Tugboat T.E.Draper

Tugboat T.E. Draper in Angliers

It was in 1929 that the T.E. Draper, the most powerful log-boom tugboat to operate on the Des Quinze and Simard Lakes, was put into operation. It was the property of Canadian International Paper (C.I.P.) and was built by the John Inglis Company in Collingwood, Ontario. It was first transported unassembled by train from the Ontario factory to Angliers and from there to Gillies Bay by horse team.

The presence of this impressive boat (12 metres by 5 metres by 4.5 metres in height) on the shores of the lake is a source of both surprise and curiosity. It serves, however, as an eloquent testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of the people in the region.

The T.E. Draper covered the longest distance in the log-rafting circuit in the entire Temiscamingue region. With its load of 2,3 or 4 log booms, containing 50 000 logs per boom, it travelled a distance of 55 km at a speed of one mile per hour. Depending on the weather, the trip could take anywhere from 24 to 36 hours to complete.

The T.E. Draper, which was in service until 1972, worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a break on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. The seven-man crew worked in six-hour shifts, turn and turn about, except for the cook who prepared the meals single-handed. The T.E. Draper was designated as historic property by the Quebec government in 1979.