Upper Fraser

HE peculiar conditions of navigation on the swift, and

often shallow, waters of the rivers of British Colum-
bia, have evolved a type of vessel admirably adapted to meet
the requirements. ‘They are sternwheelers, of such light
draught, that some are said to be capable of “sailing on a
heavy dew,” and yet of great power and speed, to breast
the rapid currents in the occasional canyons. Moreover, the
best vessels of this type plying on British Columbian waters
can offer their passengers comforts and conveniences in strik-
ing contrast to the solitude and ruggedness of much of the
country into which they penetrate.

The boats shown in the opposite illustrations are built
principally for freight business. The upper is the Chilcotin,
on regular schedule between Fort George and Soda Creek,
though this year she has made a number of trips up to the
Grand Canyon. The Chilcotin is owned by the Fort
George Lumber & Navigation Company, and, while not as
speedy as some other boats on the Fraser, does considerable
passenger business, and a large proportion of the incoming
freight is brought in by her.

The Distributor and the Operator, shown in the lower

River Steamers

picture, were built at Tete Jaune Cache, the head of Fraser
River navigation, by Foley, Welch & Stewart, the contractors
for the Grand Trunk Pacific, and are used to supply the con-
struction camps between that point and the Grand Canyon.
Until considerable improvements are made to the channel
at the Canyon, it is not considered advisable to navigate the
river here, and the freight is therefore transhipped, and taken
to the smooth water below by means of a tramway. Here
it is loaded on another vessel, which can then steam west
down the Fraser to Fort George, and thence up the Nechaco
to the westward extremity of Fraser Lake, and possibly even
further. The enormous economic value of these natural
waterways is thus illustrated, even during the construction
of the new railway, and their importance will be increasingly
apparent as the country develops, in giving access to rich dis-
tricts that will by that means be afforded cheap communica-
tion with Fort George and the main line.

A melancholy interest attaches to the picture of the
Distributor. In the pilot house can be seen Mr. C. M. Hays,
late President of the Grand Trunk Pacific, who was among
the victims of the terrible Titanic disaster.

Page Fifteen