JUNE 1970
Since publishing the first edition of the Captain Large story, several
pioneers have brought me many interesting yarns about the ill-fated
Empress of Ireland. One story, unfolded by Mr. Walter Mummery of
Brandon, revealed that Captain Large would run out of fuel for his boat
quite often, when he would reach the vicinity of the C.P.R. coal dump.
He would "borrow" a sufficient quantity of coal from the dump to get
his boat back to the sixth street wharf, where he had picked up his
passengers.
I also learned from Mr. Mummery, that a favorite riverside spot for the
young fry of those times, was GOOSE EYE LANDING. It appears that the
wharf on the south shore of the Assiniboine at Second Street North, was
made from logs taken from the Hanbury Mill log boom. Several small
pleasure craft used the wharf, and the owners were friends of Captain
Large. There was an old wooden shack on the wharf, and a fellow nick
named Hobo Kelly, slept in it. The boys who used the wharf brought him
food, so he became another Huckleberry Finn.
The name GOOSE EYE LANDING was derived from the nick name given to a
soldier who used to frequent the landing. He had unusual eyes, and the
boys called him Captain Goose Eye. In time the wharf became well known
to Brandonites as GOOSE EYE LANDING.
From Mr. Hugh Munroe and Mr. Albert Zink, I have learned that the
Assiniboine Park area was well patronized in the early days. It boasted
the first cement swimming pool, which was heated by a large steam
engine. A windmill on the north west corner of the property pumped
water from the river into the pool. Steam was in¬jected into the
pool,and for the price of ten cents, one could spend the entire day
swimming in warm water. One of the main attractions in those days was
when young Jack Van Brunt, who lived on 6th Street north, climbed to
the top of the high windmill tower, and dived into the Assiniboine.
Captain Large would anchor his boat close by, so that the passengers
could get a view of the breath taking plung. The next day, everyone
would be talking about that .young daredevil risking his life again,
just for kicks.
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