1900 - February on the Bay

Around the turn of the 19^th into the 20 century, Hamilton bay and its surrounding shoreline presented a bleak, cold and rather forlorn appearance during the month of February. Despite the completely frozen water surface and the uninterrupted exposure to bitter winds, the area was not as lonely as one might assume at first sight.

“Late in the month, the ice cutters would put in their appearance. Despite the warnings of doctors and public health officials, who were beginning to express concerns regarding the pollution of the bay by sewage and factory effluents, the ice cutters would take out over 60,000 tons of ice from Hamilton bay every winter. Not only was the ice needed all summer for use in household ice boxes, the work provided by the ice harvesting industry was desperately needed by poor families in the area to keep them in food and fuel over the winter months.

“The traditional methods of ice harvesting involved the use of cross-cut saws to cut the ice into squares which were then hauled by skids onto sleighs to be taken to storage areas on shore.

“The modern methods of ice harvesting, devised in the 1890s, involved cutting out long channels, often a mile or more in length. The channels were cut by sharp-edged plows drawn by teams of horses. The ice, cut into squares, would be pulled along the channels by men and women, using long, sharp-pointed poles. The ice would be taken to shore, where it would be elevated from the channel to the ice houses by means of a steam-powered conveyor. As the ice was hauled up, each cake would have its face shaved, ready for storage in saw dust.

“The two biggest employers during the ice harvest of 1900 were the Magee-Walton company and the Builders’ Ice Association, whose harvest would not only be sold locally, but also for sale across Southern Ontario.

“Along the bay front, the boats of the summer season, both large and small, would lie at their wharves at anchor, locked in by the bay ice. The passenger steamers of the Hamilton Steamboat company would rest at their wharves at the foot of James street, while MacKay’s wharf usually held the Arabian, a Hamilton-built steep propeller owned by Captain Fairgrieve. The Myles, a coal schooner, also built in Hamilton, was owned by the Myles Coal company and it would spend winters at ret behind the company’s yards.

“In addition to these large vessels in their winter quarters, there were usually several large sailing boats, among them the W.F. Suffell, built in Port Hope, Ontario. Each of these large vessels in their winter quarters would have a watchman living on board. These men were usually members of the previous summer’s crew or else an old retired lake man. Because of the lonely nature of their winter work, visitors were always welcome, especially if they were accompanied with a full bottle of Scotch or Irish whiskey.

“On a blizzardy night, the whistling of snow-laden winds would awaken memories in the old sailors’ minds as they sat in the captain’s quarters, feet up on the stove fronts, pipes in hands.

“Hamilton Bay in February, was, of course, a prime center of attraction for those interested in ice-skating and ice boating. Sometimes the ice would get slushy and not very good for skating. However a prolonged thaw, followed by a quick cold snap and no substantial snowfall would make the ice surface as smooth as a mirror.

“Ice boaters in particular, craved very smooth ice conditions so that they could direct their craft at top speed, straight towards innocent parties of skaters. Then, just as catastrophe was seemingly about to occur, a quick turn of the tiller would send the ice boat off in another direction.

“A favorite mecca for both ice skaters and ice boater in February was the area along the Beach strip where large mounds of ice were formed by the action of wind and waves sending up spray. The ice hummocks would assume grotesque and awe-inspiring shapes, with huge mountains of ice, punctuated by deep and dangerous crevasses leading to the cold water below. The ice along the Beach was especially beautiful on moonlit nights as young couples skated across the bay to explore them

“As quickly as they were formed, the ice flows would disappear, as warming spring temperatures and strong west would push them out into the lake. Soon the ice on the bay would gradually thaw as the deep winter character of Hamilton Bay would give way to spring renewal.