Fisherman’s Island, Toronto Sunday World, Feb. 22, 1914

Some early stories from Fishermen’s Island

1882 April James B. Eads report submitted to Dominion Parliament. To prevent encroachment of Ashbridge’s Bay on Toronto Bay. Feared destruction of harbour. Sheet piling around Eastern Gap. Breakwater. Eastern Gap permanent 300 feet wide and 18 feet deep. The Government breakwater was three feet high. Western Gap not closed as Eads wanted it to be. Breakwater originally 4,300 feet north south. Groynes built on Fisherman’s Island to George Gooderham’s house on the south side of the Island. Piles of cedar, cross braces of white pine and waling of rock or grey elm. Work began February 1883. Brush used as fill. Pile driving. Sheeting.

From early on the squatters on Fisherman’s Island had a life saving role. In 1883 eight workingmen were stranded on Fisherman’s Island when a gale blew up. There were only two houses on the Island (Smith was one). The men sheltered there.

1889 May a contract was issued to improve the Eastern Gap. A channel was dredged 300 feet wide to 12 feet deep. The shoreline on either side was armoured.

1893 June 23 On a division it was decided, on motion of Ald. G. Verral, to delay action for two weeks until the estimates are passed. A sub-committee was appointed to consider what rent squatters on Ashbridge’s bay shall be required to pay.

1893 Many people summered on the island. Favored by sportsmen for hunting (e.g. plovers, ducks. At about 2/3 of the distance from Coatsworth’s Cut to the Eastern Gap the sandbar was 200 yards wide. There was a dozen cottages or shanties there. Crossed by boat. James Forman of the City Assessment Dept. had a cottage there.

1895 Complaints that Eastern Gap had no lighthouse. Vessels having trouble. Lighthouse being constructed 1895 at the south end of the 2,420 foot long pier.  “The breakwater pier connecting the east pier with Fisherman’s Island is also completed, and, as was expected, a considerable sand-beach has formed in front of it.” Globe, January 6, 1895

1896 Improvements to the Eastern Gap. At first Eastern Gap in 1858 was only 150 feet wide but in 1889 the Gap was widened to 2,170 feet. The depth was 2 feet 9 inches to 4 feet 6 inches. The east pier was now 2,450 feet long and the wet pier 1,700 feet long. The channel between 400 feet wide and 16 feet deep. The breakwater connected the east pier to Fisherman’s Island.

“This condition of things is in striking contrast to that which prevailed before the present breakwater was constructed, when the waves lashed the wharves along the city front furiously, and were big enough to lift the schooner Persia, then owned by Mr. Morgan Baldwin, the present Harbormaster, partly on to the top of the wharf.”

George Gooderham’s house was on Toronto Island.  Knew that the new pier would at the Eastern Gap would cause a beach to form there:

“indeed, the deposit of sand at that point is already several feet deep, and is forming a beautiful beach, which before long will be far ahead of Burlington Beach at Hamilton and will prove an attractive summer resort for our citizens.”

City Engineer recommended groynes along the island to break waves and encourage deposition of sand. 80% of ship traffic in and out of the Harbour was now by the Eastern Gap. Globe, April 29, 1896

1897
FOUR LIVES LOST.
 A Score of Children Struggling in the Water.
The dead were Robert Long (7), Gertie Harvey (12), Albert Driscoll (9) and Willie Bythell (9).

