Montreal - Quaint City

The Standard By A. W. O'Brien 6 August 1938
Don't look now but practically every travel circular refers to our little island habitation as "Quaint Montreal."

Nice worked, "Quaint," but, dash it all, did you ever look up its real meaning? According to Funk and Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary, the word means: "Combining an antique appearance with a pleasing oddity, fancifulness or whimsicalness."

Courtesy demands, I suppose, that we smilingly allow our good tourist friends to call Concordia what they will, but it gets under my supposedly thickened journalistic skin to think of them returning home and referring to us as: "Those quaint Montrealers."

""Antique appearance?"
"Pleasing oddity?"
"Fancifulness?"
"whimsicalness?"
Frankly, it burns me up!

However in the interests of fair-mindedness an Investigating Committee of two was formed, consisting of Cameraman Sam Preval and myself, to probe the alleged libel by seeking "Quaint-ities" around the Island of Montreal. Just to make the whole business sort of official-like we issued our findings in a series of reports, as follows;|

Report No. 1...New Wrinkle in Ferries It is hard to imagine, but between Laval-sur-le-Lac and Ile Bizard, there is a ferry operating without any motor power whatsoever, transporting autos in both directions across Rivieres de Prairies.

The current supplies the power and when hte ferry is moving towards the Ile Bizard side the ferryman pulls the vessel around so that the current hits the fery on its right side. When he returns, he has the current hit the ferry on the left side.

He switches the ferry around through a cable attached to an overhead cable and attached to a revolving wheel. The ferry moves at an incredibly fast clp and hits the exact same point of each dock on every trip.

Jean Bourgeouis operates the ferry and has been doing so for two yeras. The cable and self-drive angle is a compariteively recent innovation in the ferry's 35-yera history. He works 18 hours daily seven days per week in the busy summer months during which he transports 300 cars a week at 50 cents each per round trip.

"Quaint? " ...no doubt about this one.

Report No. 2...A railway station That Ain't Up in the North End of the City there is as near a little railway station and you'll find anywhere - a credit o the CPR. But you would have a long wait if you tried to catch a train there.

CPR trains for Quebec and the Laurentians speed right through it -- in fact, only the odd freight train stops there and usually because it just happens to pause at that spot while shunting.

It is the old Mile End Station which as been abandoned by the CPR in favor of their ultra-modern station at the top of Park Avenue.

So this Mile End Station was rented out to a manufacturer of laundry machines.

Which provides us with a new riddle...When is a railway station not a railway station? ...)(Answer) When it's a laundry machine plant.

"Quaint," eh?

Report No. 3...Trainless Railway Abutments When you see railway abutments, you naturally think of trains passing, but don't let the abutments out along Roen Street in the East End fool you - they've never carried a train!

Out near where Jacques Cartier found the little Indian village of Hochelaga standing in 1536, the CPR decided in the early part of this century to build a short line to Quebec.

In 1913 some 19 abutments were built through Prefontaine ward and into Maisonneuve ward. Only a few were constructed in the afterward, however, before trouble broke.

The good citizens of Maisonneue protested the railways' right to go over certain land and to erect stone pillars in the centre of the street. In fact, acts of violence on the pillars were made.

Then followed court action. The case went from Superior Court to the Privy Council where the decision was awarded in favor of the CPR. But the railway apparently decided to forget the whole affair.

Now, Alderman Armand Taillon of Prefontaine is heading a movement to have the deserted abutments removed and is highly optimistic of results.

But he fact remains that the presence of 19 railway abutments in a congested part fo the city and which have never been used by a train, might be construed as a slightly odd... or "Qauaint."|

Report No. 4... Liquor in a Jail About 20 year ago, over-enthusiastic celebrants were conveyed to the Montreal Jail to repent in leisure, relaxing in the solace of a hangover.

The Jail was located at the corner of Delormier and Notre Dame Streets. They hanged men and attended to hangover on that site.

But that was 20 year ago. They erected a new and more modern jail out at Bordeaux and moved all the boarders up there, leaving the old Montreal Jail deserted.

For years it remained forsaken, then governmental action provided the ancient building with new tenants...and so the place where excessive liquor imbibing was once punished, became the Montreal headquarters of the Quebec Liquor Commission!

"Combining an antique appearance with a pleasing oddity..." well, I guess it is a bit "Quaint" at that.

Report No. 5...A church that ain't For many years we have heard remarks about that 'quaint little old church at the corner of Drolet and....