Engineering the Canal - Part 2

THE ENGINEER

Lt. Colonel By demonstrated extraordinary talent as an engineer, organizing, supervising and completing projects with a drive and energy which put him in good stead with his superiors. With his earlier experience in canal construction, and record of excellence, John By was the natural choice to undertake the building of the Rideau Canal.

Lt. Colonel By supervised the completion of the canal in six years, despite what the newspaper, the Perth Enquirer, called the "magnitude of the task, insufficiency of equipment and paucity of staff." During this period, he surveyed and established Bytown on land which the Earl of Dalhousie had purchased in 1823. He also saw to the construction of a barracks and hospital on Barracks Hill (present-day Parliament Hill), and had a bridge built over the Chaudière Falls. This bridge, the first land link between Upper and Lower Canada, was based on his own arched truss design.

Lt. Colonel John By was undaunted by the incredible challenges presented by the Rideau Canal project. Energetic, determined and persistent, he was able to overcome setbacks which might have deterred others. Throughout his career, he proved himself an ingenious designer, a meticulous engineer, and a tireless worker.
 

Royal Engineers Office

The Royal Engineer's Office was originally built in 1827 to house storerooms and offices. In 1856, Colonel Coffin, the British Ordnance land agent, began living in the building. After his death in 1878 his house stood vacant before becoming an RCMP storehouse 1881. Due to the increased activity of the railway behind the building, it was demolished in 1911. The corp of Royal Miner and Sappers provided the expertise needed to bring Col. By's view to reality. The ruins of this building may be seen from the museum.
 

The building of the Rideau Canal involved over 2000 men. The canal took only 6 years, 4 seasons to construct. The Rideau Canal was and is an engineering feat, proving the engineering brilliance of Col. By and his associates. The canal runs from Ottawa to Kingston. Linking the Ottawa River with the St. Lawrence. The Rideau Canal is the only nineteenth century canal which is still operational.

THE COMMISSARIAT

The Commissariat was erected in 1827 as a storehouse for the builders of the Rideau Canal and to provide a suitable military depot on the Rideau. The Canal was constructed as an alternative to the St. Lawrence River route between Montreal and Kingston, which was vulnerable to attack from the United States. Designed by Thomas McKay of McKay and Redpath, Architects, to British military specifications, the Commissariat is the oldest masonry edifice in Ottawa.

The Commissariat was originally constructed to house some of the tools, supplies and hardware required by the Royal Engineers for the canal construction. It served as a military depot, supplying provisions to the construction sites along the canal. The Commissariat Department was a civilian service employed by the British treasury, and was responsible for obtaining and issuing food, fuel and forage rations to the soldiers. Some supplies, such as salt pork, flour and rum, were also sold to the civilian contractors.

In 1856, the building was passed from the Royal Engineers to the government of the Province of Canada and provided storage and office space, first for the Department of Militia and Defense, and then the Department of National Defense. In 1927, it was transferred to the Department of Railways and Canals, and in 1936, to the Department of Transport. In 1951, on the 125th anniversary of the Rideau Canal, the Commissariat became the home of the Bytown Museum. Ownership of the building remained with the Department of Transport until 1972. Parks Canada then assumed title, and is today landlord to the Bytown Museum.

In the 1980's, the Canadian Parks Service restored the exterior of the building to its early-1840's appearance and made structural repairs to the interior. The modern replacement beams and hardware, black in colour, are visible on the second and third floors. Reproduction doors with period hardware were installed, and the roof was covered, as originally, in cedar shingles. Although built in 1827, the Commissariat is in excellent condition and retains much of its original structure.

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