July 6, 1891
In the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, a full-rigged sailing ship was launched at the C.R. Burgess Yard in the seaside village of Kingsport. This wooden vessel, named Canada, had been designed by the prolific shipbuilder Ebenezer Cox (1828-1916). At the time of her launch, Canada held the record as the largest sailing ship under the Canadian flag. This interior of this vessel included a captain’s cabin that was finished in ash, rosewood, and walnut, and complete with a dining room, bathroom, and office.
The launch ceremony for Canada began at noon, with approximately 5,000 people on hand for the festivities. Many of those in attendance came from other parts of Nova Scotia and were transported to the launch site by special run by the Cornwallis Valley Railway.
The Acadian, a newspaper based in the Nova Scotian town of Wolfville, gave its readers a detailed account of that Monday afternoon launch. “About a quarter after twelve but a few of the many strokes upon which the ship rested remained,” reported this article. ”Keel and bilge were no longer resting upon immovable and upright logs, and as the noble ship lay free upon the ways leading downward into the tide, the mass of timber began its initial journey.”
The Acadian also stated, “Canada was beyond the power of men to prevent her progress; and gathering speed as she neared and then [caught] the water with her rudder; in another moment she was floating away from the shore, wholly in the possession of the sea.” This article then noted “It was a grand sight and one not to be forgotten by people who came so far to witness it.”
The maiden voyage of Canada took place a little less than two months later, when she transported lumber to Liverpool, England. Over the next several years, this ship made similar deliveries across the globe. By 1900, however, Canada was facing formidable competition for those deliveries from an ever-growing number of general cargo steamships.
Consequently, in 1910, Canada was converted into a barge for transporting gypsum (a highly sought-after soft sulfate mineral used for various purposes). This ship specifically carried gypsum on a regular basis from the community of Windsor in Nova Scotia to Staten Island for the Gypsum Transportation Company in New York. Canada remained in existence until 1926, when she was towed to Portland, Maine, and broken up there.
The above painting of Canada was created sometime around 1895 by renowned maritime artist Antonio Jacobsen (1850-1921).
Image Credit: Public Domain
For more information on the sailing ship Canada, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_(1891)
Transportation History 
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