Public bathing was under the direction of City Commissioner Coatsworth but the Board of Control had recently taken charge of it. Mayor Fleming had set aside swimming areas at the western end of Toronto Island and at Fisherman’s Island. They provided a raft to carry the boys over from the city after the new Cherry street swing bridge opened. The breakwater was interrupted by a channel known as McNamee’s cut. The piling dividing Ashbridge’s Bay from Toronto Harbour had a path on the top of it. The water dropped off on either side of the path to four feet deep and so could be dangerous to children too. Ald. Lamb had asked the City Works Dept. to construct the raft which was used to ferry people and goods across to Fisherman’s Island. He didn’t consult anyone else except works Commissioner John Jones. It was cheap and would help people, especially young boys, get to the swimming beach on Fisherman’s Island. It was cheap to build out of old lumber and was six feet wide and sixteen feet long with railings at four foot in height and was pulled across by chains. No one was left in charge of it, though the watchman at the nearby city dump was supposed to keep an eye on it. 18-20 children were on the raft made of planks over a couple of logs. A chain attached to the banks on the north  and south allowed people on the raft to pull themselves across hand over hand. According to a report in the Globe, “the children were playing on the raft and rocking it to and fro. Suddenly it tipped to one side, then to the other, and went over.” Yachtsmen helped rescue the children as did people rom Fisherman’s Island and older boys on the raft. Hector McDonald from Fisherman’s Island dragged for the bodies. He was in charge of the swimming station on Fisherman’s Island. Globe, August 23, 1897

THE DROWNING ACCIDENT Ald. Daniel Lamb ordered the building of the raft. The raft was meant to carry only 3-4 people. The land fronting where the raft was left was fronted by the Dry Dock Company. [The raft was subsequently replaced by a punt and then a bridge.] The path was across the dry dock property and was therefore not on public property but widely used by the public. Previous to the raft the public had used a punt. The people of Fisherman’s Island had not asked for the raft to be built. Globe, Aug 30, 1897. Five bodies were found.

1898 “To Reach the Sandbar.  

The lamentable accident at McNamee’s cut on Saturday night has again directed attention to the necessity for some means of crossing the channel at this point being provided. Ald. Lamb is stirring himself in the matter and is pushing a project for constructing a plank walk on top of the breakwater, 8 feet wide, equally divided between foot passengers and bicyclists, to the Fisherman’s Island. The scheme involves piling and a 30-foot drawbridge across the centre of the channel, high enough to allow ordinary sailboats to pass underneath. Mr. Geo. H. Bertram, M.P., is actively co-operating with the city authorities to obtain the necessary authority form the Dominion Government for the construction of the bridge.” Globe, March 8, 1898

“Free Bathing Popular. The popularity of the free swimming baths at Fisherman’s Island is evidently on the increase. Mr. Hector McDonell [sic], who has charge of the baths, reports that last week the number of boys availing themselves of the boon was but a few short of 5,000. The numbers for the six days were respectively 800, 816, 958, 817 and 760, a total of 4,981.” Globe, Aug. 3, 1898

 “Death in the Storm. One Life Lost and Many Accidents in Saturday’s Tornado.”

William Scott drowned. Hot day. Thousands on the water.  “In the twinkling of an eye a great rush of wind came from the southwest through the semi-darkness. The fury of it tore the canvas and spars from the small craft on the lake and the branches from trees of the land. Yachts and row-boats were capsized, the large ferries were driven out of their course and dared not try to make port, and the lake boats, loaded with passengers were brought to face the wind, stopped their engines and fought the storm until it spent its fury.” Winds were clocked at 40 mph. The Meteorological Observatory described it as a squall during a thunderstorm, not a tornado.  Globe, July 31, 1899

1900 “Free Ferries Off.” The free ferries which carried boys to the swimming areas on “Sand Bar Point” and “Fisherman’s Island” stopped because the funding ran out. In July and August 1900 117,600 used the swimming areas. However the boys could still reach the swimming areas by walking.

