"530ba252-c09d-4674-b64e-661c7bef3fdc"@en . "CONTENTdm"@en . "FRASER RIVER RELIEF."@en . "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1198198"@en . "Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia"@en . "British Columbia. Legislative Assembly"@en . "2014-11-21"@en . "[1895]"@en . "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcsessional/items/1.0063661/source.json"@en . "application/pdf"@en . " 58 Vict. Fraser River Relief. 447\nFRASER RIVER RELIEF.\nREPORT\nOF\nCOLONEL THE HON. JAMES BAKER.\nTo the Honourable\nTheodore Davie, Q.C., M P.P., &c, &c, &c.\nSir,\u00E2\u0080\u0094I have the honour to report that in accordance with instructions from the\nExecutive Gouncil to proceed to the Fraser River valley with a view to rendering Government assistance to any sufferers from the floods who might need it, I left Victoria on June the\n2nd and proceeded to New Westminster, wdiere I arrived on the forenoon of the 3rd. I at\nonce put myself in communication with some of the principal inhabitants, who had long\nexperience of the flooded country, and who were also acquainted with the people. The reports\nI received were very contradictory, varying from extreme pessimistic to extreme optimistic\nviews of the condition of the people and the losses they had sustained.\nI therefore determined to proceed with caution, and at once chartered the small tug\n\" Blonde,\" placed on board six tents and a few sacks of flour, some bacon, tea, and sugar, and\na small supply of medicines which might prove useful.\nI left that afternoon, and worked up river until dark. The water on the wharf at Bort\nHaney was three feet in depth, and at Langley, where I tied up for the night, on the lower\nground the houses were flooded several feet in depth. 1 left at daybreak the next morning,\nthe 4th, with the object of finding the steamer \"Courser,\" which was reported up Nicomen\nSlough, and which was assisting to remove cattle under the instruction of the Government.\nLarge quantities of good fencing and parts of bridges were met floating down the river, and\nall the lower farms were covered with water; in many cases the water reached half-way to\nthe upper floor of the houses and barns.\nI called at several farms on the way, and offered assistance, but was informed that the\nGovernment steamer \"Courser\" had already removed their stock to higher ground, and that\nthey were not in need of provisions.\nAt 9:50 a.m. I was overtaken by the steamer \"Gladys\" at Wharnock, and found that\nthe Reeve of Chilliwhak had made a forced trip to New Westminster in a canoe, with a view\nof obtaining immediate assistance for the settlers in the Chilliwhack and Sumas districts,\nmany of whom were in a sad plight, and were in urgent need of transport for their stock. I\nremoved from the \"Blonde\" to the \"Gladys,\" discharged the former, and at once proceeded\nup the river. The wharf at the Mission was so deep under water that it was impossible to\nland, but I was informed that no immediate assistance was required there. At Nicomen all\nthe farms were deeply inundated, many up to the eaves of the houses, but wherever there\nwas an upper story the inhabitants were still remaining in the building. In many cases the\norchards and farms were much damaged by driftwood, and the fences were completely\nwashed away. .\nI established settlers with their families, who were completely washed out, on various\npoints on the high ground, and supplied them with tents and lumber for shelter, also in certain\ncases with small quantities of flour and bacon. In all instances the settlers, including women\nand children, manifested a cheerful and brave spirit under their misfortunes. I arrived at\nChilliwhack that evening, and heard that the \"Courser\" was up Hope Slough, where I at once\nproceeded, found her, and brought her hack to Chilliwhack. She had been actively engaged\nfor several days under the charge of Mr. Wise, who had done good work in removing cattle 448 ,. Eraser River Relief. 1894\nto the mountains. The whole of the lower grounds of Chilliwhack were deep under water, and\nI was enabled to pull in a boat that evening up to the Queen's Hotel, where I met some of the\nprincipal inhabitants, and learned from them the nature of assistance which was required, and\nwhich consisted, principally, in the removal of cattle and stock to higher grounds.