Welcome to the expanded guide for the CWHC’s south gallery! Here you can find expanded descriptions of the artifacts included in our printed gallery guides!
Masthead Lantern: A white navigation light which would have been mounted on a ship’s mast or the forward part of a ship. The light faced forwards with a 225 degree arc. Starting in the 1800s, masthead lanterns were required for vessels under way using power (as opposed to a vessel under way using sails).
Starboard Lantern: A green lantern which would have been placed to cast light off a vessel’s starboard (right) side. The vessel would also have a red lantern on the port (left) side of the ship. The glass of a starboard lantern was typically blue, but when lit they had a green hue.
Side lights were an essential form of communicating ship orientation and direction of travel before technology light radar was invented.
When visibility was low due to fog or darkness, it was necessary to know in what direction another ship was traveling. If all the lights were the same colour, or if they were different colours used without consistent meaning, it would be impossible to tell the ship’s orientation. By making a universal code of green=starboard and red=port, sailors could be confident that they knew how another vessel was oriented relative to their own.
While modern technology gives us more ways to track how other vessels are moving, side lights are still used onboard ships as well as other craft like airplanes.
Platform Lantern: A kerosene platform lamp used to illuminate railway station platforms for everyone to see.
The triangular lamp used a chrome reflector behind the burner to amplify its illumination capabilities. This lamp was a portable source of light that at night could be seen from a great distance away. This type of lantern was produced by Hiram L. Piper Co. Ltd. around the beginning of the 20th century.
Some railway stations continued using these lanterns after the arrival of LED lights because the lanterns provided better light, lasted longer, and provided additional warmth on cold winter days.
Anchor Lantern: The anchor lantern was used to signal to other boats that a ship was anchored. This was done by lighting the lantern and hoisting it up to the top of the tallest mast available or as high on the boat as possible. This allowed other ships to see where the anchored ship was located, especially at night or in inclement weather.
The lantern’s size and weight made them portable, allowing them to be used as regular lanterns if needed. This was particularly useful during harsh weather when not anchored due to their durable construction with cages around the glass.
CNR Tickets and Telegram Signs: A Canadian National Railway sign from c. 1954 advertising the sale of passenger train tickets and telegram services at the location where the sign was posted.
Stations like this one would have commonly had signs for these services. When this building was a part of the Canadian National Railway system, telegrams were sent to and from this location. You can see another sign advertising telegraph services on the door of the Agent’s Office.
Note: “Telegraph” refers to the technology and system used to send a message, while “telegram” refers to the message itself.
Most railways maintained telegraph lines for their own purposes, but it became common for them to offer message services as a way of generating extra revenue. Telegrams were more expensive than traditional mail, but they got a message to its recipient significantly faster.
This sign would have also been lit up and illuminated when it was operational and in use.
Railway Crossing Signs: These are two different examples of signs used to indicate that there is an upcoming intersection between the road and railway tracks. The sign on the left likely would have been painted yellow similar to the diamond sign on the right. The sign on the right is a more modern design. It includes more information than the circular sign, as it can include details like the angle of the crossing.
Lifeboat Oars: Oars or paddles were and are the typical means of propulsion for boats lacking engines or sails.
Historically, they would be used to row back and forth between am endangered ship and one that had come to rescue them. This is part of the reason for the infamous case of the Titanic not having enough lifeboats for all of its passengers.
The imagined rescue scenario involved using boats from two vessels, and each would be able to make multiple trips. If there was no rescue ship present, many believed that there was little hope for survivors, as even those that made it into the boats would struggle to survive exposure to the elements.
Macassa Oar: The lower oar is from the Macassa, also known as the Manasoo. In 1927, the Owen Sound Transportation Company, which today operates the Chi-Cheemaun, purchased the Macassa and had it rebuilt for overnight passenger and freight service. The ship was meant to take on some of the services of the steamer Michipicoten, which had been lost in a fire earlier that year.
Along with a rebuild, the Macassa received a new name. The “Manasoo” drew its name from Manitoulin Island and Sault Ste. Marie (a.k.a. ‘The Soo’), two places served by the ship. Name changes for ships are sometimes associated with superstitions of bad luck, leading some to believe that the Manasoo would be unlucky.
The Manasoo was lost in a storm in 1928, less than a year after starting service under its new name. The oar, still bearing the ship’s old name, likely washed ashore after the sinking. It wasn’t used, as no lifeboats were successfully launched. While no one escaped on a lifeboat, a group of survivors managed to escape on a life raft and was rescued after drifting for three days on Georgian Bay.
Boat Hook: Boat hooks are used to help small boats dock and undock, though the have other uses as well. The hook allows the user to grab onto something and pull the boat in. Most boat hooks also have a blunt end that can be used to push away.
While docking/undocking are the most common uses of boat hooks, they can be used for other purposes, including grabbing or moving people, debris, and other boats.
Blue Glass Lantern: This blue glass lantern would have been used by workers of the Canadian National Railway.
Colored lanterns were used to do more than provide light. Blue glass lanterns were typically hung on rolling stock in railyards to indicate that a car should not be moved because workers were conducting maintenance onboard.
These specific lanterns were originally used by the railway, but were converted to be electric for home use. These lanterns were given to the museum in memory of [Gordon K. Rouse], who worked for the Canadian National Railway in Owen Sound.
This project was made possible by a grant from Community Foundation Grey Bruce
