The Romance of the Early Days 23

came west again and in a few months the boat was
built and launched. It was named the Glad
Tidings. It was 71 feet long over all, with 14-foot
beam.

But there’s a story about the building of that
vessel which must here be told in brief. When
Crosby, in Vancouver, came to compare the amount
of funds he had with the estimated cost of building,
he found such a large balance on the wrong side that
it all but disheartened him. In those days of his
perplexity he was sought out by a young Scottish
carpenter named William Oliver. Oliver had been
a sailor for several years but had previously learned
his trade as a ship’s carpenter on the Clyde. He
had been converted to Christ but a few weeks when
he heard of Crosby’s predicament. He offered to
draw the plans, build the boat, help install the
engines, and act as navigator and engineer when she
was launched, and all he asked was “board and
lodging’’ while doing it! The whole cost of building
the Glad Tidings was $8,000. The estimate by
Vancouver ship-builders was twice that. She was
built on the banks of the Fraser near New West-
minster and had her engines and boilers put in at
Victoria. On November 9th, 1884, she started on
her first trip north.

For nearly twenty years this boat carried the glad
tidings of the Christ over that vast district of
tempestuous coastal waters, piloted by Capt. Oliver.
One of its first tasks was to tow Mr. Duncan, his
Indians, and their entire camp equipment, from Old