How a cruise bound for the Sault almost killed Sir John A. Macdonald

From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:

In July of 1859, the steamer Ploughboy was on its way from Collingwood to Sault Ste. Marie.

And then disaster struck, the likes of which could have easily altered the course of Canadian history.

The Ploughboy was on an excursion – a cruise-like trip that lasted for approximately five days between Georgian Bay and the Sault. It was meant to be a relaxing, fun outing, planned by the Simcoe Sheriff and involving over thirty government officials. Amongst them was John A. Macdonald, then serving as premier of the Province of Canada, the man who would one day become the first Prime Minister of Canada.

Things were going fine… until “old Father Huron” gave them a rough welcome. The ship was near Lonely Island, approximately 30 kilometres southeast of Manitoulin, when one of the cross-heads in the engine snapped without warning. The boat was adrift, and the engineer couldn’t fix it.

Initial reports in the Globe were relatively lighthearted, closing their article with the “hope that there was no lack of provisions on board, and, above all, that the champagne held out.”

However, a much more alarming picture of what happened emerged later, and the Globe was forced to admit that it might have been a little glib in its reporting, writing, “It appears that the accident to the [Ploughboy] involved possible consequences much more serious than we had any idea of yesterday.”

Not only had the engines failed, the ship had spent the night “entirely at the mercy of the waves.” A gale blew in, storm clouds built, and the ship drifted uncontrollably towards the shore. The anchors did not catch until the last minute. The passengers aboard the ship were panicking; “friends and relatives bade farewell, and prepared to meet their fate.”

In a letter to his sister, Macdonald wrote of the close call: “My dear Margaret: You will see by the papers what a narrow escape we had. None of the party will again be nearer their graves until they are placed in them.” He also noted that “the people behaved well, the women heroically.”

The newspapers reported that people had been rescued from the “very jaws of death.”

And another passenger aboard the Ploughboy was Colonel John Prince, who would become Sault Ste. Marie’s first judge in the following year; his grave is found in Bellevue Park. Prince also recounted the alarming events in his diary: “The fine Steamer was left at the Mercy of the Sea & Waves! Nobody Could hold the smallest Command over her rudder or any other part of her! and there we were drifting gradually towards The Shore, which was one of the Most dangerous and rocky in the World!”

He also praised how poised everyone was during the disaster, commenting that “The Ladies behaved Cool and as indeed, did Everybody Else on board. But nothing short of wreck & loss of life stared us in the face… We remained swinging at anchor, not knowing but that she might part with her anchors Every minute, and then Shipwreck & loss of, probably, Every Soul on board (for Swimming in such a place would be useless & the swell & surf were very high).

Ultimately, the group aboard the Ploughboy sent a smaller boat out for help. They contacted the vessel the Canadian, who came to rescue them. In the meantime, the waters calmed down and the crew began to offload everyone from the unfortunate Ploughboy. Colonel Prince did not leave until the last possible moment, thinking that he may have been more useful on the ship than off it. By 11 p.m. that night, the Canadian had arrived, all of the passengers got onboard, and after an entire night and day of uncertainty, everyone left what they thought might have been the place of their demise.

The crew and passengers were saved from what could have been disaster. And if it had gone differently, with Sir John A. Macdonald on board, Canadian history could have looked very different – all because of an excursion bound for Sault Ste. Marie.

Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provides SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.

Find out more of what the Public Library has to offer at www.ssmpl.ca and look for more Remember This? columns here