Stratford Central Secondary School - Collegian Yearbook (Stratford, Ontario Canada)

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COLLEGIAN, l930 to the Hotel for tea. After tea, we explored the magnificent grounds of the hotel until darkness set in and then embarking in our charas, set off once again, this time homewards towards Glasgow, where we caught the train for home. Thus ended one of the most wonderful days I have ever spent and one to be long re- membered. -john A. Whittaker, SA. TORONTO TO QUEBEC BY BOAT Last summer it was my pleasure to take a boat-ride from Toronto to Quebec. l had never been on a voyage of any great length before and l looked forward with great in- terest to my journey down part of the world's greatest inland system of waterways. We left Toronto in the afternoon and headed across the lake for Ro- chester. Although a strong wind was blowing, the lake was not very rough and the boat made good time, arriving at Rochester nearly on sche- dule. We stopped only for about an hour and then started back a- cross the lake for Kingston. It was then about midnight. Let me slip in a word of advice here, to all prospective travellers: Be sure to reserve a berth. Sleep- ing on chairs or improvised cots is the bunk , l speak from experi- ence, our sum total hours of sleep was three and one-half. Early the next morning we ar- rived at Kingston. This city, as you know, is just at the head of Lake Ontario. Soon after we left King- ston we came to the first of the Thousand Islands. This renowned group of islands looked especially beautiful in the ruddy glow of the morning sun. The islands are scat- tered for several miles along the river. There are big islands, small islands. medium-sized islands, and then more islands. Some are mere- ly rocks jutting out of the water, others are several acres in areag al- most all are thickly wooded. Many of the islands are owned by Ame- ricans who have their summer re- sidences situated on them. These homes too, are very beautiful. Gradually the islands became scarcer and you see before you the broad rolling St. Lawrence. For se- veral miles the land on each side is fairly flat and almost bare of woods. Then as you go on, the banks become rockier and more steep, and also more thickly wooded. The couri- try is very peaceful, there are few houses, only an occasional summer home. These are built, like old cha- teaus and make the country very picturesque. You pass an occasional busy little town but soon are in the open again. ln the forenoon we arrived at Cornwall where we had to change to a smaller boat which was to take us through the rapids. The river beyond Cornwall widens out in some places and becomes quite shallow so that channels have been dug to get around them. One particular chan- nel, about a mile and a half long by some four hundred feet wide, has been cut through solid rock. However, the most interesting part of the trip was yet to come, namely, shooting the rapids. We were informed that there were four main groups of rapids and were told at approximately what time we would reach each one. The first was the Long Sault Group. Everyone crowded to the front and sides of the boat in or- der to see the rapids. As we ap- proached them they became more and more formidable in appearance. The water was white with foam, the waves were high, the boat was caught in the swift current and we were in the midst of the turbulent water. The engines were shut off and the boat was allowed to drift with -30-

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COLLEQGIAN, l930 we were able to see range after range of long brown hills, some of which were partially covered with trees, making a dark spot in the oth- erwise brown landscape. The road wound in and out and around the hills revealing at every turn newer and more beautiful sights than be- fore. After a short journey through this land of romance, we turned off the main highway, and after dis- embarking from our charos, we walked up a tree-covered pathway to the little town of Luss. This is a peaceful little hamlet on the shores of Loch Lomond. We quickly tra- versed the street fthere only is one street in Luss which leads down to the lakel wth its vine-covered cot- tages and going down a small in- cline, went out on a small landing stage built out into the water. Be- fore us lay the calm and peaceful expanse of Loch Lomond! My first sight of this famous lake was indeed an impressive one. All was still a- round us and not a ripple disturbed the clear surface of the water. To right and left stretched its silvery waters, disappearing round a bend to the left, and converging into a group of tree-clad islets to the right. Before us on the other side of the Loch rose the ever-present masses of brown hills, which were reflected on the perfect mirror of the lake. To the left in the distance rose the stately heights of Ben Lomond, reaching up to the sky, a landmark standing out among the brown tipped crests of its fellows. Looking down the lake to the right again. the low-lying islets lent a feeling of peace and security from the outside world. l-lere was nature, calm and unruffled, far from the hurry and bustle of modern life. Every one of the party felt this spirit within him and when one of them broke the in- tense silence and began the open- ing bars of that famous song: On The Bonny Bonny Banks of Loch Lomond, with one accord the whole party joined in and soon the echoes were sending back to us our own quiet strains. The singing grad- ually rose in volume until it sounded like an anthem, as tho' everyone were giving forth a prayer to God to thank Him for this perfect work. At that moment l felt a surge within myself which l have seldom if ever felt. Then as the song ended and we were reluctantly turning away to resume our journey, the reverent silence was rudely shattered by a truly plebeian sound. On looking round to see, we were astonished to see a sea-flea! Nothing else but a sea-flea speeding over the silent surface of the Loch at break-neck speed towards the opposite shore The spell was broken and after one lingering glance behind us, we slow- ly trailed up the path towards our waiting charas and soon were on our way once more. From Luss we followed the road, which led us along the peb- bled shores, past Ben Lomond until the lake petered out into a shallow little bay with trees stretching down to the edge of the water. We turned southward then and came upon the little village of Arrochar at the head of Loch Long. After a few minutes rest here we continued our journey down Loch Long until we came to the stopping place for teag the Shandon Hotel, This was a huge building of stone, which we were given to understand had formerly been the estate of some Scottish Laird. The place was magnificent and its velvet-grassed greens over- looked the still waters of Loch Long. At the time we were there, The Royal Yacht Club of Glasgow was holding its alnnual races and the Loch was dotted with numerous craft, from luxurious cruisers down to the frailest of sea-fleas. The sun was just setting over the opposite hills and the small boats flitting a- bout below us in the twilight were the only moving things to be seen. When finally, the sun had sunk from sight into the hills, we turned back -29-

