Title and statement of responsibility area: Chignecto Marine Transport Railway fonds

Date(s) of creation: 1888-1891

Physical description area: 8.5 cm of textual records

Biographical sketch: In 1865, Henry G. C. Ketchum of Fredericton, New Brunswick, a civil engineer, formulated the idea of a ship railway across Chignecto, to haul ships of up to 5000 tons. As far back as 1688, suggestions had been made for a canal to be built across the Isthmus of Chignecto. Ketchum's idea was based on a land cross - ships were to be picked up at Cumberland Basin and transported across land on special railway cars, then put back to sea at Tidnish, New Brunswick, on the Northumberland Strait. Ketchum claimed that this project would cost half that of a canal. A bill was passed in Parliament in 1882, which granted a charter to the company formed by Ketchum and it received an annual subsidy of $ 200,000 for 20 years following the completing of the project. Three years were allotted for construction and Maurice Fitzmaurice was appointed head engineer. By 1887 all the planning and financing work was done and construction started. The docks were built, rails laid, roadbeds built up, wharves constructed, hydraulic lift machinery brought from England and special railway cars built. Work continued for two years. However, in the midst of construction it was clear that further funding was required. Ketchum managed to secure an investment from a British company, but the Canadian Government withdrew its support and the project failed.

Scope and content: Fonds consists of records related to the building of the Chignecto Marine Transport Railway and include an engineer's diary, a salary and office expense ledger, a building expense ledger, articles by Ketchum, and receipts.

Source of supplied title proper: Title based on contents of fonds.

Associated material: Related records can be found in the reference section of Chignecto Ship Railway Collection, Ketchum, Henry collection including maps and photographs. Related material can also be found in the Chignecto Ship Railway Collection at University of New Brunswick Archives, MB H53F.

Retrieval Code: RG2 Chignecto Marine Transport

Provenance: Chignecto Marine Transport Railway Company (Cumberland Count, NS)

Topical: Ship-railroads, Cumberland County (NS)