“A Brave Man Met Death.” Samuel Stein (23) drowned while saving Mary Miller from drowning. Four young women were swimming on Fisherman’s Island and decided “to swim to the other side”. She sank. Terrence Holland of 95 DeGrassi street had been out in a rowboat with his wife and family fishing. Holland hooked the sinking Miss Miller with his fishing line but it broke. Stein tried to help but sank. She lived. “Miss Miller was taken to the house o f Len [Leonard] Marsh on Fisherman’s Island. Globe Aug. 28, 1900

1901 New Street Car Route. Toronto Street Railway Company was considering adding a new street car route from King Street by Trinity street to Cherry street along Ashbridge’s marsh to the Eastern breakwater and along the sandbar through Kew Beach and Balmy Beach to Munro Park. It was also considering ferrying streetcars across the Eastern Gap for service on Toronto Island. “Fisherman’s Island now has forty cottages, and it is claimed that only the lack of facilities for making it accessible prevents it being one of the city’s most popular resorts. the beach there is claimed to be one of the finest on the lake.”  

“Squatters on the Sandbar. Assessment Commissioner Fleming had before the Board of Control yesterday morning a report upon the occupation by summer squatters of the beach between Fisherman’s Island and Kew beach. he gave the names of 36 persons located there, all of them dating their location within three years, except three, one of whom claimed to have resided on the beach thirty years, and the others ten years. The Commissioner says: “These people are trespassers and have no authority to occupy said lands. They had no permit from this department to locate there. They are paying no rental, because this department declined to complicate matters by accepting rent from them. They are prepared to pay the usual charge for tenting privileges, $4 a year. As to who gave them permission to locate on the bar, I cannot say; the people state they received it from some of the members of Council.” Globe, Oct. 16, 1901

1904 Ice Boats Ice boating was popular on Toronto harbour. There were 17 in the commercial fleet and people enjoyed racing. “This year, in one of the fastest races ever sailed on Toronto Bay, the Volunteer, the latest addition to the fleet, and owned by Hector Macdonald of Fisherman’s Island, won the Rogers championship Cup.” Globe, April 5, 1904

 “Lem [Len] and Harry Marsh, two residents of Fisherman’s Island, were convicted by Police Magistrate Denison yesterday on the charge of illegal fishing in Ashbridge’s Bay. They were each fined $30 and costs. [Almost a months’ wages.] Globe, June 17, 1904

On the suggestion of Mr. H. MacDonald an effort will be made to have a polling booth on Fisherman’s Island to accommodate the score or so of voters who remain there all the winter. Globe Sept 20 1904

1905 To Be Called St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church is the title of a new frame house of worship to be erected on Fisherman’s Island, on the site now used for the Sunday tent services on the lake shore near Simcoe park. The church is to be named after the patron saint of all sailors and fishermen. The clergy of St. James’ Cathedral have undertaken to hold divine service every Sunday afternoon at 3.30, to be preceded by a Sunday School.

A garden party and fish supper were given on Thursday evening by the island residents. The fish for the supper were provided by the fishermen of the island. An orchestra was in attendance, and there were the usual side entertainments, by which the ladies added to the treasury for the building.  Globe, July 22, 1905

Reckless Shooting on Island.

Mrs. B. Matthews of Coatsworth’s Cut brought an eleven months’ old baby to the City Hall yesterday. In the baby’s head were wounds made by birds shot, which were caused while the baby was in its mother’s arms. Mrs. Matthews, who was accompanied by Mrs. Thomas Smith of Fisherman’s Island, said that there were dozens of boys and young men with rifles at the Island, and lives were constantly in danger. If any residents complained the boys would take revenge by firing at the houses. The Board of Control yesterday deferred consideration of a bill to regulate shooting on the Island. Globe, Sept. 20, 1905

Squatter’s Demands.

The forty-five squatters on the sandbar east of Coatsworth’s Cut [Woodbine Beach], who have enjoyed freedom from the annoyances of leases or landlords, must now pay some rent to the city. Commissioner Forman has fixed a nominal rental for the land seized by the squatters for their little cottages, so that the city’s right of ownership might never be imperiled. He offered the squatters a five-year lease, and he reported to the Property Committee last week that ten of the squatters had accepted the new conditions and agreed to pay a rental of 40 cents a foot for five years. The other squatters, however, are looking for still more liberal terms, and a number of them came before the Board of Control. Globe, Sept. 20, 1905