After an interesting tour of the submarine, we headed over to the next attraction...Empress of Ireland Museum...sunk after colliding with the Storstad in thick fog...
The Empress of Ireland Museum welcomes you in a brand new expanded and immersive exhibition space! While passing through four major zones, you will discover the history of this steamship: the diving expeditions to the wreck, the testimony of passengers and their descendants, its terrible sinking in 1914 which made 1 012 victims in only 14 minutes, along with objects from the past attesting to life on board and to the construction of the ship in 1906. A multisensory show will immerse you into the atmosphere of its last voyage.
Built in 1906, this 168 m long ship belonged to the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. For eight years, it transported thousands of travelers, workers and immigrants between the cities of Quebec and Liverpool, before knowing a tragic end off the shore of Pointe-au-Père on the night of the 29th of May 1914. Its terrible sinking, in 14 minutes, remains to this day the greatest maritime tragedy in Canadian history. Fifty years later, the wreck is located and protected as cultural property (since 1999).
One of the anchors recovered from the wreck...
(Click on photo to enlarge)
1st Class dining room chair...
In comparison, 2 years earlier the Titanic sunk in 2 hours and 40 minutes, an estimated 1,517 people perished and 712 survived...the Empress of Ireland sunk in 14 minutes!
Empress of Ireland and the Storstad...sorry about the reflections...
SOS sent out from this...
Canadian Pacific Steamship had models made of each ship. Several years after the tragedy this model of the Empress of Ireland was repainted to promote the Empress of Britain, which had been rechristened the Montroyal.
Four Canadian businessmen joined forces to build a railroad connecting the country from east to west, giving birth to the Canadian Pacific Railway. The government gave CPR 10 years to build 2600 kms of railroad. The company later expanded into shipping on the Pacific. In 1903, it acquired the Atlantic fleet of Beaver Line and had two sister ships built the following year. Carrying passengers, cargo and mail, CP was for decades one of the largest transport companies in the world.
Canadian Pacific hired 20 divers from New York to raise the ship which turned out to be impossible so they recovered the ships safe, mail bags, 212 bars of silver, other valuables and 250 bodies.
Either the unluckiest or luckiest man...
Example of the steam engine....
A moose antler from Beautiful British Columbia :)...
That was an excellent museum display!
Next we wanted to, or should I say Steve wanted to tour the Pointe-au-Pere Lighthouse but there was about a 40 minute wait so we toured some of the buildings...
British cannon used as a signal cannon firing blanks used from 1854-1894 at the first lighthouse...
This is how it used to look where we are parked...
There was still a long wait at the lighthouse so we decided to go back to our rig and have lunch. Steve will go by himself later when the crowds are a little thinner...
View out our back window...
Side window...
Well Steve headed back to the lighthouse and still had about 40 minutes wait. The eight exterior concrete buttresses are a neat design. At 108 feet tall it's apparently the second highest lighthouse in Canada. Built in 1909 this is the
third lighthouse, the first was in 1859...
It's a long ways up...128 stairs!
Winch...
Fresnel lens...
Too bad it's such a dull grey day but what a view! Steve was the very first to the top and had plenty of time to get photos before the rest of the crowd showed up...
We are camped at the very end...
Far left...
Steve was hoping to head back down once everyone else arrived up top but it was now packed with people with nowhere to move. The tour guide was the last to arrive and gave a short talk, then it was time to head back down...this section is by ladder and very steep...
Winch pulley...
Couldn't imagine climbing this every day...
The end of another fantastic day!
Four Canadian businessmen joined forces to build a railroad connecting the country from east to west, giving birth to the Canadian Pacific Railway. The government gave CPR 10 years to build 2600 kms of railroad. The company later expanded into shipping on the Pacific. In 1903, it acquired the Atlantic fleet of Beaver Line and had two sister ships built the following year. Carrying passengers, cargo and mail, CP was for decades one of the largest transport companies in the world.
Awesome museum. Sorry we missed it, but you guys made up for it!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots from the top of the lighthouse. I think I've been up six of them on this trip. Every one is unique.
There are certainly lots of lighthouses to check out!
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