Barge on Fire and the Goat is in the Marsh 1902 Lake Park

Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum Photo

Carleton Place, June 30, 1902

Many of the visitors to the regatta spent Sunday with friends in town. It will be interesting to the citizens of this town to know the general verdict of all the canoeists was that we have the best water course in Canada. The whole course is within fine view of Lake Park and there is no fear of of structions from boats or steamers, a fact much appreciated by those taking part in the races.

Vandals of the meanest type were at large during the early hours of Saturday morning after the regatta. The barge at Lake Park was set on fire and burned to the water’s edge with considerable contents and equipments for sleeping apartments provided by Mr. Salter for accommodation of visitors. He valueshis losses at $300 in which the guilty parties no doubtwill have to pay besides-their danger of being criminals punishe.

The poor, quiet, good-natured donkey also came in for a share of the so-called sport, being carried and thrown into the marsh. It was rescued, however, from its perilious position. This didn’t suffice their appetite for destruction. When they struck town they did considerable damage to some dwellings. Especially to the home of David Moffat and to Mr. William Muirhead’s store.

Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum photo 1902 Lake Park

Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

Here we have a photograph of Howard “Mickey” Morphy. Morphy paddled for Carleton Place as a Junior in 1902, an Intermediate in 1907, and a Senior in 1915. He also participated as a regatta official in the 1920s. Perhaps his greatest performance was at the 1906 CCA in Montreal, where he took the Intermediate Singles Championship, and participated in the Senior and Open War Canoe victories.

June 21 1902 (Special)

The A. C. A. annual meet came to an end today though the weather was such as to make the events rather unsatisfactory, the wind during the esrller part of thf diy being almost as high and producing a sea almost as rough as that of the previous day. The committee met in the morning and heard the evidence regarding the protest of the start in the war canoe race paddled yesterday and though it was announced officially that the Grand Trunks had won the event yesterday the Judges today recalled the decision saying that it had been a dead heat for first place and that owing to the poor start the race would have to be repaddled.

This annoyed the Q. T. R-‘s. who claimed that they had won fairly and refused to compete again. The race was therefore, paddled without them. Smith’s Falls winning with Britannias second and Carleton Place third. The finish was the same order as on the previous day with the Trunks missing. A feature ot the program was the showing of E. Dey and M. Neate, who represented the Ottawa Canoe club. and the results indicated that It was strictly an Ottawa day and these two game young paddlers rook first amd second places in the singles and first in the tandem, in which events they were handicapped on the start.

McPhee, of Smith’s Falls, finished second in the single, but was disqualified for not turning his finish buoy properly. Not withstanding the unsatisfactory weather all the events on the program, with the exception of two, were pulled off. It was one of the worst hard-luck meets In the annals of the A. C. A. and old residents of Carleton Place say that it was many years since such a gale as that which characterized the meet has prevailed for two consecutive days.

The stationary upset race for a time record and the tilting tournament created a lot of the fun for the spectators. C. Johnson, of the Ottawa C C, got second place in the upset and Edgar Dey, Ottawa C. C, got third In the crab race, which was also an amusing event. Smith’s Falls was represented at the meet by crews which certainly know a thing or two about the paddling business, and the result of their performances should give a stimulus to paddling in the Junction Town.

The war canoe crew showed surprising form from Carleton Place, the home of the present meet, was carried to the front with honor In the senior fours in which the Carleton four beat out the strong Grand Trunk quartet in a magnificent trial. The winning four was composed of Wilson, McRostie, Powell and J. Welsh. The Grand Trunks seemed to have a cinch in the war canoe events, as they carried off the honors in the two in which they entered today.

Owing to the dissatisfaction with the work of Starter Rollo in the war canoe race of yesterday Mr. Harry Page, of Toronto, handled the pistol today and there was not a complaint on that score. Owing to the long list of events the program was not finished till almost 9 o’clock, and the last race, the quarter mile war canoe, was pulled of when the darkness almost made the crews in distinguishable.

The attendance had fallen off considerably from the 1st day though there was a fair representation present. The committee in charge of the meet has evidently something to learn in the way of providing the usual accomdation which is looked for at a regatta of the pretensions of this one. There were no printed programs giving the starters in the various races and information regarding the races was secured under difficulty. However, the committee had many obstacles to tend with and it is to be hoped that the rather unsatisfactory conditions will not injure the pastime as much as they might if there were no extenuating circumstances. Nearly all the canoeists packed up this evening and after the get-away scene Lake Park presented a rather deserted spectacle. Mr. P. P. Salter, proprietor of the Queen’s Royal Hotel, at Lake Park, did much to make the visitors comfortable.

Read-The Devil, a Regatta, the Enterprise and a Gale