Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. Saturday night, Sept. 24/98.

I’ve not had the opportunity of adding to my journal since the foregoing was written on the morning of Wednesday, as Sarah & her friends here have occupied all the time, even up till 11:30 at nights with chatting, visiting, & viewing. Now reverting to where I left off. I went out soon after 9, de[s]cended the elevator on the Canadian side, very close to the hotel La Fayette, to board the little steamer “Maid of the Mist” that steams up past the Am. Falls & right up to the Horse Shoe Falls, & amongst the rapids & raging waves. This is one of the great feats & visitors all embrace the opportunity. The steamer starts from the opposite side (American) [7:27] & I was the only passenger waiting on the Canadian side. She came over for me & I snapped her just approaching the jetty. I was soon on board & there were 8 passengers from the Am. side, each in a suit of oil skins & I was soon into one with a big hood which covers the head & protects all but the eyes, as the spray will wet you through in 5 minutes – less – I did enjoy the grand view from the little vessel & she slowed as we passed the Am. Falls, & steamed on towards the Horseshoe Falls, & rushed up through the foaming rapids right into the “mist” & pretty close under the torrents that was [sic] rushing over the mighty precipice. Fully a dozen people stood on the platform high up & where I had stood the day before. They looked quite dwarfish, & I saw the steamer struggling in the foam as I was on the platform, so they would view the steamer as I did, & we would look small. I felt very, very proud that I had been privileged such a great treat & unique experience, sailing up under Niagara Falls. On returning, I got off at the American side & ascended the elevator to the top, & from there went to the only point of view that I had not the time to get at the previous afternoon. Then I congratulated myself I had seen the great world wonder from every point of view. I next made my way to the electric car, & on it crossed the bridge to the Canadian side, & the car stops there within 20 yards of Hotel Layfette [sic]. I settled up & set off for Buffalo, took a car again across the bridge (15c. return) & a short distance from the Am. end, got the Buffalo electric car, yellow, which left at 12 exactly. Here I must note the 2 last snap shots:

10, elevator, Canadian side down to river.

11, SS “Maid of the Mist” approaching the jetty, Canadian side for me.

[7:28]

It is 25 miles from Niagara town to Buffalo, 35 c. single, via Tonawanda & La Salle – a run away pair of horses on a waggon passed us near here, & I also passed a large site & on it a board intimating that this is the site of Pan American Exposition for 1901[1], close to La Salle town, & all the way from Niagara, either side, especially the left, were acres, field after field, of apple orchards, the trees laden with beautiful apples, chiefly Baldwins. I thought of you & your favorites. On the right was the river Niagara & sometimes we were pretty close to it, & I saw Grand island in the middle of the river, maize too was standing in stook, at Tonawanda crossed the Erie & Niagara canal, 12:40 p.m. We approached Buffalo about 1 p.m. Avenues of trees ran along the streets & it took just half hour going speedily till we reached the terminus in Buffalo, & at 1:30 I left the car. I richly enjoyed the journey, the longest I had experienced in an electric car, & these cars so luxuriously fitted up cross seats, corridor in the center. The seats all have reversible backs so that on the return journey these are turned over the seat & you face the other way on the return journey. Each passenger either way fronts the others back. The seats are beautifully upholstered in plush.

