New York, Grand Union Hotel, Thursday night, Nov. 3/98. Yesterday morning, after preparing my diary for posting, & as intended per the Brittanic, it was after 9 before I got out & found the English mail had closed at 9 a.m., & supplemental mail could only be posted at the pier of the White Star line, No. 45, & it was a long way. I made my way to Cook’s office for letters, reaching there about 10:15. They told me the postage would be double, which means 20 cents or 10d., but that the Etruria, sailing on 5th, Saturday, would be in Liverpool 24 hours after the Brittanic. So I decided to send only a post card & franked it double, & they would see it off by Brittanic. As some of their staff was going down to see passengers off at noon, I franked my diary letter 10 cents & left it with them for Saturday’s mail. So just note the date you receive each. I need not tell you how very delighted I was to received [sic] news from home, 2 from Willie, yours in one of them, 1 from Mary, all very, very welcome & delightful reading, cuttings too!!! 1 from Matt & 1 from Sarah. You’ll get a reading of them in due time, then 4 bundles of papers, which maybe will be left for the voyage, tho’ we’ve opened one out & scanned them only. So pleased all’s well with you & cheery.
Cook’s told me Albion had frequently called enquiring if I had yet been there, & they were pleased I had arrived for his sake, as he had been very anxious. They told him they had several letters for me & that I was sure to turn up soon. I had no communication from him after the Montreal letter, tho’ I looked for one at Boston.
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Memo, October 1898, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Personal reminiscences of a touring visit to Ottawa, October 1898.
The regretful recent destruction by fire of the Parliament House of Canada incidentally promoted me to refer to my diary, written within the Grand Union Hotel, Ottawa, I venture to hope may give a few minutes’ pleasure to some of you readers.
On October 21st I left Toronto by the CP Ry., 9:10 a.m. for Ottawa. Rain began to fall on setting off & continued throughout the journey. The country as viewed from the track was rich in agriculture, this for many miles. Men were working on the land in the rain, some ploughing, others leading mangle worsel [sic], great crops of this root to be seen. Familiar names en route interested me: Peterboro’, except for churches & spires, not unlike our cathedral city, apparently a fine place; then Tweed, a pretty little town & a fine river running through it, but the land there abouts was very rocky & not suitable for agriculture. This place had for me a double interest being named, I assume, after the river Tweed which geographically divides England & Scotland, & on its left bank stands the town of my nativity.
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Sheffield next we passed, but conveyed no pretentions to the great steel city. Sharbot Lake, there an expansive sheet of water studded with numerous pretty islands reminding me of Loch Lomond. Here the train was nearly one hour late, a new engine was drawing the train, four men on the plate testing, & now & again the journal boxes became heated & had to draw up to cool. Next we came to Smith’s Falls, now 4:40 p.m. Here we had to change for Ottawa. The land here abouts seemed poor, stoney [sic] & rocky, like great upheavals, much bush & uncleared land, tho’ the trees had, in lots of areas, been fired, water standing on the land, seemingly been much rain. Eventually we arrived at Ottawa 6:35, one hour & thirty five minutes late, & raining heavily & dark. I had hoped to arrive during daylight so that I might the easier find my way about, as well as view from the rail track the many hamlets & settlements en route. What I did see of the houses were the ordinary country type, wooden or as they are styled frame houses. Others are styled [memo:3] “veneered”, that is wood frame with a facing of a single brick course. At every station, familiar home advertisements were displayed, Hudson’s dry soap in great evidence.
After getting on to the platform at Ottawa station, I approached the Grand Union Hotel porter & arranged for accommodation. The electric car running right alongside the street platform, I had not many yards to walk & took car for the hotel, & was not long being very comfortably & cheerily settled, & soon at dinner, retired early & enjoyed a good night’s sleep and rest.
Saturday morning, astir in good time, had bath, then a good breakfast. It was raining, as we would say “even down pour”. I looked out again at 9:30, still at it, but by 10 o’clock it faired & I prepared for viewing. Whilst lounging in the hall of hotel, I noted the temperature, heated by radiator, 69° & outside the door 49°.
My first visit was to Cook’s agency, immediately across the road. I had no business to do there, being only a visitor for a few days, tho’ I travelled under their system. Their agents are always willing to help their traveller clients & I got much information how to view the city & its institutions &c. [memo:4] buildings. I made my way to the magnificent pile of Parliament buildings, stands only three minutes from the hotel. The souvenir I have posted will give you a fair impression of the splendid architecture & dimensions of the noble structure. The admission is free. From the speaker’s chair I viewed the chamber, thence to the galleries, reading room, & the library, a beautiful circular hall, very artistically furnished, galleries for books, statuary too at points which are prominent. I thought highly of this department. Many persons were, like myself, visitors & viewing. So also the reading room but this by no means pretentious. I mounted the tower, the clock in which struck eleven, 287 steps up, a great sacrifice for me to climb so many stairs, Whitby Abbey[1] only once. I disliked the effort, which caused perspiration & my under garments were actually wet ere I got to the top. I was richly compensated as the view from such a height, 210 feet from the base & bank on which the buildings stand – edge of fine river Ottawa – & 270 feet from the river. Luckily it was fine & clear, & I felt that I should have missed a grand & unique sight had I not ventured the climbing ordeal. Oh, what a magnificent panorama of the surrounding country & the great waterways intersecting the grand Ottawa River & Rideau Canal, & the great stacks of wood on the river bank opposite, Quebec Province. Hull is the [memo:5] name of that side, & it’s well named as our Hull is also a great timber depôt. The many grand churches, a Catholic cathedral, & other fine institutions, stand in prominent & open spaces & parks.
Government House stands in a fine park, also a grand railway viaduct in the distance, which spans the Ottawa river. Then Chaudiere Falls close at hand, a prettier scene is difficult to find & I regretted no person or friend was with me to join in the pleasure. I did not hurry but gazed & feasted my eyes till I felt somewhat cold. At twelve o’clock, I began to de[s]cend & it was warm work going down. I never did like stairs & the elevators in the States were always a temptation to ascend high buildings to view, & that was pleasure to me.
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[1] Coastal town 50 miles SE of Hartlepool, famous for its 199 stairs up to the Whitby Abby ruins