Bluebell (1906 ship)

Bluebell, launched in 1906, served as a ferry in Toronto until 1955
History
NameBluebell
OperatorToronto Ferry Company
BuilderPolson Iron Works, Toronto, Ontario
Launched1906
Out of service1955
FateSank 1957
General characteristics
TypeFerry

Bluebell was a ferry built in Toronto, Ontario, Canada by Polson Iron Works for the Toronto Ferry Company.[1][2][3][4][5] She was a steam-powered vessel, propelled by side-wheels. She ferried passengers between the Toronto mainland and the Toronto Islands.

She was built in 1906, and acquired by the city in 1927 when its contract with the ferry company expired, and remained in service until 1955.[5] She was converted to a scow in 1957, but sank on her first voyage after her relaunch. She was refloated several times before the hull was sunk as part of the Leslie Spit.

Polson Iron Works finished a sister ship to Bluebell, Trillium, also named after a flower, which underwent a long restoration after being left to sink, and rot, in a lagoon at the Toronto Islands.[5]

  • PS Bluebell as of June 2013
    PS Bluebell as of June 2013
  • PS Bluebell as of June 2013
    PS Bluebell as of June 2013

References

  1. ^ Erin Sylvester (2016-07-21). "The History Behind the Ferry You'll Take to the Toronto Islands". Torontoist. Retrieved 2018-08-11. According to a 1963 article in the Toronto Star, a brief note in the column "In Town and Out," the City purchased Bluebell and Trillium to convert them into sewage disposal craft. Bluebell apparently sank on a trial run, before extra floatation devices were attached.
  2. ^ Mike Filey (2018-06-18). "Trillium summertime memories". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2018-08-11. As the professional baseball games played by the Toronto Maple Leaf ball team at the Hanlan's Point stadium continued to draw larger and larger crowds, it soon became obvious that the latter vessel, Bluebell, the largest of the trio, was unable to handle the hoards of Hanlan's Point-bound fans.
  3. ^ Mike Filey (2010-06-08). "Queen of the fleet". Heritage Toronto. Archived from the original on 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  4. ^ Jake Schabas (2009-06-18). "Throwback Thursday: Travelling back in time on board the Trillium". Spacing magazine. Retrieved 2018-08-11. Built by Polson Iron Works Limited, the $75,000 Trillium was an exact replica of her sister ship, the Bluebell, built four years earlier. The largest of the four "flower ferries," the Trillium was named the flower of Ontario and had an original passenger capacity of 1450.
  5. ^ a b c Chris Bateman (2013). "The nautical adventures of the Trillium ferry in Toronto". Blog TO. Retrieved 2018-08-11. The TTC took over ferry operations from the city in 1927, bringing the Trillium and its sister ships the Bluebell, Mayflower, Primrose, Jasmine, John Hanlan, Clark Bros., and Luella into the company that operated busses and streetcars in the city.