Buffalo is a very large city, over ¼ million, fine spacious streets thronged with people, magnificient [sic] architecture, splendid electric car service in Main St., 3 sets of rails, & it is a great shipping port on Lake Erie. I viewed the very magnificent Ellicot buildings,[2] a pile that amazes one to gaze upon it & a [7:29] & a [sic] fine perspective it has from Ellicot Square. I went into the court & viewed its magnificience [sic]. The dimensions are enormous & a real marble hall. This court forms the centre & its roof maybe will be as high as the 4th floor, & has a splendid stained glass roof. A balcony runs around one floor on which are offices, all lighted from the inside & this I ascended & walked around, then I ascended the lift (one of 4 all joining each other in square), to the 10th floor, the top, just to view the arrangements, all offices every floor, & the building contains 1,000, & every one occupied. On de[s]cending, I got out on the court balcony floor & had another confirming view. It is bounded by Main St., Swan St., Clinton St., & Washington St. Next I went to the famous D.S. Morgan building, a huge pile of grand architecture, 12 floors & a splendid tower from which the city & surroundings can be viewed, & over Lake Erie, & they say Niagara Falls. This building has many lifts also, but one is for public use, 10 c. to the top, which lets you out on the roof, 230 feet high, then ascend the tower 60 feet, & wonderful is the sensation as you gaze down upon & over the vast city, seemingly one of trees & church spires & conspicuous high outstanding buildings, while far away are manufactories, the smoke from which obscure distant views, but the bird’s eye view as you see the city, its streets & thoroughfares with pedestrian, carriage, & car traffic, is a very eye pleasing sight, I assure you. Then towards the grand Lake & Niagara River is another sight worthy of gazing long upon. Craft of all [7:30] dimensions making for the harbour & big steamers laying at the jetties give you the impression you are in some great sea port. Next I visited the fine public library & this is a very fine sight, both outside & in, & fairly crowded it was with both readers & book borrowers. Then the magnificent monument in a square to the memory of they who fell in the Civil War. This is in a fine square. The public library forms part of this square, a grand church on another side, & then another splendid pile of business buildings called the Mooney Brisbane buildings, towering high into space, shops on ground floor all around it & offices above. The other portion of the square opens on Main St. I saw from D.S. Morgan some fine spires, one of which was the First Presbyterian Ch., & close by the building I was on there was another the same height but without a tower, & several people were on its flat roof, but not so many as were in the tower. I walked into a fine store, like a village for size & a fair for throng, Adam, Meldrum, Anderson Co., & while looking at the cash railways & their rapid & continuous travelling, a fine white-bearded old gent, tall & handsome, came up to me & so kindly entered into conversation, & when he heard me speak, had my “number” in a second. He lived & was trained in Edinbro’, drapery, & came out to Buffalo in 1845 & is now the principal of this enormous house, drapery, & clothing, & fancy goods. Gave me his history of the rise of the establishment & its gradual progress & enforced enlargement. 5 floors of [7:31] extensive area, & shewed me the first portion where he began, & took me up in the lift to top floor & shewed me the whole establishment. Their cafe is a fine room, very large & seemed very throng. I told him about Jenners in Edinbro’ & he said “yes”, he had been surprised to know from one of his friends that their café success had been so great that their annual takings in the cafe was £60,000. I told him I had more than once dined & tea’d in it, & described to him, at request, their system. He was extremely courteous & so delighted as he expressed himself, & only then did I know he was the principal, when I asked him whom had I the pleasure of addressing, he replied, “Adam”.[3] So we parted & I had told him I likely would be passing through Buffalo on my return, because he asked had I been touring, he begged me to call in again & see him. Kindness, wasn’t it!! Next I made my way to Erie St., Grand Trunk Ry. station, & booked for Simcoe, 4 do. 45c. first class, left at 5 p.m. & arrived at Air line station ½ hour late, 5 to 9. We changed at Canfield & next stop was Jarvis. I had telegraphed Sarah during the afternoon my movements so Mr. Matthew Forster (Sarah’s cousin) & son of George Edward of Sunniside was waiting at the station to receive me, & kindly welcomed I was. Bus up to their store & home, where Sarah was awaiting me & a very pleasant, happy meeting we had. Much joy was expressed at meeting each other after so long seperation [sic] of 31 years. I had carried early impressions clearly & saw in her face the same expression as of old, only like myself, we must both have somewhat changed. [7:32] A long night was spent, aye, almost to the “morn’s” morning, talking of home & all friends, & deeply interested were all.

Mr. Forster has a fine family, sister Cuthbert[4] (Mary Teresa) prently[5] at St. Joseph’s convent, Hamilton, Eleanor Jane (Mrs. O’Brien) in Hamilton, Dorothy, Lottie, Julia, Geo. Edward, Mrs. Forster, a very fresh & robust good mother, is extremely kind & motherly, & have a happy home. Sarah is presently staying with them. She is very pleased & cheery with my presence, & we can’t make time long enough daily to get through the history & events of the long interval. So many, many changes personally affecting us both, pathetic & encouraging, & we are at it soon the succeeding mornings, & on we go. She enjoys reading yours and Mary’s letters I’ve all along received, & which is a very new world of news to her, & she claims now that you’ve never told her half enough in her letters, as mine from you both are veritable newspapers, containing just the news she likes. You would be surprised if you saw her. She is not much changed & very, very nice, full of interest, soft in expression & clear as a bell in her recollections.

