. C@ - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 30, 1997

All riverboats are not alike

STERN WHEELERS often
travelled the Skeena, but
paddlewheelers never plunged
through the waters of the north-
west.

It’s a distinction long-time
Terrace artist Cascy Braam
wants to make clear.

The type of riverboats on the
Skeena in the early 1900s were
called sternwheeler steamers. wo™

Paddlewheelers, on the other |
hand, were used on the Missis-
sippi River in the United States.

The difference between the
two is subtle, but important, /
says Braam.

Paddlewheelers carry a wheel
mid-ship on both port and star-

bry

sheet j A f™
ree ~"

Ha

board. It usually had two
smokestacks.

The stemwheelers on the
Skeena River had only one
smokestack, and were smaller
than the paddlewheelers.

The sternwheelers, explained

oe ee

Braam, could travel in shal-

lower water because the drive STERNWHEELERS, not paddlewheelers, travelled the
wheel was on the back. It was waters of the Skeena. Casey Braam drew these riverboais to
also narrower than the sterm- show how stemwheelers had a drive wheel only at the back,
wheeler itself.

not on the port and starboard sides.

THE WOODEN SKEENA BRIDGE opened in July, 1925. This was the fi

day best for the event.

Bridging the mighty Skeena

IT’S HAD a few facelifts since 1925, when the
first car crossed its deck, but the old wooden
Skeena bridge still serves as one of the main
entries into Terrace.

The bridge provided the first way for Thornhill
residents to get to Terrace without using the ferry.
Before it was built, people had to travel via boat
to Ferry Island. From there wagons, horses and a
few cars could reach the north side of the river via
the old “Slough Bridge’? which connected to
Haugland St.

The man in charge of the long-awaited new
bridge was R.N. Shockley of Prince Rupert. He
was hired in 1924. ,

The cost of the wooden bridge was allegedly
never published,

There were a few problems during construction.
Builders had to wait for the lowest water in the
fal] ta sink the concrete underpinnings which
would support the bridge. In the sands of one of
the most unpredictable rivers in B.C. this was no
easy task.

The old Skeena bridge opened to crowds
dressed in their Sunday best in July, 1925. The
Honourable RD Pattullo, Minister of Lands, cut
the ribbon to declare the bridge open, Pattullo was
responsible for the bridge’s creatlon, since he
lobbied for it when Terrace was in his riding.

Tae bridge was built from concrete pilings, tim-
ber decks and a steel superstructure. It was
originally intended to support two-way traffic,
back in the days when cars were much slimmer.

But cars became wider, and logging trucks and
railers oflen were forced to back up to find width
(0 pass,

Eventually a traffic light and a pedestrian

sidewalk were added, and traffic was limited to
one way in December, 1961.

That created long line-ups, which have lasted
till modern times. Allegedly the longest waiting
time between the red and green lights on the north
side is two minutes and 22 seconds, On the south
side the maximum weight is seven seconds
shorter.

The 1031 foot bridge has seen ils share of
strange limes.

During the 1930s a well known character in
town, Bill Cooper, crossed the bridge in a pick-
up, while carrying a case of dynamite. Cooper
crashed through the bridge railings and plum-
meted to the rocks.

Miraculously the truck landed right side up and
the case of dynamite didn’t explode. Cooper
walked away from the wreck.

The tridge also survived the flood of 1936, The
southem stanchions were washed away by rush-
ing water and water levels rose to just four feet
away from the bridge span.

During the flood, drivers were forced to aban-
don their cars and cross the bridge on foot to
where a ladder provided descent to the rocks be-
low, The rest of the crossing was made by planks
to the southern shore. ' ‘

‘The flood later washed away 300 feet of deck-
ing, along with the piers, putting the bridge out of
commission for a couple of months.

In 1954 the CNR added a railway bridge along-
side the car bridge. The addition meant a reloca-
tion of the southern end of the bridge to about 75
feel upstream, But the railway bridge strengthen-
ced the ability of the bridge overall to withstand
floods,

irst car to cross its
deck aiter the ribbon cutting ceremony. The Honourable T.D. Patullow, minister of lands, cut
the ribbon, with Dr. Wrinch, MLA for the fiding, assisting. Crowds were dressed in their Sun-

en

Latex Wall Stain.......

(3.78 L) solid colour acrylic + $1.00 rebate

Oil Wall Stain... be
(3.78 L) solid colour + $1.00 rebate

Latex Deck Stain... $23
(3.78 L) solié colour acrylic + $4.00 rebate

Oil Wall Stain... 92

{3.78 L) semi-transparent + $1.00 rebate

Ege Shell Finish... 2
(3.78 L) breeze acrylic latex + $2.50 rebate

88
Semi-Gloss Finlsh me’ + |
(3.78 L) breeze acrylic latex + $2,50 rebate

88
Melamine sesasusenenssaee 2
(3.78 L} +$2,50 rebate

Acrylic Latex (Flat) ay + aa

(3.78 L) breeze exterior + $2,50 rebate
Acrylic Latex so788

(Semi-Gloss) .....-.es000
(3.78 L) + $2.50 rebale

TERRACE INTERIORS

ooh tes tet