The Toronto Island Ferry ServiceA History |
TRANSFER POINTS Vol. 2, No. 4, March 1976 by Larry Partridge |
IN 1890 the Toronto Ferry Company came into being. With the appearance of a new business, several of the old ferry groups succumbed to bankruptcy and subsequently were added to the new ownership. When the operation first appeared in 1890, there were 12 ferries under its command. Two more were added shortly after formation, and this list included the ARLINGTON, JESSIE McEDWARDS, KATHLEEN, GERTRUDE and ISLAND QUEEN of A.J. Tymon, the CANADIAN, LUELLA, SADIE and PROUVETTE BEYER of the Turner Company, plus the addition of two new boat which were later to leave their mark on the people of Toronto. One of these was named the MAYFLOWER.
Constructed in 1890, this ferry had a capacity larger than any other boat on the Bay at the time. She was licensed to carry over 1,000 passengers. She had been built under the auspices of the John Doty Engine & Ferry Company in 1890 and remained under Doty's ownership until she was acquired the Toronto Ferry Company. A two-decked paddle side-wheeler, at first the boat was somewhat of a joke among its patrons when it was learned she was the first vessel on the Bay to contain the novel new electric lights which had come into existence only a short time before. The novelty soon wore off, and the increased number of night cruises across the Bay became a reality.
 |
June 1927, and the MAYFLOWER now sports the name of its new operator, the Toronto Transportation Commission. |
The MAYFLOWER continued with the ferry fleet through 53 years of back-and-forth runs until she was finally retired from service in 1938 due to age. Stripped of her superstructure, her hull was made into a barge suitable for the hauling of garbage to the Inspector Street incinerator.
ONE OF the common practices of the early 19th-century shipbuilders was to build two ships at the same time that were identical in every way except name. These circumstances resulted in the building of a sister ship for the MAYFLOWER, known as the PRIMROSE.
Built to the exact specifications of her sister, the PRIMROSE was 140 feet long and had a capacity of between 900 and 1,000 passengers. The novel electric lights were also carried on her decks as well.
 |
In this 1898 photo, the PRIMROSE is closest to the camera, docked at the Toronto Ferry Company's terminal at the foot of Bay Street. The MAYFLOWER can be seen in profile to the right, and the other double-deck vessel partially visible behind the PRIMROSE may be the CLARK BROTHERS. |
Both the MAYFLOWER and the PRIMROSE were popular with Torontonians for many years. During the heyday of the amusement park at Hanlan's Point in the 1920s both boats provided a good service. And prior to this they were pressed into service for use as cruise boats during the Canadian National Exhibition, stopping at docks specially built at the C.N.E. to let off fairgoers. After many years these docks were demolished.
The PRIMROSE was destined to end her life at the same time as her sister, again because of age. On July 1, 1938, she was retired from passenger-carrying duties, and pressed into work service alongside her sister ship.
 Home |
 Photos |
 Rosters |
 Destination Signs |
Routes |
 Search Site |
 Site History |
 Links |
 Feedback |
