New Brunswick Historical Tidbits

Communications

By Mitch Biggar

In 1836 stagecoaches with room enough for a dozen or more passengers, with their luggage made regular trips. These coaches were drawn by four and sometimes six horses. Coaches ran regularly from Saint John to Fredericton, Fredericton to Woodstock, Chatham to Fredericton, and from Saint John to Amherst.

The Chatham coach left Chatham every Monday morning at six o'clock, crossed Rainnie's Ferry, called at Mr. Chalmers in Douglastown at seven, went on to Mr. Hammill's Hotel at Newcastle, left there at eight o'clock and arrived at Fredericton at four o'clock on Tuesday afternoon. On the return trip the coach left Fredericton every Thursday morning at 7 A.M. and arrived at Chatham on Friday at 4 P.M.

The Saint John - Amherst coach left Saint John at 7 A.M. and stopped at Ketchum's, Hammond River, Norton, Watter's at the Portage, Halstead's and Petticodiac. The trip took three days, but the stage traveled only in the daytime. The nights were spent at comfortable inns. Anyone who wished to take this trip booked his passage the week before at John Lockhart's on the north side of King Squarest fare to Amherst was thirty- seven shillings and six pence.

These coaches also carried the mail. British mails came overseas on the Cunard steamship to Halifax. A stagecoach carried mails and passengers from Halifax to Sackville. Sackville at this time was the post office for New Brunswick. At Sackville mail bags were made up for Fredericton, Saint John, and North Shore points.

On the Saint John River there was a new vessel, the Reindeer was the first vessel in the world to be propelled by a compound marine engine. This type of engine uses high and low pressure steam. Both this vessel and the engine were designed by a New Brunswicker, a native of Queen's County, Benjamin Franklin Tibbits. Also at this time there was a steamboat, the Novelty, making regular trips from Fredericton to Woodstock.

By 1863 a railway had been completed from St. Andrews to Canterbury. A coach ran from Woodstock to Canterbury to connect with the other railway cars. To go from Woodstock to Boston was a complicated task could go from Woodstock to St. Andrews by train, from St. Andrews to St. John by boat, then from St. John to Boston by another boat. The cost of the whole trip was five dollars.

There was also a railway from St. John to Shediac. In 1858 the line from St. John to Kenebacasis was completed. By 1859 it was operating to Hampton and Sussex. In 1860 it was continued to Shediac and Point du Chene.

This page was designed by Irene Doyle September 1999