*

held at Phibbs and Thompson’s milk ranch at the mouth of the Seymour—no doubt
the old Hugh Burr ranch that in the earlier years had supplied Moodyville with milk.
On March 28, 1892, tenders were called for the construction of Keith Road from
Deep Cove to Eagle Harbour. It cost $47,338.26.

Settlers were attracted by these events, and also real estate promoters. Mahon,
MacFarland and Mahon, afterwards the North Vancouver Land and Improvement
Company were early in the field. In 1903 City Solicitor Hammersley of Vancouver
bought D.L. 274 from the Lonsdale Estate and subdivided it. When J. B. Cornish
and W. L. Keene applied for the purchase of property nearer in than their Capilano
pre-emptions the land was not for sale. Ultimately, however, they prevailed upon
the N. V. Land Co. to sell them 20 acres on condition that they secure four other
settlers. This they were able to do, and A. E. Crickmay, A. E. Kealy, A. B. Diplock
and J. Williams joined them. These properties are still easily recognized between
Lonsdale and St. Andrew's Avenues, and between Fifteenth and Seventeenth Streets,
As a result of their location Lonsdale Avenue, now the main artery of North Van-
couver, was opened up as far as Fifteenth. The Moodyville Mill and the N. V.
Land Co. each contributed $100 towards its construction, the Municipality being
financially embarrassed at the moment. This was in 18995.

A freak political incident occurred in 1897. By an amendment to the Municipal
Act, passed January 18, every person in the Municipality, except Walter Erwin of
Point Atkinson, was disfranchised. He accordingly had to come and cast a vote for
himself—presumably as Reeve, and he held office until June 26, when an enabling
act to rectify the situation was passed by the Legislature.

Be it noted also that in 1896 the townsite of North Vancouver was surveyed and
mapped by G. H. Dawson, acting, no doubt, for the real estate companies. J. Rodger
Burnes, himself a surveyor, tells that two or three submissions were made before the
present map was accepted. In one of these the main streets all radiated from the

foot of Lonsdale, like the spokes of a wheel.

A ferry service across the Inlet had been a necessity from the beginning, for the
connection on which the Moodyville settlement depended was with New Westminster.
Indians with their canoes first met the need. In 1866 “Navvy Jack” (John Thomas),
who afterwards settled near what is now the heart of West Vancouver, provided
rowboat transportation.

In 1868, W. R. Lewis, a hotel proprietor in New Westminster, put in operation
a semi-weekly stage to “the-end-of-the-road”, which at other times was known as
“Brighton”, “Maxi’s”, and eventually “Hastings”. Capt. James Van Bramer, a
partner in the Moodyville Mills, who was to hold a leading place in the ferry business
for thirty years, secured the first steam ferry, the little screw steamer Seafoam, and
put her on the run to connect with the stage. No doubt she towed logs in between
her trips to “Brighton”. In 1873 Van Bramer bought the Chinaman, so called
because she was built in China. She had been brought across the Pacific on the deck
of amerchantman. She was used to augment the services of the Seafoam. In 1874 he
had built in Victoria the Lily, into which were put the engines of the Seafoam. The
Lily was the first to be described in the inspector's report as a “Passenger and Freight’’.
The others had been classed as “Freight and Tug” boats. Her dimensions were
43’x 6.9’x 3’, her registered tonnage 4.15 and her engines had 2.2 h.p. The
Chinaman was 37'x 7.6’ x 4.6’. Her engines had 4 h.p., and her registered ton-
nage was 11.25.

The side-wheel steam-scow Union, better known as the Sudden Jerk, built on the
Inlet in 1874, was owned at Moodyville, and may have had some part in the ferry
business. She was described by the inspector as a tug.

However, Van Bramer did have built on the Inlet, presumably at Moodyville, the
screw steamers Leonora, in 1876, and the Senator in 1880, the latter being so named
in honour of Senator Nelson. The dimensions of the Leonora were 57’ x 9.2’ x 5.3’.
Her registered tonnage was 18, and she was powered with 7 h.p. engines. The
Senator was more commodious though not so long. Her dimensions were 51.5’ x 12.5’
x 4.5", and her tonnage 21.42. She held sway until the arrival of the ferry North
Vancouver in 1900. It is interesting to recall that the Leonora and the Senator later
became two of the three foundation ships of the Union Steamship Company.

In the earlier days the triangular trips of the ferries were from Brighton (Hastings),
now the foot of Windermere Street, Vancouver, to Moodyville, and thence to Stamp’s
Mill (later called Hastings Mill), now the foot of Dunlevy Avenue, Vancouver.

14