\nThe next morning, the 5th, at daybreak, I took charge of the \" Courser \" as well as the\n\" Gladys,\" and Mr. Wise returned to New Westminster. Urgent requests were coming from\nnumerous quarters for removal of stock\u00E2\u0080\u0094in many cases valuable animals had been standing\nfor clays up to their bellies in water, and there was not a moment to lose if a serious disaster\nwas to be averted. I dispatched the \"Courser\" up Camp Slough, to remove Mr. Kitchen's\nstock, and that of other settlers, while I proceeded with a similar intention up Hope Slough\nand to other places. The whole day was occupied in removing cattle, horses, sheep and pigs\nto places of safety. In some cases they had been raised on floors in the barns, and in others\nrafts had been made to float them. The getting them on board the steamer was attended\nwith considerable difficulty, on account of their having to swim, and the strength of the\ncurrent was a source of danger. By night, with the two steamers, I had saved a large number\nof stock, and landed most of them on Little Mountain, which is covered with forest but has\nno grass. It was, however, the only available place for landing the stock. I discovered some\nfarms where it was impossible to reach the cattle, pigs, etc., which were on rafts without food.\nThe next morning, the 6th, at daybreak, I continued, with the two steamers, removing all the\nstock which could be reached, and succeeded in doing so by 2:30 that afternoon, when I\nreturned to Chilliwhack and embarked fodder for the stock which was upon rafts, and which\ncould not be reached by the steamers ; this fodder had to be taken to the nearest points (on\nthe sloughs) to the farms, and then put into canoes and taken to the stock on the rafts.\nOn arriving at Chilliwhack that night I was informed by a deputation of the inhabitants\nthat some of the Sumas people were determined to blow up with dynamite the timber jamb\nwhich prevented the waters from Vedder Creek flowing into the Luk-a-kuk, and that if this was\npermitted it would completely destroy some of the most valuable lands in Chilliwhack ; that\nthe Chilliwhack people were determined to resist it with force, if driven to do so, while the\nSumas people were equally determined on the other side, as they suffered from the overflowing\nwaters of Vedder Creek. I was informed that immediate action was imperative, as rifles were\nthreatened to be used.\nI therefore called the Magistrates together, instructed them to swear in special constables,\nwith them to proceed to the scone of strife, and inform both parties that I would at once\nappoint a Government engineer to look into the rights of the case, and that I would see that\njustice should be clone.\nThis was carried out, and I am happy to state that it prevented any disturbance. I have\nsince had an opportunity of visiting the timber jam between Vedder and Luk-a-kuk Creeks,\nand the protection of the lands affected by high water is a subject demanding the serious\nconsideration of the Municipality and the Government. I employed Mr. Tytler, C.E., to look\ninto this matter, and at the same time to take the opportunity of fixing the high water mark\nin the district of Chilliwhack, which might be of considerable assistance in any future dyking\nschemes.\nI returned to New Westminster with the steamer \"Gladys\" on the night of the 6th\nJune, leaving the \" Courser \" to complete some removals of stock the next day. On my way\nclown I called at Sumas Mountain, where the settlers were camped, and also at other camps,\nand rendered them assistance, in some cases with gifts of flour and bacon. I worked up\nNicomen Slough and removed stock to places of safety there, and by the morning of the 7th\nall the stock of the farmers on the Lower Fraser were in places of safety. The following is a\nlist of the cattle and stock which were saved :\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nHorses 21\nCattle 397\nHogs 198\nSheep 102\nTotal 718\nIt is unquestionable that nearly the whole of this stock would have been lost had it not\nbeen for the timely assistance of the Government. As it was, I did not hear of the loss of a\nsingle head of stock. 58 Vict. Eraser River Relief. 449\nI had caused enquiries to be made in the Agassiz, and Maria Slough, and Popcum dis\ntricts, higher up the Fraser, which were also seriously flooded, but the proximity of the\nmountains had enabled the settlers there to remove their stock to places of safety. In the\nDelta, also, the stock had easy access to safety.