Up the Gatineau! Article
This article was first published in Up the Gatineau! Volume 5.
The Story of a Bridge
Lillian Walton
In 1800, Philemon Wright, with his older brother Thomas, along with their respective families and others, left Woburn, Mass. to take up land in what is now Hull, Quebec, part of the National Capital Region of Canada.
Thus began the Canadian chapter of the saga of the Wright family. This family made such an impact on the development of the National Capital Region and Western Quebec in particular, that it is impossible to deal with one without making reference to the other. The family was prolific and each generation produced members that were outstanding in one field or another. Philemon's contribution to the lumber business, for instance, is almost legendary. “He and his son Tiberius and three other men set out to guide the first timber raft, Colombo, down the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers to the Port of Quebec, some 300 miles distant." This trip was not without its worries and mishaps but Philemon proved the point that squared timbers could be floated down the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers to Quebec for shipment to England. “Tiberius is also known to have developed a fine 2,000 acre farm at the first falls on the Gatineau."
“Alonzo, one of Tiberius’ sons was known as ‘King of the Gatineau’. He built a palatial home, The Chateau, on the east side of the Gatineau River. It still stands — although altered — as part of the College St-Alexandre at Limbour, Quebec." We will have more to say about Alonzo Wright and his home on the shore of the Gatineau River later on in this story.
Philemon's eldest son, also named Philemon, is less well known than other members of the family possibly because of his untimely death, by accident, in 1821. However, between 1818 and 1820, he contributed to the building of what became known as Highway No.8 or the North Shore Road to Montreal. In 1818, the highway began at the angle of the Britannia Road (Aylmer Road) and the Columbia Road (Blvd. St. Joseph, and eventually the road leading to Chelsea) and generally followed the Ottawa River in an easterly direction. The main portion of the road was delayed because of lack of financial resources until 1826 when the canal system along the Rideau and Ottawa rivers made it imperative to complete it. Before his death, however, Philemon II was able to get his part of the road built as far as the Lievre River. At Ironside, where the Chelsea Road comes closest to the Gatineau River, the foot of Farmer's Rapids made the fast flowing river ideal for a ferry and that is where Philemon's road crossed over to the east side. A scow was used at that time to ferry people, animals and merchandise across the river. The road continued on the left bank of the Gatineau River to reach the Ottawa just above Kettle Island and then proceeded eastward.
In 1835, a number of residents of the right and left banks of the Gatineau River felt that the traffic had reached the point where it was too heavy for a ferry. They addressed a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada to have a proper bridge erected across the river at a site just below Farmer's Rapids where the ferry had been used for some 15 years. However, the wheels of administration did not turn over quickly in those days and nothing was done for 29 years!
It is important at this point to consider once again the personality of Alonzo Wright, grandson of Philemon Wright.
Handsome, young and politically ambitious, Alonzo Wright became well known in the business milieu of Ottawa and Hull and much sought after socially in both towns. With the settling of his father's estate he became owner of several properties in Hull and Aylmer as well as a vast tract of land on the east side of the Gatineau River.
Alonzo Wright was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from the County of Ottawa in 1862. After Confederation he was returned to Parliament by acclamation and in the next election he won by a comfortable majority of 1624 votes. He kept his seat until 1891. Also he was a colonel in the Militia, president of the Agricultural Society of his county and a director of the same society in Ottawa.
In 1850, Alonzo married Mary Sparks, eldest daughter of Nicholas Sparks. She brought him a large dowry. Ten years later we find them living in a comfortable house on the east side of the Gatineau River, facing the first rapids.
This is the house that became the College St-Alexandre at Limbour and the farm surrounding it contained a magnificient grove of maple trees which, for some strange reason, was never exploited by him for sugar. The grove became the popular sugar-bush of the Holy Ghost Fathers where many a family from the National Capital area still enjoys a Sunday afternoon's outing in the spring of each year.
Alonzo was therefore a man of affairs and very apt to exercise an influence on the course of events in his community. His interest as a resident and as a politician coincided, at least in one respect. lt was to his advantage to have a bridge built across the Gatineau River practically at his front doorstep. The petition signed 29 years earlier was finally to bear fruit. We can speculate on what happened in the intervening years but we cannot doubt that Alonzo Wright was the man to get things done.
The first indication we have that things were indeed moving is found in a memorandum from the Public Works Commission dated 20 August 1864 recommending to the Government of Lower Canada that it approve an expenditure of not less than $8,000.00 for the construction of bridges over the Gatineau and Lievre rivers. On 8 November 1865, A.W. Powell was awarded the contract to build the first Alonzo Wright bridge for the sum of $6,566,00. $427.75 was added to the cost estimates in 1867 to cover some unforeseen expenditures. The bridge was opened to traffic late in 1866 and it greatly facilitated communications between the right and left banks of the Gatineau River but it was of more significance to the left bank residents because it made it easier for them to have commerce with the more important centres of Ottawa and Hull.
Originally the bridge was constructed entirely of wood and the piers were so far apart that very long timbers were required to support the deck and superstructure. The contractors surveyed the surrounding farms for healthy pine trees and purchased the most suitable ones for cutting into squared timbers. The piers were cedar cribs filled with heavy stones. Considering the swift current, the thick cakes of ice floating down river during the spring break-up and the large quantity of logs floating down practically the year round, it is not surprising that the piers and the wooden structure suffered heavy damage. The first of these wooden structures was washed away by the spring flood in 1878. A Mr. Langford was commissioned to build another bridge using the same specifications as before although the use of iron for bridges was not uncommon at that time. The cost element and the relatively low volume of traffic were probably the reasons why a more substantial project was not contemplated. As we will shortly see this policy was not economical in the long run.
The Archives of Collège St-Alexandre contain many references to the old bridge which shed considerable light on its character and history. For instance, it is recorded that a Mr. Matthew Fleming stated that the wooden bridge consisted of beams or trusses made of pine timbers arranged in a manner not unlike the structure of a barn. The archives also record that a Mr. Moise Aubin stated that in the year 1888 the wooden structure was already beginning to show signs of wear at the western end. He further stated that four years later, in 1892, a fire broke out in the dust and accumulated debris on one of the aprons. The keeper of the bridge, a Mr. Gardner, collected water from the river in a pail suspended at the end of a long rope to put the fire out but was unable to save the bridge. There is no record of the damage caused by the fire of 1892 nor when or how the work of restoration took place but the bridge must have been rebuilt and re-opened to traffic soon after because another disaster was about to occur. We are told, this time by a Mr. Lenix (Lennox?) Blackburn, that Mr. Gardner, aided by volunteer firemen, was able to bring under control a fire that started on the floorboards of the western span and saved the rest of the bridge. The nature of these two fires was different. The fire that originated in the dust and debris on the apron was not brought under control despite the efforts of Mr. Gardner, whereas in the case of the second fire, it started on the floor of the bridge and was brought under control by Mr. Gardner and the volunteer firemen. The date of the second disaster is not known but it must have happened after 1892 and before 1898 because that year the provincial authorities decided that the wooden structure would have to be replaced by an iron one and thus reduce this kind of hazard.
At this stage it seems convenient to turn our attention to certain events that had more than a twist of local politics. The residents of the growing community of Pointe Gatineau, long dissatisfied with the detour they had to make to reach Hull and Ottawa, had been clamoring for a bridge of their own across the Gatineau River, but close to the Ottawa River. Their voice was finally heard in 1895 or 30 years after the first bridge had been built over the Gatineau River at Ironside. In the intervening years, the social and economic conditions of Western Quebec had improved, and also, much had been learned about bridge building, so a more substantial bridge was put up at Pointe Gatineau. One result of the new bridge was to shorten the distance between Montreal and Hull and make it more convenient for the residents of Pointe Gatineau, Buckingham and other North Shore communities to travel to and from Hull and Ottawa. It was also to have some effects on the Alonzo Wright bridge as we are about to see.
The Township of Hull was divided then, as it continued to be for years, into several parts but only the East Part (Cantley) and the West Part (Chelsea) need concern us at this time. The bridge joined these two parts but the East Part had reaped more benefits from the bridge, especially at the beginning, and was the reason why this community assumed the entire responsibility rather than having it made a township or county bridge. With the passing of time, however, the enthusiasm of the East Part, and especially the residents of Cantley, began to cool off after the bridge at Pointe Gatineau was opened to traffic in 1895. Costs of repair and maintenance were mounting and it was difficult for these people to see the logic of having to pay out monies when other parts of the township were using the facilities and getting off scot free. They were especially incensed because the other bridge, at Pointe Gatineau, could be used just as well. A solution, however, was about to appear over the horizon.
On November 3, 1900, which was a Saturday, Mr. George Cunningham Wright, a great-grandson of Philemon Wright and a practicing lawyer in the City of Hull, wrote a letter on behalf of a group of promoters (The Alonzo Wright Bridge Company) to the council of the East Part of the Township of Hull offering to take over the responsibility for the bridge and operate it as a commercial venture. The council members accepted with alacrity as on the following Monday, November 5, they decided to adopt the following resolutions: ——
Minute 770 of November 5, 1900 — Moved by Councillor McClelland and seconded by Councillor Foley that a by-law be presented to this council to authorize the Municipality of East Hull to transfer the rights, title and interest of said municipality in the Gatineau Bridge at Farmer's Rapids to a company to rebuild said bridge. — Carried.
By-Law 37
It is hereby enacted and ordained and this council now ordains and enacts as follows: That this Council approves of the offer contained in the letter of George C. Wright of 3rd November 1900 for the construction of a bridge across the Gatineau River at or in the vicinity of Farmer’s Rapids with the necessary approaches thereto and for maintaining such bridge and approaches afterwards in good state of repair and does hereby authorize such company, when incorporated, according to law, to construct such bridge and make such approaches and to levy on such bridge, so long as it will be kept in good repair, tolls not to exceed the limit of tolls which this municipality or the Municipality of West Hull formerly had the right to charge. The Mayor and Secretary-Treasurer are hereby authorized to execute in favour of said company, when formed, such transfer of the rights, title and interest of this municipality in the present bridge at Farmer's Rapids and in the road leading to it from the Gatineau macadamized road as may be necessary to vest such bridge and road to the said company.
Minute 771 of November 5, 1900 — Moved by Councillor Foley and seconded by Councillor McCIelland that By-law 37 having been read and discussed be adopted. — Carried.
The Alonzo Wright Bridge Company was now responsible to replace the wooden bridge with an iron one. This was done and the bridge was open to traffic in July 1902, this time under the auspices of the company and according to the terms of their agreement. The bridge consisted of two spans each 150 feet long or a total of 650 feet from the outer edges of the abutments. The deck was 20 feet above the water at its normal or average level which was amply sufficient to protect the bridge from spring floods. The arrangement worked fairly well at first and there seems to have been few complaints but this was only the calm before the storm. The company failed to live up to its agreement of 1900 by neglecting to do the maintenance work and once again the bridge began to deteriorate. ln August 1917, Mr. Slater, a shareholder of the company, made a personal inspection of the bridge and concluded that it should be closed to the public as damage claims could be made against the company in case of serious accidents. There followed a period of uncertainty as nobody took measures to make the bridge safe for heavy traffic or to close it down; meanwhile time and nature worked against it. The provincial authorities finally brought matters to a head on May 14, 1919 by halting all traffic over the bridge. The state of suspended animation gave rise to a strange controversy in the annals of the Township of Hull.
We recall that when the first bridge was built, the East and West parts of the Township of Hull were concerned about the bridge but not to the same extent. East Hull had a far greater interest in having a bridge replace the old ferry because it would provide the residents of the east side with more adequate means of communication to and from Ottawa, Hull, Ironside and Chelsea. The Municipality of West Hull solved its problem without financial involvement by offering to give up the roadway connecting the bridge with the Chelsea Road provided East Hull would assume the entire responsibility for the bridge, including the connecting road. Incredibly, this became the deciding factor in inducing East Hull to take over the bridge and its various commitments rather than having it made a township or county bridge. Later on, the people of East Hull, beyond what is now Limbour, cooled off on the idea when they could reach Ottawa and Hull just as easily by the Pointe Gatineau Bridge. In addition, they felt that, as the Alonzo Wright Bridge served a far greater area than East Hull only, why should they be saddled with the entire cost’? By doing nothing they would doom the bridge to a slow death and that is exactly what they intended to do.
The Council of East Hull, however, reckoned without the Holy Ghost Fathers who had bought Alonzo Wright’s estate on the east side of the Gatineau River in 1905 and had the same views that Alonzo Wright once had about the bridge. By that time, Alonzo's old homestead had become the College St-Alexandre and students came from distant points of Ontario and Quebec to attend school there (the Hon. Paul Martin was one of those). They and their visiting parents were able to arrive at the Canadian Pacific Railway station at lronside, cross over the bridge and be at the front door of the college, whereas without the bridge, they would have to land in Hull or Ottawa and take a long bus or taxi ride via the Pointe Gatineau Bridge to arrive at the college with their luggage and supplies. Rev. Father Burgsthaler, then head of the Collège St-Alexandre, took matters into his own hands by writing a letter to Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec. He very accurately stated that the bridge was in a poor state of repair and that if no action were taken by someone, serious accidents might occur as people were crossing on foot at their own risk in spite of the prohibition on crossing. His views concerning the negative attitude of the Council of the Municipality of East Hull also left nothing to the imagination!
The immediate result of this action was a decision taken by the provincial authorities to have the responsibility for the bridge withdrawn from either the Alonzo Wright Bridge Company or the Municipality of East Hull and placed squarely on the shoulders of the Township of Hull, making it what it should have been from the beginning, a township or county bridge. The Provincial Government also agreed to pay half the costs required to rebuild the bridge which were estimated at $8,000.00 by the Public Works engineers. The distribution of the balance of the costs, including maintenance, were to be made as follows: — 1/2 East Hull; 1/6 West Hull; 1/6 East Wakefield; 1/6 Township of Hull. The College St-Alexandre was to pay East Hull $150.00 per year for 15 years from 1921 as compensation for their immediate use of the bridge. Finally the bridge was opened to traffic on June 17, 1921.
Once again, on July 10, 1929, the bridge was closed to traffic, this time because the piers which were still cedar cribs filled with stones had weakened to the point that they could not support the iron structure any longer. Concrete piers had to be installed. This, of course, was a major operation and the bridge was not open to traffic before January 22, 1930 but now it rested on firm foundations.
One would think that this was the end of the trials and tribulations of the bridge but it was not so, in part due to the fact that snow removing equipment around 1935 got bigger and heavier and this caused some damage to the aprons or abutments; these were repaired, however, before more serious damage could occur. Other mishaps took place such as on August 16, 1943 and May 30, 1944 when trucks ran into the guardrails. In the case of the last of these accidents, the truck actually plunged into the river. The Provincial Ministry of Transport finally took over the entire responsibility for the bridge in 1965 and built a completely new and modern bridge. The relevance of the new bridge is amply demonstrated by the fact that during the many months when the Pointe Gatineau bridges were being built and renovated, late in the 1960's, the traffic between Hull and Touraine and Gatineau was diverted via the Alonzo Wright Bridge.
People from the National Capital Region motoring to ski resorts on the east side of the Gatineau River, or going to the sugarbush at Limbour or to their summer cottages at St-Pierre-de-Wakefield and other places will recall this grandson of Philemon Wright, otherwise known as “King of the Gatineau", largely because of the bridge they use to cross over the Gatineau River. Alonzo never owned the bridge that bears his name nor did he contribute directly towards its maintenance. He was instrumental, however, in moving the powers- that-be to replace the old ferry by a bridge uniting the communities on the left bank to those on the right bank. He was generally successful in life, influential and enterprising in private and public affairs and the bridge was named after him solely because of these qualities and for no other reason.
Bibliography
Patrick M.O. Evans — The Wrights — published by the National Capital Commission.
Robert Haig — Ottawa, City of the Big Ears — Haig and Haig Publishing Company.
Robert Legget — Ottawa Waterway — University of Toronto Press.
Leo Rossignol — Histoire Documentaire de Hull — a doctoral thesis to be found in the Hull Public Library.
Journal of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada, 1835 — Public Archives of Canada.
Maurice Gobeil, C.S.Sp. — The ‘King of the Gatineau' and St. Alexander College — published in ‘Up the Gatineau!’, 1975.
State Book — Public Archives of Canada — microfilm.
Archives Collège St-Alexandre.
Minute Book of the Municipality of East Hull (Cantley) now part of the archives of the Town of Gatineau.
Joseph Jolicoeur — Hlstoire Anecdotique de Hull — published by La Societé Historique de l'Ouest du Québec.