10 May 1907
Of Irish heritage, Charles Burrows (1839-1931) was a reporter for The St. Catharines Journal, later submitting articles to various other publications including The St. Catharines Standard. (In some cases, his spelling has been corrected for clarity; in others, allowed to stand giving the flavour of the original.)
Listen to Keith Inman perform Port Dalhousie
‘Tis Port Dalhousie that is entransing,
Embow’red sweetly upon the shore
Of old Ontario, whose billows dancing,
Delights the senses for evermore.
Where’eer we wander we’ll still grow fonder,
And pleasant memories of thee recall.
Located grandly by woods and water,
With “The Twelve” expanding on the big canawl.
‘Tis there the angler in patient rapture,
With bottled bait labeled “Old Crow,”
Sits calmly waiting to get a nibble
From the finney denizens that flirt below.
For there the perch are, and festive catfish,
With unctuous eels and black bass galore,
Whilst Peter Nath and his fellow fishers
Seine shiney herrings along the shore.
Then there’s The Park where the youths and maidens
On flying trapeze glide through the air,
And if romantic on moonlit evenings
Swap sweet saliva out on the pier ;
Or in pavilion, waltz or cotillion,
To dreamy music enjoy the dance.
Whilst on the sands scores of kids are basking,
Or in the water like bullfrogs prance.
There’s bathing houses from where the boys in blouses,
And girls in pajams sport in the lake
Like comely mermaids in stickey costumes,
Stemming the surf where their tresses shake ;
Whilst others rowing have easy going
On the laughing water over which they glide,
Nor melancholic, whilst fun and frolic
Is floating round them upon the tide.
‘Tis grand to gaze on the stately steamers
Pass in procession by the harbor wall—
Some from Lake Erie, or Sault Ste. Marie,
For “Montrebec” or old “Queall.”
Faith, the N.C.R. and Mister Seixas[1]
Have wonders did in this lovely place,
Whilst on “Garden City” or “Lakeside” pretty,
Trips to Toronto still hold the pace.
Go there in August when the brawney scullers
Expand their muscles on the silvery pond,
And see the stunters, or active punters,
In war canoes sweeping past the stand ;
Whilst far and wide o’er the glistening waters
Of that scenic spot is a blaze of light,
From the dingy dug-out to the clipper motor,
And Boss Weller’s Houseboat[2] in colors bright.
Go there—go often, for ozonic breezes
Refresh your frame with their healthy spray.
None ever die there, but simply wither—
With old age dry up and blow away.
For there you’ll find the septuagenarian,
Or the nonagenarian, still full of fun,
As spry as grigs are those old Dalhousians,
Q.E.D.,[3] see Peter Nath,[4] or good doctor “Con.”[5]
[1] Edward F. Seixas (1870-1946): General Manager of the interurban Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway, 1900 to 1919. In 1899, the NS&T Railway acquired the former Niagara Central Railway (N.C.R.)
[2] John Laing Weller (1862-1932): appointed Superintending Engineer of the Welland Canal in 1900, then Engineer-in-Charge of Construction of the Welland Ship Canal in 1912. Weller retrofitted an old boat into a houseboat complete with ten staterooms and other amenities. He named it Castlemere. The family spent the summers of 1904-1908 aboard the houseboat.
[3] Q.E.D.: Latin abbreviation for “quod erat demonstrandum,” meaning that which will be demonstrated.
[4] Peter Nath (1832-1908): a well-known Port Dalhousie fisherman and local character.
[5] Dr. John Wyse Considine (ca. 1819-1907): a Port Dalhousie physician and Medical Health Officer and Sanitary Inspector.
Published in Spirit of the Big Ditch: The Story of the Welland Canals in Pictures, Poems and Songs. Compiled, edited and annotated by Robert Ratcliffe Taylor. St. Catharines: The Historical Society of St. Catharines, 2024
About the performer:
Keith Inman’s books are in over fifty libraries worldwide, including a few special collections. He’s recorded audio poems for PoetryXHunger.com, the University of Regina, and Black Moss Press.
More recently, he’s been published in Arc’s 100 Anniversary Issue, helped judge the League of Canadian Poet’s ‘Poem in Your Pocket’ Contest, and is presently mentoring for the P.K.Page Program. Keith lives in an old limestone home overlooking the canal in Thorold.
The Historical Society of St. Catharines 