased from the Vancouver Creosoting Company. Number 6 was
built by the»North Vancouver Ship Repairs, successors to $. R. Wallace. and now
the Pacific Drydock. Number 7, 50x 14, 75 h.p., was purchased from the Burrard
Drydock in 1931; and Number 8, formerly the Capilano, from the Capilano Timber
Company in 1932.

Meantime the Company had weathered the stock crash storm of 1930. There was
no borrowed money. The firm paid as it went. It did not have to lay off any men,
though it sailed pretty close to the wind at times. By 1934 grain started moving,
and by 1938 scrap iron for Japan came into the picture.

C. H. Cates No. 9 was purchased in 1941, but the latest addition to the fleet,
Number 10, is the queen. She is 46x 13, and powered with 630-h.p. engines. Her
design was taken from the original Charles, with improvements suggested by all the
years of experience. Charles, the second son, now Alderman Cates, designed the
engines. It is said of her that “a more powerful tug for her size is not known,” and yet
“she handles as beautifully as a high-grade modern automobile.”

When the Second World War broke, the harbour “‘went mad”. Ships were being
launched in all weathers, day and night. The Cates Company was, of course, in the
thick of it, and came through the whole period without an accident. That it did so
was made possible by the spirit of comradeship that exists. It is a case of under
standing and team work among all those operating the boats.

3. BURRARD DrybDocKk.

Shipbuilding has always been a prominent feature of the North Shore industry.
A 48-foot canoe built on the Indian Reservation in 1906; the Commodore, the
Harrow, and the Belle, built at the old Moodyville site, 1905-08: the Andy Linton plant
and its successors; the Lyall Shipbuilding plant at the foot of Bewicke, which produced

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