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COLLEGIAN, 1930 the current. After we were through l could not help but think of what an exciting time the Indians must have had shooting the rapids in thin frail birch-bark canoes. These rapids are the deepest and swiftest in the St. Lawrence. They have a drop of forty-five feet in one and a half miles, and if a raft were placed in the water it would drift nine miles in forty minutes. The next group which we passed, later in the afternoon, was the Ce- dar Rapids. These rapids are al- so very swift and have the largest visible drop of any of the groups. A short time later, We passed the Split Rock rapids. It derives its name from the fact that there is a pe- culiar rock formation which runs di- rectly across the river but there is a fault or slip in the formation which enables the boat to navigate through safely. The river broadens out beyond these rapids and farther on it be- comes Lake St. Louis. Looking away to the south of us we could see mountains which we were informed were a spur of the Alleghanies. As we passed on, the river nar- rowed down again and we knew that we were due to arrive at the next group of rapids. Before we arrived we noticed a height of land on the horizon directly ahead of us, and we were told that this was Mount Royal. However, our attention was drawn to the rapids, which We were ap-- proaching, the famous 'Lachine Ra- pids. These rapids are by far the most interesting and exciting of the whole river. They are swift and what makes them more thrilling is the fact that you see so many rocks jutting up out of the waterg the boat passes so close to these rocks that you can almost reach out your hand and touch them. The boat rolls a great deal in these rapids but the rolling does not last long enough to prove disastrous. After we had passed these rapids we centered our attention to the city of Montreal, which we were ra- pidly approaching. The city with its suburbs occupies the island of Montreal. Midway on the island lVlount Royal rears itsi impressive bulk to the height of six hundred feet. We soon docked at Victoria Pier but we did not have an oppor- tunity of seeing any of the city as we immediately went aboard the boat for Quebec. About this part of the trip l can tell you very little as the most of the passage was made at night. How- ever, judging from what I did see in the early morning, the river is lined with steeper banks, than on the other side of Montreal. The river, too, is narrower and swifter. As l said before we journeyed all night and by the time it was day- light, we were about ten miles above Quebec. Seven miles above Quebec we passed under the famous Quebec bridge. lt was a matter of almost an- other hou14 before we rounded a cape and came into sight of Quebec city. What a flne view that city is from the river. The old, crowded Lower Town, and above it the line new buildings of the Upper Town. Along the edge of Cape Diamond runs the outer wall of the fortifica- tion of the Citadel. These are the main points of interest that you no- tice from the boat as you are dock- ing. We immediately went to the Up- per Town and found our way to the Dufferin Terrace. This is a board walk along the edge of the cliff, from which you can look down upon the Old Town. From this terrace you also command a fine view of the river. Directly opposite on the other shore lies the town of Levis. Looking towards the ocean, you see the island of Orleans, looking in the other direction, that is, up river, you see only thickly wooded country cut by the broad St. Lawrence. We then followed around the wall of the Citadel until we came to the gate. We then went inside and were 1.31.-