 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Trillium |
| Owner | City of Toronto |
| Operator | Parks, Forestry and Recreation |
| Builder | Polson Iron Works,Toronto |
| Christened | June 18, 1910 |
| In service | July 15, 1910 |
| Out of service | 1957 |
| Refit | 1974 |
| Reinstated | 1976 |
| Homeport | Toronto,Ontario |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | Gross:672.82 Net:463.42 |
| Length | 150 feet (45.7 m) |
| Beam | 30 feet (9.1 m) |
| Depth | 8 feet (2.4 m)[1] |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | Side wheeler |
| Capacity | 955 (originally 1,450) |
| Notes | Polson Iron Works - Ship Builds, 1910[2] |
Trillium is aside wheelerferry operated by theCity of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, inToronto,Ontario, Canada. Now115 years old, she is one of severalToronto Island ferries operating between theJack Layton Ferry Terminal atBay Street andQueens Quay and three landing points on theToronto Islands. She is the last sidewheel-propelled vessel on the Great Lakes.[1]
The ship was built in 1910 byPolson Iron Works[3][4][5][6] at a cost ofCA$75,000.[7] The 1,450-capacity (reduced later to 995) ferry was built for and initially operated by theToronto Ferry Company.[8] She was launched on June 18, 1910,[9] christened with a bottle of champagne by eight-year-old Phyllis Osler, granddaughter of politicianEdmund Boyd Osler.[7] The ferry entered service on July 1, 1910.[10]Trillium's sister ship,Bluebell and other ferriesPrimrose andMayflower in the company's fleet were also named after flowers.
In 1926, the City of Toronto acquiredTrillium and the other ferries in the Toronto Ferry Company's fleet, and took over all ferry services.[8] Nine boats and half-acre of land on Hanlan's Point was bought forCA$337,500.[11] The ferry was remodelled by the Toronto Transit Commission, replacing worn woodwork and the main deck cabin, and removing the side gangways and officer daycabins.[5]
Trillium was retired in 1957 and sold forCA$4,500 to the Toronto Works Department,[10] which intended to use it to carry sewage sludge from the new Humber Sewage Treatment Plant.[12] It was left to sink in a lagoon in the Toronto Islands, along with her sister vesselBluebell. UnlikeBluebell, which was converted to a garbage scow,Trillium was left to deteriorate, its metal fittings stripped by scavengers and souvenir hunters.[13]
In the sixties, there was renewed interest in theTrillium. First, in 1964, it was proposed to display theTrillium along with other historic boats at theToronto Maritime Museum at theExhibition grounds but the proposal failed.[14] In 1965, it was then proposed to return the boat to service. Partly due to the advocacy of historianMike Filey and Toronto Parks Commissioner Tommy Thompson, Metro Toronto approved her restoration in 1973.[7] The restoration at a cost ofCA$950,000 ($4.55 million in 2023 dollars)[15], was chosen over building a new ferry which would have cost three to four million dollars.[16]
Champion Engineering Ltd. supervised the restoration, which was done inPort Colborne, Ontario at the E. B. Magee drydock in Ramey's Bend.[5][16] The restoration replaced the superstructure, boiler and deck. Original gauges and other 1910-era accessories were salvaged from Toronto Department of Public Works pumping stations.[16] Other items were salvaged from the boatsImperial Windsor andTexaco Brave which were being scrapped.[16] Several replicas were made of original parts, such as the brass bells and the beavers adorning the sides of the paddle boxes.[16] The boat was rebuilt as close as possible to the original 1910 plans.[5]
The ship returned to Toronto Harbour in November 1975.[17] The ship was rechristened on June 18, 1976, 66 years after her first launch, the ceremony officiated by the same Phyllis Osler Aitken.[7] She was returned to service on July 1, 1976, on runs to Hanlan's Point only, the other island ferry docks having been converted for the other ferries.[8] This caused numerous complaints, notablyJohnny Lombardi, who offered to get volunteers to rebuild the Centre Island docks in time for the annual CHIN picnic.[18]
In 2017,Trillium was refurbished at a cost ofCA$450,000. The refurbishment will extend its lifespan. The repairs included replacements to sections of the hull and rudder and three new coats of paint.[19]
In 1910,Trillium helped douse a fire on the harbourfront.[10] Toronto Ferry Company ownerLol Solman operated the hose himself from the second level ofTrillium to douse the flames at the Niagara dock.[11]
In 1911,Trillium ran aground while on her return from a lacrosse match.[20] The ferryIsland Queen took off 600 passengers, then ran aground herself. Launches, sailboats, rowboats and canoes had to come to the rescue of the 2,000 stranded people.[20] That year the water level of Lake Ontario was the lowest it had been since 1874.[20]
On July 15, 1916 at 3pm, theTrillium was docking at Hanlan's Point dock to discharge passengers going to a baseball game. As it was docking, it created a side-wash that overcame and capsized a canoe being paddled by couple Sam Sniderman and Rose Ezrin nearby. By the time people could reach the scene, the couple had disappeared underwater and drowned. Their bodies were found within minutes but could not be revived.[21]
Trillium collided with the formerMSNormac in 1981.[22][23]Normac, a former Great Lakes passenger vessel had been converted toCaptain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant, and had been permanently moored in the Yonge Street slip since 1970. A mechanical failure causedTrillium to fail before colliding with the restaurant. The restaurant developed a slow leak, which caused her to sink two weeks later.
A 29-year-old man drowned after jumping offTrillium while attending the 1993Caribana festival. He jumped off at 11 pm on July 29, telling friends that he would meet them on shore atOntario Place.Trillium was about 300 feet (91 m) from shore. Police recovered his body on July 30.[24] The victim's mother was hurt by speculation about his sobriety.[25]
The Iron Works only two existing ships in Toronto are the Trillium (built in 1913, which still ferry's passengers to Centre Island) and the RCYC passenger ferry Kwasind (1913).
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)In 1911, the ferry boat Trillium ran aground and lay for fifty-eight minutes, stuck fast on her way to the city from the Toronto-Tecumseh lacrosse match at Hanlan's Point.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)