The Alligator was an amphibious machine designed and patented in Canada in the late 1880s. This warping tug was capable of towing a log boom across a lake and then portaging itself to the next body of water. Steam-powered and rugged, it was one of the pioneers in the mechanization of the forest industry and for more than thirty years was ubiquitous in northern Ontario until eclipsed by its worthy successor the Russel tug.
"This long-overdue book on the Alligator Warping Tug, designed and built by West & Peachey of Simcoe, Ontario, is a welcome addition to the libraries of those intrigued by Canada’s story and particularly lumbering history." — R. John Corby, curator emeritus, Canada Science and Technology Museum
"By enabling access to the upper reaches of the Ottawa River and its many tributaries, the Alligator tug extended the social and economic stability provided by the timber industry and supported the populating of this vast region. Alligators of the North is a wonderful touchstone for all who share this heritage." — Mary Campbell, mayor of McNab-Braeside Township, Renfrew County
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references (p. [217]-218) and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 386/.223209713
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn-on
- ISBN
- 9781459704732 9781554887118
- LCCN
- VM464
- LCCN Item number
- B374 2010eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaOONL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xiii, 230 p.)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)slc00227603 (OCoLC)759806932 (CaOOCEL)439933
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaOONL
Table of Contents
- Cover 1
- ALLIGATORS OF THE NORTH 5
- Copyright 6
- Contents 7
- Foreword 9
- Acknowledgements 11
- Introduction 13
- 1 In the Beginning 17
- 2 The West Family in Norfolk County 23
- 3 The West & Peachey Partnership, 1878 25
- 4 The Lumber Trade in Norfolk Moves On 31
- 5 Joseph Jackson and the Warping Tug 37
- 6 John West’s Other Interests 43
- 7 Evolution of the Alligator Warping Tug 49
- 8 Alligator-Operated Portable Sawmills and Other Ventures 61
- 9 The Gilmour Dynasty: Their Tramway and the Alligator 67
- 10 Steamboats for South America 71
- 11 The Diverse Enterprises of West & Peachey, 1897–99 79
- 12 West & Peachey Enter the Twentieth Century 83
- 13 The Alligator Warping Tug in Newfoundland 91
- 14 Turn-of-the-Century Improvement sand Modifications 95
- 15 The Story of the Cavendish Lumber Company’s Alligator Tugs 101
- 16 The Role of the Alligator in the Ottawa Valley 105
- 17 John R. Booth: A Distinguished Ottawa River Client 113
- 18 Timber Operations in Northwestern Ontario 119
- 19 Some Alligator Accidents Over the Years 125
- 20 Technical and Operational Details in the Construction of Alligator Tugs 129
- 21 The Alligator Warping Tug’s Steam Engines 135
- 22 The End of a Dynasty 143
- 23 The Russel Brothers’ Gasoline-Powered Warping Tugs 149
- 24 The End of the Alligator Era 153
- 25 Aftermath 161
- 26 The W.D. Stalker: An Alligator Reborn 169
- Appendix A Two Alligator Tales 175
- Appendix B Original Patent Application for Alligator Warping Scow 185
- Appendix C Patent Application for Cable-Winding Mechanism 187
- Appendix D Alligator Warping Tugs Production Records 191
- Appendix E Known Repairs to Unidentified Alligator Warping Tugs 217
- Appendix F Alphabetical Listing of Alligator Warping Tugs 219
- Notes 223
- Selected Bibliography 233
- Index 235
- About the Authors 247