\nThis may be called the end of the first stage of Government relief, but the difficulties\nand dangers of the situation were by no means ended. The cattle and stock of the Fraser\nValley are dependent for winter sustenance upon the crops which are grown as fodder to feed\nthem. The crops on the flooded lands were destroyed. How then were the cattle and stock\nof the settlers to be provided for during the coming winter ? Were they to be saved for the\nmoment, to die in the near future ? At that season of the year, the 10th of June, it was\npossible to sow fodder crops up to the first week in July, which would mature as hay and root\ncrops for the winter, and if the season was propitious barley might mature as grain. But\nthere was not a moment to lose. The damage done to traffic by the floods had completely cut\noff all communication by rail and telegraph with the Eastern Provinces. On the Pacific\nCoast, in Washington Territory, and Oregon, prodigious damage had also been done by the\nfloods, and many markets for seed were cut off from communication. Even in the Fraser\nRiver valley the ordinary modes of traffic were suspended. Despair seemed to take possession\nof even the well to do farmers, wdio, although they possessed the money, had not the power to\nprovide themselves with the necessary seed for securing crops to winter their stock. But the\npresent was equally dangerous. The stock of the farmers, it is true, was removed to places of\nsafety, but those places were covered with forest and had no grazing, therefore the cattle,\nand hogs, and sheep might barely exist for a time, but the horses must starve. Moreover,\nthere was a considerable amount of stock scattered about on rafts which would also starve\nunless they had food immediately. Again, there were families scattered here and there, whose\nfarms were under water, and who had not the means under the circumstances to provide their\ndaily food. This state of affairs was going on over an area of about 100 by 15 miles, the\ngreater part of which was under water, with bridges gone and communication by rail, telegraph and ordinary steamer traffic stopped. The position was sufficiently serious, and, as you\nare aware, the Executive wisely and humanely determined to meet it. This determination\nhaving been arrived at, the problem to be solved was to immediately provide food and fodder\nfor the suffering people and animals, who were widely scattered, and to distribute it over the\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 large area already indicated, and at the same time to obtain' sufficient seed to sow the lands\nbefore the first week in July,\u00E2\u0080\u0094that is to say, within three weeks,\u00E2\u0080\u0094and to distribute this\nseed to about 666 farmers scattered over 1,500 square miles of country which was entirely\ndependent for communication upon the transport the Government might provide. Added to\nthis, the local markets were unable to provide the seed, and it had to be procured from the\nPacific Coast where many of the markets for seed were also cut off, by floods, from communication. The Executive did me the honour of entrusting the charge of this arduous undertaking to my care, that I must confess that I did not accept it without a certain amount of\nmisgiving, especially as the general elections were in progress, and jealousy\u00E2\u0080\u0094with its impeding\ninfluences\u00E2\u0080\u0094was rampant.\nI returned to New Westminster on the 9th of June, having previously made every\npossible enquiry as to the best means of acquiring the large amount of seed and fodder which\nwas needed. I determined upon employing three firms at New Westminster, Messrs. Brack-\nman and Kerr, Messrs. Youdall and Sinclair, and Mr. McDonough. The difficulty was that\nthe order for the whole amount of seed had to be given at once, otherwise it would be impossible to obtain it in the short time available (only three weeks) for receiving and distributing it.\nYet, how was I to judge of the amount of seed required? I had no means of telegraphing to\nthe various districts, and there was no time to visit them for the purposes of enquiry. I\ntherefore called together a committee of old inhabitants who knew the various sections of the\ncountry, and I was able to obtain from them a rough estimate of the number of farmers and\nthe average amount of land they cultivated. I divided three-fourths of this porportionately\nin oats, barley, millet, potatoes and turnips, and gave a definite order to the seed merchants\nfor the amount of seed required, conditionally upon its being delivered within three weeks.\nThis amounted to between five and six hundred tons of seed, and I am happy to report that\nthe estimate eventually proved as nearly as possible accurate. I then again chartered the\nsteamers \" Gladys \" and \" Courser \" and loaded them with fodder and pig food, as well as with\nsome seed oats and potatoes which happened to be available.