Capt. Alexander Hacket

   Cause of his death was Inflammation of Lungs.⁸

   Another name for Alexander was Alfred Alexander Hackett.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Census: 1841 Scotland: Montrose, Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom. ¹⁰

• Occupation: Mate, 6 Mar 1851, London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom. ³

• Census: 1861 Canadian: Saugeen, Bruce, Ontario, Canada. ¹¹

• Census: 1871 Canadian: Saugeen, Bruce, Ontario, Canada. ¹²

• Census: 1881 Canadian: Saugeen, Bruce, Ontario, Canada. ¹³

• Occupation: Shipbuilder. ¹³

• Census: 1891 Canadian: Wiarton, Bruce, Ontario, Canada. ¹⁴

• Obituary: Wiarton Canadian, 9 May 1895, Wiarton, Bruce, Ontario, Canada. ¹⁵

Wiarton - Bruce County has lost another of it old pioneers in the death of Capt. Hackett, which occurred at his residence, Frank St., on Monday evening. Although over 75 years of age the Captain was scarcely ever know to be ill. He had been working on a scow for Messrs. Mallard and Miller. One day when very warm he went to the bay and taking his boots off bathed his feet in the cold water of the bay. He took very ill shortly after and had to be taken home, and lived only a week.

Capt. Alfred A. Hackett was born in Montrose, Scotland, where he served his apprenticeship as a ship-builder and carpenter. He afterwards went to sea where he became first mate on a bark trading with Australia and New Zealand. Following his calling for years he was a length wrecked on the Atlantic coast and was rescued on the coast of New Brunswick near Saint John. After this he made his way westward to Bruce County and was in Paisley in the early fifties, where he was engaged at carpentering under a millwright erected a mill and putting in machinery for Col. Valentine at Mud River, that being the early name of Paisley. Col. Valentine was also from Montrose.

Capt. Hackett lived for years in these early times at Southampton where he followed his trade as a shipbuilder. There he built a great many schooners, some of which he also sailed, and of the lake craft which he built were also some good steam craft, among which were the tug Queen of this port and the Annie Watt, which was sunk off Lion's Head.

It is about twelve years since the Captain came to live in Wiarton, and here as elsewhere, he had many friends, who admired his sturdy manliness and upright character. His family consisted of two daughters and four sons, three of the later following their father's calling of shipbuilders. His widow and family all survive him.

Capt. Hackett was a man of good judgment and wide information as might be expected of one who has seen so much of the world as he, and being of an observant turn of mind he benefited by his travels. His death is deeply regretted and the bereave family have the sympathy of all.

• Cemetery: Bayview Cemetery: Wiarton, Bruce, Ontario, Canada. ^{2 16}

• Headstone. ¹⁷
HACKETT
A. A. 1819-1895
his wife Elizabeth 1825-1903
Jennie 1860-1937

• Article: Book "Roots and Branches of Saugeen," 1984, Saugeen, Bruce, Ontario, Canada. ¹⁸

CAPT. ALFRED A. HACKETT FAMILY

Betsy Cameron was born in Glengarry, Ontario in 1825, the daughter of Alexander Cameron and Emily McPhail. Betsy's great grandfather Angus Cameron and her grandfather Donald Cameron came from Scotland in 1773 to the Province of New York. They were United Empire Loyalists.

Donald and his wife, Margaret Fraser, whom he married in 1871 had 9 children, one of whom was Alexander, born June 14, 1803. Alexander married Emily McPhail and they had 8 children, Elizabeth (Betsy) being one of them.

Captain Alfred A. Hackett was born in Montrose, Scotland where he served his apprenticeship as a shipbuilder and carpenter. He afterwards went to sea where he became first mate on a bark trading with Australia and New Zealand. After some years, he was shipwrecked on the Atlantic Coast and was rescued near St. John, New Brunswick. He traveled westward to the Great Lakes, being shipwrecked in 1854 and again in 1855. He eventually found his way to Miramichi Bay where he decided to settle on the west end of Lot 50, Lake Range. The indentation of the site of his home, now grown up with trees, is still to be seen there.

Alfred Hackett and Betsy Cameron were married in 1857 and all their children were born there. Alfred was listed as a farmer in both the 1861 and 1871 census. By 1881 census he had returned to his trade as a ship builder, still living in the same place, but working in the Southampton area.

He built schooners, some of which he sailed; he later built steam craft. The 'Queen' out of Wiarton and the 'Annie Watt' which was sunk off Lion's Head were two of his craft. When working in Goderich, he walked home weekends to be with his family.

Their daughter, Maggie, spoke of meeting bear on the path to Port Elgin, and one time, Betsy had to delay going outside for water until some men buzz sawing nearby could shoot two lynx playing in a tree near their home.

Alfred died in Wiarton at the age of 75 years; Betsy died in 1903 in Preston when she was 78 years of age.

To them were born 4 sons and 2 daughters:

Alfred A. married and had 2 children; William J. built boats in Goderich, he married but had no family and later moved to British Columbia where he died; Alexander J. was married, but had no family; John Angus moved to the United States to live; Jenny (Louisa J.), did not marry. She was a milliner in Preston and died in the early 1930's.

Maggie married Francis Cordick and made her home in Arran Twp. They had 4 children: John Alfred, who married Florence Corbett; Elizabeth Ann, married Robert John Beatty; Sarah Jane, married John Stanley Hyndman and lived in Tara. They had a son, Thomas Francis who was not married.

William Francis, married Martha Barclay. They had two children: Margaret Elizabeth is Mrs. D. M. MacKay of Southampton, whose children are Shawn and Kerry; and William Francis who died as an infant.

• Article: Book "Forgotten Times: Marine history of Southampton & the Bruce Coast": Southampton, Bruce, Ontario, Canada. ⁹

HACKETT'S SHIPYARD AT SOUTHAMPTON PRODUCED GREAT LAKES SCHOONERS

By John Weichel
On a livingroom wall at Elizabeth McKay's home on Huron Street in Southampton are two treasured portraits. One is of her great-grandfather, Capt. Alfred A. Hackett, the other of his wife Betsy Hackett. Alfred has piercing eyes, a thick, wiry goatee and thinning hair, all of which combine to give him a serious, of not severe, appearance. His wife Betsy is wearing a widow's cap, the simple black headpiece of mourning; it tells the viewer the portrait was done after her husband's death.

Elizabeth McKay knows the contribution A. A. Hackett made to early Southampton and to life on the lakes. By the year 1870, Capt. Hackett had built at least eight Great Lakes schooners - six of them at Southampton and two more nearby. He continued building vessels of many different types and uses until his death in 1895.

Apart from a fairly new exhibit about him in the Bruce Coast Gallery of the Bruce County Museum, there has never been any public recognition of Capt. Hackett's noteworthy accomplishments. Although there is no memorial marker of any kind in Southampton - be it plaque, small monument or street sign - surely his achievements are worth remembering.

Determination, adventure and enterprise are recognizable factors in his life, as his obituary from the Wiarton Canadian of May 9, 1895 illustrates:

Wiarton - