Heritage

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The Propeller Club of Southampton, Saugeen Shores originally began when a group of retirees decided to undertake the study of the rich marine history of the area.  For an initial history see:

Today, the organization has grown to also include women, who played a major part in furnishing the Keeper's Quarters, restoring the gardens and maintaining them, in addition to maintaining the interior of the Lighthouse.

The Club still meets at the Walker House in Southampton each Wednesday and, while for some it is purely a social event, there are those who also enjoy the opportunity to learn about the marine heritage and history of the area and beyond.

At the last meeting, (Feb. 9) there were two presentations by two of the Club's earliest members, Tom Marcotte and Doug Johnson.

Tom Marcotte, who has an extensive knowledge of shipping on the Great Lakes, told of the history of one of the most famous shipwrecks, the Bruce Mines, that ended up having a tie to Chantry Island.

Tom Marcotte

"The Bruce Mines was a side-wheel steamer built in Montreal and named for the copper mines at Bruce Mines on the northshore channel of Lake Huron.  It was the supply link for the miners and also carried the raw copper ore from the mines to Toronto for smelting.

In 1854, the Bruce Mines set out with the miners’ winter needs that included food, mining supplies and a large quantity of blasting powder in the hold. She stopped in Goderich and took on passengers and left in late November, when the Great Lakes are known to have the worst weather, under Captain Frederick Fraser. 

During the night, one of November's gales struck and the ship sprang a leak and everything possible was thrown overboard to lighten her, but the water continued to swamp her.

The ship drifted out of control until it was approximately 30 kilometers off Stokes Bay on Lake Huron.

There were 26 people on board and they got into the only two lifeboats and began to row and bail  their way through the trecherous waters leaving the Bruce Mines to sink on November 28, 1854.

One of the lifeboats made it to a safe inlet while the other was grounded on Devil Island.  They only had one recourse and that was to set out again in the hope of reaching Sydenham or Owen Sound as it's known today.

Only one of the 26 people aboard died and, Duncan Lambert, who headed up one of the lifeboats, was appointed Keeper at the Chantry Island lighthouse in 1858.  He helped many shipwrecked sailors until 1879 when his son Ross drowned trying to help with a rescue and he retired.  His son, William McGregor Lambert took his place and became the Island's most famous Keeper until 1907."

Doug Johnson

Doug Johnson

Doug Johnson, who is renowned for his expertise of the flags of the world, thought it appropriate to explain the flag of a country that has recently been in upheaval - Egypt.

"The flag of Egypt has three bands of colour - red, white and black, with a shield and eagle on the white band.

The colours are significant.  The red is a symbol of bloodshed that took place against the British occupation.  The white stands for the end of the monarchy without any bloodshed in 1952 and the black is for the end of cruelty against the Egyptian people under the monarch and the British.

This flag was adopted in 1984 and the shield on a golden eagle on the white bands is the 'Eagle of Saladin' and it's above a scroll that has the name of the country printed in Arabic."

"Flags are very important to the countries where they belong," Johnson pointed out, "and each flag has a deep meaning behind the colours and design."

The Propeller Club has a wealth of knowledge through its members and, particularly, those among its original membership whose love of heritage and history is evident in their presentations.

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Sunday, March 06, 2011