1897 James Devine Klondike Report
The Hamilton Spectator, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, October 4, 1897. [4]
1878 Elizabeth Patterson (age 19) and James E. Devine (age 22) were married on September 9 in Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario. Elizabeth was born in Ireland and her parents were Thomas Patterson and Elizabeth J Patterson. James was a carpenter. He was born in Canada and his parents were John and Mary A. Devine. [1]
1881 James E. Devine (age 24, born in Ontario) and Elisabeth P. Devine (age 21, born in Ireland) lived in Hamilton City, Ontario, with daughter Mary E. Devine (age 10/12, born in May in Ontario). James was a carpenter. [2]
1891 James E. Devine (age 33, born in Ontario) and his wife Elizabeth Devine (age 30, born in Ireland) lived in Ward 7, Hamilton City, Ontario, Canada, with their daughter Marion E. Devine (age 10) and son Archibald Devine (age 3). The parents of both James and Elizabeth were born in Ireland. The children were born in Ontario. James was a carpenter. The religion of the family was Presbyterian. [3]
1897 James returned to Hamilton in October following an attempt to travel to the Klondike with a group of men from Hamilton.
Tells Tales of Hardship
One of rhe Klondike Men from Hamilton Comes Home.
James Devine Reaches the City and Gives the First Extended Account of the Fateful Trip--Some Exclusive Information from Richmond--Terrible Suffering.
James Devine, of the Hamilton Klondike party, returned home Saturday night. Since the moment of his arrival, with the exception of his sleeping hours, he has done nothing but answer questions and shake hands with old friends and visitors. He is not settled as to just what he will do for the present, but as soon as spring opens he will be off again for the gold fields, determined to reach Dawson City or perish in the attempt. Mr Devine tells a most interesting story of the eventful trip of the Hamilton men, though it pains him to tell of the accident which resulted in the death of Patterson. The two men were always great friends, being brothers-in-law, an the fatality greatly affected Devine and had much to do with influencing him to come bak to Hamilton over winter. Devine's story of th trip from Edmonton is as follows:
The Long Portage.
When the party reached Edmonton the supplies not bought in Hamilton were purchased, along with the lumber for the boat it was proposed to make. To get this all to Athabaska Landing was the next problem-- more of money than anything else--for the road was rough and in length 95 miles, and the packers charged a dollar for every 100 pounds carried. The Hamilton men had all of 3 tons of supplies, and it was all carried over the long road journey. As soon as the landing was reached, the gold seekers set to work to build their boat, and in three days it was completed. It was 29 feet long, 8 feet beam and 3 feet deep, flat bottomed with plateau bow and square stern. Mr. Woods, the Hudson Bay manager at the landing, told the men it was, by all odds, the best boat for the purpose he had ever seen launched in the river. The same gentleman, by the way, took the deepest interest in the Hamilton party, saying they were the first decent Klondike party he had seen. He gave them valuable advice, and all attention, both when leaving the landing, and on their return to it.
The trip down the river.
The trip down the river does not seem to be all picnic by any means. According to the story told by Divine, there is plenty of hard work and lots of exposure and hardship, even under most favorable circumstances. It was impossible for the party to secure a guide to the landing, and on Aug. 28 they were compelled to start off on their long trip alone. At the landing, they were told to keep a sharp lookout for the police post on the right bank of the river before reaching the Grand Rapids. There they hoped to be able to secure guides for the balance of the trip. Before getting this far, they had plenty of excitement and work. They shot many small rapids, including the Pelican, which was quite dangerous on account of the low water. Many times they were compelled to get out in the cold water, sometimes almost up to their necks, to ease the boat off hidden rocks. The weather was cold, too, and on two occasions they had snow flurries to remind them of what they must expect later on.
The Fateful Day.
On August 31 they were still being hurried down the river by the current and their speed, greatly accelerated by a violent gale blowing downstream. This gale was in part responsible for the accident that came so unexpectedly. It drowned the roar of the Grand Rapids, which, in calm, clear weather, can be heard a mile and a half away. The Voyagers had no idea they were anywhere near the rapids; they had seen no police post, and it was not until one of them, looking ahead, saw foaming waters, that they knew they were in danger. By this time they were in the swift current, and their course made even more rapid by the gale. They realize the danger ahead and manfully pulled and tugged at the oars to run the boat over to the shore. Against the wind and current they could make that little headway, and, finally, seeing nothing, but death ahead, they determined to run the boat in between two rock ledges. Patterson picked up a loose plank and ran to the bow of the boat to use it as a fender in easing the boat off as it struck. The shock came when he was not expecting it, and he overbalanced, going into the water, still holding his plank.
The Plank Did It.
About 30 feet away from the boat, he found a footing on a rock ledge, standing about waist high in the bubbling, surging water. In his hands, he still grasped the long plank which he had intended using as a fender, and the rest of the party blame this plank for the fatality that so speedily followed. Its end was in the water, and the resistance it gave to the current was too great for Patterson to stand against. Had he let the plant go his friends think he would have been able to stand till assistance came. As soon as he fell in the men on the boat threw another plank, attached to a rope, to him. This was but a few feet away from him when he slipped off the rock ledge, and was whirled down by the current into the seething, rock strewn waters of the rapids, never to be seen again.
[See more by clicking on the link in the footnote.]1910 Elizabeth Marion Olmsted, daughter of St Clair Boyd Olmsted and Marion Elizabeth Devine, was born on January 24 in Wentworth, Ontario, Canada. [5]
Footnotes:
[1] Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1938, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[2] Canada Census, 1881, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[3] Canada Census, 1891, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[4] The Hamilton Spectator, Hamilton, Ontario, October 4, 1897, page 8, [NewspapersClip].
[5] Ontario, Canada Births, 1869-1913, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].