On Thursday morning, Mr. Fo[r]ster hired a pair of fine horses & a buggy, & took Mrs. Forster, Dolly, Sarah & I to the old homestead, “Sunniside” & a fine drive of 9 miles, & we did enjoy it. There we met Sarah’s cousins Sarah & Charlotte Forster, Mr. & Mrs. Brock (Sarah’s cousin Bessie’s daughter). They farm the land. They have 2 children: a boy 2 ½, Geo. Ed., & a bonny baby, Eleanor Mary, 3 months old, just a prize baby. Julia, Mr. Matthew’s youngest daughter, who is very delicate, was [7:33] there on a visit. After a very, very pleasant stay of 4 hours, we set off home again. It came on to rain before we set off, tho’ we suffered nothing. They have a fine, large farm, 150 acres, apple orchard, the trees just loaded with apples. I plucked & ate, & have some for you & Mary. Just as I was about getting into the buggy, my eye caught on a length of railway rail about 3 feet long & laying edge up on a little platform, & on the side or in the hollow of the bar was “West Hartlepool”. So what think ye of our town, the very product laying out here on a farm. I was quite pleased & felt somewhat proud, & commented on the incident. We got home in good time, nothing the worse for the wet, & spent a very delightful night chatting till nearly the “morn’s” morning. Friday was spent visiting amongst Sarah’s & Mr. Forster’s friends, some of whom had associations with Berwick, others who knew Aunt Jane, John Matthew, & a second cousin of cousin Sarah’s, who is the priest here, aged 32, is a bright, genial, cheery gentleman & extremely kind & wishful to show me every attention. He & Mr. Matthew took me to the Simcoe Canning Coy’s factory, & a great treat it was to me to see such quantities of fruit undergoing canning. It is now a busy time & they were all busy with apples, & gallon cans were being filled & finished off during our visit. Then there was on the floor 900 baskets of peaches, beautiful, large fruit & each basket containing 20 lbs. each. These were to be canned the next day, & after they were through, green corn was the next. This is a great trade here & green corn is used by every household, a daily vegetable, & used fresh plucked off the stems. They can 2,000 cases, each 24 tins, in one day, & last Monday they canned 1,600 [7:34] baskets of peaches. We have frequently had their tomatoes in stock, & they can tomatoes in numbers innumerable, & all fruits in their season, plums, currants, rasp., straws., & goose berries, pines &c. &c., & the off season they do a little meats, poultry & tongues. I was to go back on the Saturday evening to see the green corn process, but I was away till nearly 7 with Father Dan at Port Dover to see his new mission church now building there, & a fine drive we had.

Sarah & Mr. Matt & I dined with Father Dan. It being Friday, we had a delightful white fish dinner, soup (tomato), fine they were, & fruit &c. &c., & happy he made us all. The poor man, he himself was rather poorly, & had been since the night before, a bilious[6] attack & could not enjoy his dinner. He tea’d with us on the Thursday night after we got home from the old homestead. Friday night we spent very happily & enjoyed general conversation. Yesterday, Saturday, Sarah, & Mr. Matt & I went out to visit again & shew me around, & a busy forenoon we had. Sarah has many kind friends, & we visited her own home[7] & Mr. & Mrs. Townley, who own the house, has a fine garden, grapes growing in profusion & hanging on a frame over head. You walk underneath it, & I had the full liberty & help of Mr. Townley to pull & eat till satisfied, & I am to go back. Sarah‘s home is just exactly opposite the house where Aunt Jane[8] & she first came to, & I’ve sketched it & also the drill shed adjoining in which John & Matt used to drill. This street is called Yonge Street. I was much attached to Aunt’s cottage & got it fairly fixed in my mind. After dinner, Father Dan, by arrangement, came for me with [7:35][9] his very beautiful thoroughbred mare, a noble animal, & comfortable buggy, & off we set to Port Dover. As I’ve already told you, a real delightful fine outing we had & he shewed me all about Port Dover, the summer watering place for Toronto, Hamilton & all around, & a pretty place it is. He has quite a lot of members here, about 80, & the new church will be ready for Xmas. We shall be having a paper on its opening. He took me to see the jetty where 2 large steamers discharge coal trucks. They each carry 28 large trucks of coal on deck, 4 lines of rail, each truck carrying on average 20 tons, one truck I saw had on its ticket 59,600 lbs, another 59,200 lbs, 59,450 lbs, 44,800 lbs. You can get Willie to figure these out & you will see. I regret neither of these steamers were in. It was late in the afternoon, in fact 5 o’clock. We had a fine drive home & Father Forster would have me drive, & I enjoyed handling such a fine animal. It was nearly 7 by the time we got back as we returned by a roundabout way so that I might see the school he attended as a boy & the farm on which he was brought up, so we did not hurry. The enjoyment was so fascinating & the company delightful. He is full cousin to Father Matthew of Hutton Henry.[10] We parted at Mr. Matthew’s & the night was spent very enjoyably, you may be sure. I’ve jotted down in my note book much information, & many notes for John of Kent Stone’s information.

[7:36]

I was busy writing my journal up when Mr. Jackson & Mr. McKee[11] (the latter visited Kent Stone & Berwick about 6 years ago on his honeymoon. Mary will remember he & his wife) came for me to go & tea with them, & I had to break off.

[1] US President William McKinley was assassinated here by an Anarchist on September 6, 1901.

[2] Ellicott Square, the largest office building in the world in 1898, built upon the site of the home of Joseph Ellicott, founder of the city.

[3] Robert Borthwick Adam was born in Peebles, Scotland, 1833.  Died in 1904.

[4] Women in convents take on the names of male saints.

[5] Abbreviation of “presently”?

[6] 1) of or relating to bile 2) marked by or suffering from liver dysfunction and especially excessive secretion of bile.

[7] Inserted on facing page: “It was Friday Sarah took me to see her home”.

[8] Jane Whitehead, paternal Aunt of William.  Her husband (Forster) died in the 1849 cholera epidemic.  Jane eventually moved with her family to Canada.

[9] Several numbers inserted on facing page.

[10] Inserted on facing page: “2nd cousin”.

[11] Inserted on facing page: “Mr. McKee”.