Surrey (1891 ship)

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The Surrey was a steam-powered ferry operated on the Fraser River by the city of New Westminster, British Columbia, from 1891 to 1904.[1] Her catamaran hulls had a paddlewheel mounted between them.[1] She cost $25,000 to build.[2]

She was equipped with water cannon, for fighting fires.[1] However, when a fire was spotted in nearby Brownsville, the ship's captain wasn't able to board firefighters and proceed to the fire. Permission had first to be sought from her owners.

Once she proceeded the fire was quickly extinguished. It is believed this was the first use of a fireboat, in British Columbia.[1]

For most of her career, the Surrey ferried passengers from Surrey, South Westminster, Brownsville and New Westminster.[3]

The Surrey played a key role in preserving some of Surrey's waterfront buildings, during a large fire in 1898.[3] Following the fire the Surrey was given a $10,000 refit.[4]

After a bridge spanning the Fraser was opened in 1904, she was retired, and put up for auction. She was purchased by North Vancouver, but proved too slow, and was abandoned.[3]

The Surrey had been retired by 1926, when a large fire struck a waterfront tannery in Surrey.[5]

## References[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The ferry “Surrey”– River front fire engine, Opposite the city, 2011-07-09. Retrieved on 2019-01-26.
2. ↑ (1947) The British Columbia Historical Quarterly, Volumes 11-12. Provincial Archives of British Columbia. Retrieved on 2019-01-27. “A new ferry, the Surrey, was built by the City of New Westminster at a cost of $25,000.”
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Surrey’s finest hour, Opposite the city, 2011-07-09. Retrieved on 2019-01-26.
4. ↑ Jim Wolf (2005). Royal City: A Photographic History of New Westminster, 1858-1960. Heritage House Publishing. ISBN 9781894384841. Retrieved on 2019-01-27.
5. ↑ Fire at Fraser River Tannery, Opposite the city, 2012-03-21. Retrieved on 2019-01-26.