On page 66, Brighton historian Isaac Wellington provides an amusing anecdote related to his grandfather, George Gibson. If we recall the story of HMS Speedy, we might know George Gibson as the partner and long-time friend of Charles Selleck who was custodian of the court house and jail building. On October 8, 1804 both of them waited in vain for HMS Speedy to arrive at Newcastle to conduct a murder trial. By 1825 he was an elderly man, but present and engaged in the activity of the day. This story tells of his extreme response at seeing the first steamboat enter Presqu’ile Bay.
"Although Grandfather had helped to build many a large vessel, yet he had never seen a steamboat. One day, the Frontenac came puffing into the harbour. The old gentleman, hearing the noise, sprang to his feet, and asked what was making the noise; but when he got sight of the boat rounding Salt Point, making her way into the harbour and dropping anchor, he raised both hands to his head, exclaiming that the world was coming to an end when we see a ship run without sails. In after days, many a hearty laugh did the young people have at Grandfather's expense over his first sight of a steamboat.“
The Frontenac had been built in 1816 at Finkle’s shipyard at Bath and was a sensation around the province. This image of the Frontenac is an artist’s rendering, suggesting what it may have looked like when it steamed into Presqu’ile Bay in the summer of 1825.
If we think about it objectively, we might sympathize with George Gibson’s alarm. He had been building and operating sailing ships all his life and now, on his own doorstep, he beheld this monstrosity, making ungodly racket never associated in his mind with a ship, and belching smoke from it’s deck. It's no wonder he felt the world was coming to an end. In fact, however, It was simply a sign of the changing times.
Note: This image of the Frontenac is from page 441 of the book "Hans Waltimeyer" by Jane Bennett Goddard, UE.
"Although Grandfather had helped to build many a large vessel, yet he had never seen a steamboat. One day, the Frontenac came puffing into the harbour. The old gentleman, hearing the noise, sprang to his feet, and asked what was making the noise; but when he got sight of the boat rounding Salt Point, making her way into the harbour and dropping anchor, he raised both hands to his head, exclaiming that the world was coming to an end when we see a ship run without sails. In after days, many a hearty laugh did the young people have at Grandfather's expense over his first sight of a steamboat.“
The Frontenac had been built in 1816 at Finkle’s shipyard at Bath and was a sensation around the province. This image of the Frontenac is an artist’s rendering, suggesting what it may have looked like when it steamed into Presqu’ile Bay in the summer of 1825.
If we think about it objectively, we might sympathize with George Gibson’s alarm. He had been building and operating sailing ships all his life and now, on his own doorstep, he beheld this monstrosity, making ungodly racket never associated in his mind with a ship, and belching smoke from it’s deck. It's no wonder he felt the world was coming to an end. In fact, however, It was simply a sign of the changing times.
Note: This image of the Frontenac is from page 441 of the book "Hans Waltimeyer" by Jane Bennett Goddard, UE.