Page:New Brunswick Magazine Issue 1.djvu/98

The Royal Tar was the pioneer steamer on the route between St. John, Eastport and Portland, Maine, and the establishment of this line to connect at Portland for Boston was an enterprise of no small importance on the part of some of the people of St. John. This steamer was built at the shipyard of William and Isaac Olive, Carleton, and launched in November, 1835. It was of 400 tons burthen, 146 feet keel, 160 feet on deck and 24 feet beam, and was fitted and equipped in an unusually fine style for those days. The cost was about $40,000. One half interest in the venture was owned by John Hammond, and the remaining half was held between Daniel McLaughlin and Mackay Brothers & Co. The steamer was commanded by Captain Thomas Reed, father of the late Thomas M. Reed.

There was great rejoicing in St. John when this fine steamer was completed and ready for the route. The trial trip took place in the harbor on Monday, the 2nd of May, 1836, and was an event in which a large number of citizens took a lively interest. Between two and three hundred guests were on board, and after the boat had steamed around the harbor, and had made the run from Partridge Island to Reed's Point in fifteen minutes, there was a general jollification at the expense of the owners. A hot luncheon was served, and a contemporary account says it was accompanied by "rivers of sherry and oceans of champagne." The steamer had been named the Royal Tar in compliment to the reigning king, William IV, and among the toasts was one to "The patriotic and beloved sovereign from whom the 'Royal Tar' is named—The Sailor King." On June 5 the steamer made its first trip to Eastport and St. Andrews, and in returning made the run from Eastport to St. John in less than five hours, a record breaking trip for that era of steam navigation. The steamer also made the run to Fredericton and back, and