E.S. Ritchie Twin Cylindrical Beam Boxed Compass, used on the Rideau Queen steamship

Object/Artifact

Bytown Museum / Musée Bytown

The image shows an antique compass housed in a wooden box with a color calibration chart nearby.

Name/Title

E.S. Ritchie Twin Cylindrical Beam Boxed Compass, used on the Rideau Queen steamship

Entry/Object ID

2026.002.1

Description

One cylindrical beam boxed compass. The compass is held in a square wooden box, secured on two sides on the rim of the box. The rest of the box is empty, allowing the compass to pivot and move. The compass itself was originally a wet card compass, but the fluid inside has since been drained or dried up. The compass is supported by an outer circular metal ring that is secured to the box, and the compass is housed in a dome-like shaped vessel with glass covering the bottom of the dome to protect and provide a view into the compass mechanism inside. The bottom of the dome is secured using screws, two are missing.

Made/Created

Manufacturer

E.S. Ritchie & Sons, Inc.

Date made

circa 1900

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

manufacturer's name

Location

Edge of dome bottom.

Transcription

"E.S. RITCHIE. / BOSTON"

Language

English

Material/Technique

Engraved

Type

Patent

Location

Edge of dome bottom.

Transcription

"PATENTED / SEPT. 9 1868"

Language

English

Material/Technique

Engraved

Type

number

Location

Edge of dome bottom

Transcription

"4743"

Material/Technique

Engraved

Type

Date

Location

Edge of dome bottom

Transcription

"APL. 7 1863 / MAY 12 1853"

Language

English

Material/Technique

Engraved

Type

Date

Location

Edge of dome bottom

Transcription

"JULY 18 1870"

Language

English

Material/Technique

Engraved

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Tertiary Object Term

Compass, Box

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Compass, Ship's

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Component, Watercraft

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Water Transportation Accessories

Nomenclature Class

Water Transportation Equipment

Nomenclature Category

Category 07: Distribution & Transportation Objects

Dimensions

Height

16.5 cm

Width

10.75 cm

Length

11 cm

Research Notes

Notes

The compass was used by Captain Ned Fleming on the Rideau Queen steamship circa 1900 –1933. After the completion of the Rideau Canal, it was actively used by transport steamers until the 1870s when a rail line between Ottawa and Kingston was introduced. The Rideau Canal then began to be used more for passenger traffic in the 1880s and took off exponentially at the turn of the century where it quickly became the central tourism destination and attraction for this area during the summer (over 20,000 excursionists in 1905). Luxury passenger steamboats began being introduced by Daniel Noonan and the Rideau Lakes Navigation Company to serve this new industry; the Rideau Belle was the first in 1885 and the Rideau Queen in 1900. The Rideau Queen was a large steamboat with lavish interiors serving 300 passengers on its journey between Kingston and Ottawa that took less than a day making stops along the way and attracting spectators as it went. The First World War brought changes to the industry and the Rideau Queen stopped its route in 1915 and was used for freight service until 1933. See artefact file for more information. As well as two supplementary documents that came with the donation: a map of the "Sailing Route of R.L.N.Co Steamers" and license authorising the Rideau Lakes Navigation Company Limited to carry business in the province of Ontario.