\nBefore leaving New Westminster I had to organize the distribution of the seed when\nobtained., I sent a printed circular to the Reeve of each district, placing him at the head of 450 Fraser River Relief 1894\nthe distribution in his locality, and I appointed deputy distributors at the various landings\nalong the river and up the sloughs which were most convenient for storing the seed. I\nselected these deputy distributors after consultation \u00E2\u0080\u00A2 with Mr. Townsend, Mr. Punch, and\nother experienced residents, and in all cases they were trustworthy local farmers of respectability who were intimately acquainted with the circumstances of the farmers in their neighbourhood and the amount of seed they would require. I then proceeded up the river to\ndeliver the fodder and food to the various claimants. This was no easy task, as pressing\napplications kept coming in from every direction urging me to go to their assistance at once\nas animals were starving. I plied up and down the river daily, from Chilliwhack to New\nWestminster, and up sloughs from Nicomen to Sumas, from daylight in the morning until\ndark up to the 28th of June, taking on board seed as it arrived at New Westminster, the bulk\nof it from Portland and San Francisco.\nAs the applications for seed came in to the distributors from the various farmers and\nsettlers they were checked and reduced by each distributor and by the Reeves, and afterwards\nsubmitted to me and gone through again, and in some cases further reduced. Each settler\nhad to sign a receipt for the amount of seed he received, and those who could afford it signed\nagreements to repay the Government for the amount of seed and fodder provided.\nIn no case was any food given as relief without strict enquiry into the circumstances of\nthe applicants from local people of respectability.\nNumerous and urgent applications for food, fodder and seed, were made from people who\ndid not really require assistance, but they were always refused. There may be a few isolated\ncases of misapplied grants, but I am sure they are quite exceptional, and under all the circumstances it was impossible to prevent it.\nAs I plied up and down the river flags used to be waved from numerous points to stop\nthe steamer. At first I attended to them, but soon found that such frivolous requests were\nfrequently made that precious time would be wasted and I therefore confined my trips to\ndefinite points for relief, frequently calling at the camps to attend to their wants. By the\n28th of June, 18 days after the first order for the seed was given, it was nearly all obtained,\nreceived and delivered to the farmers, and at Chilliwhack and Agassiz where the waters had\nsubsided the farmers were busy sowing their crops.\nOn the 28th June, I had to leave for East Kootenay in order to be present in my constituency during the general elections. I left Mr. W. B. Townsend in charge of the Government\nRelief Works in the Fraser Biver valley, for the purpose of completing the work in progress,\nand also with instructions to gather in and classify all the returns, which duties he performed\nin a very able and satisfactory manner.\nDuring my work on the Fraser Biver, I had to employ the services of a Secretary, Mr.\nBridgeman, and a Clerk, Mr. Townsend, as there was a very large amount of correspondence\nto be carried on in addition to numerous accounts and tallying in the distribution of seed and\nfodder. Both these gentlemen shewed praiseworthy energy and devotion to their work under\ntrying circumstances.\nThe total amounts expended for the Fraser River Government Relief, are as follows :\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nSeed $20,136 06 Food $ 714 43\nFodder 1,251 63 Shelter and compensation, 188 40\nSurvey 203 00 Transportation 5,397 82\nDistribution 1,138 42 Administration 773 25\nThe distribution of relief, &c, &c, as follows :\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nNumber of cattle rescued :\u00E2\u0080\u0094Horses 21\nCattle 397\nHogs 198 ,\nSheep 102\n 718\nNumber of cattle returned :\u00E2\u0080\u0094Horses 52\nCattle 295\nCalves 4\nHogs 170\nSheep 50\n 571 58 Vict. Fraser River Relief. 451\nNumber of settlers assisted with seed 666\nNumber of settlers with food 90\nNumber of settlers with forage , 73\nAmount of promises to pay or return , $5,375 79\nCash returned for seed sold 20 92J\nCharges that are not directly under \" Fraser River Relief\" .... 355 81\n?\nI have the honour to be,\nSir,\nYour most obedient servant,\nOctober 10th, 1894.\nJAMES BAKER,\nProvincial Secretary.\nPrinted by Richard Wolfenden, Printer to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty.\nVICTORIA, B. C. :\n1894."@en . "Legislative proceedings"@en . "J110.L5 S7"@en . "1895_09_0447_0451"@en . "10.14288/1.0063661"@en . "English"@en . "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en . "Victoria, BC : Government Printer"@en . "Images provided for research and reference use only. For permission to publish, copy or otherwise distribute these images please contact the Legislative Library of British Columbia"@en . "Original Format: Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Library. Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia"@en . "FRASER RIVER RELIEF. REPORT OF COLONEL THE HON. JAMES BAKER."@en . "Text"@en . ""@en .