Floating Households

Sadie and Spray: Tugboat floating households

In 1911, approximately twenty tugs were registered in the Port of Victoria. Among the busiest was the Spray, a compact but powerful vessel engaged in the daily work of towing logs, barges, and ships within the harbour and along the coast.

Tug Spray approaching Victoria harbour, c. 1908
Image courtesy of BC Archives, E-00651

Built at the Wallace Shipyard in North Vancouver in 1907, the Spray registered 109 gross tons and measured 81 feet (25 m) in length, with a beam of 19 feet (6 m). She was owned by a small group of Victoria investors led by marine engineer George McGregor.

McGregor’s group also owned the smaller tug Sadie, which registered 60 gross tons and measured 68 feet (21 m) in length, with a beam of 15 feet (4.5 m). These vessels formed part of a locally controlled towing operation that would soon be formalized as the Victoria Tug Company in 1912.

McGregor, born in Scotland, had come to Victoria in 1890 and was active in sealing and coastal shipping. His principal partner, Capt. Donald McPherson, also Scottish-born, had worked in the North Sea and on the Great Lakes before settling in Victoria in the late 1890s. In 1911, he commanded the Spray. His counterpart on the Sadie, Capt. James Olsen, was Swedish-born and had arrived in Canada in 1896. Like McPherson, he had experience in the sealing trade before entering the tug service.

The ownership of these vessels illustrates broader trends in Victoria’s maritime economy. Tugboat operations, much like sealing businesses, were commonly backed by local businessmen—such as merchants, contractors, and realtors. The composition of tugboat crews resembled those found in the sealing industry and other harbour-related jobs. Many tug captains hailed from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, with a notable number coming from Scotland and England. There was also a significant minority from Norway and Sweden. This diversity was reflected among crew members: on the Spray, for instance, the first engineer was English; the second engineer and stoker were Swedish; and both the mate and deckhand came from Eastern Canada.

Crew sizes aboard tugs were small, typically ranging from three to six men. This limited complement required flexibility, with crew members performing multiple roles as needed. Chinese cooks were enumerated with the crews of all tugs in Victoria harbour, including those of the Sadie and Spray. The cooks were relatively well paid, earning at least $480 annually—more than deckhands and stokers.

Wages reflected both rank and the smaller scale of operations. Tug captains earned approximately $1,200 per year—less than masters of larger vessels—but could supplement their income through bonuses or, in the case of Capt. McPherson, dividends from ownership shares.

As these tugs remind us, Victoria harbour supported a closely integrated economic system. Many tugs, including the Sadie, were built in local shipyards. (Sadie was built by Victoria shipbuilder, W. J. [William Jenkins] Stephens in 1892.) Many of the barges towed by the tugs were built in Upper Harbour lumber yards. Local ship chandlers outfitted the vessels, while local victuallers supplied their crews. Workers in those maritime industries and services, along with crew members of local tugs, formed an important part of Victoria’s economy in 1911.

Researched and written by Patrick A. Dunae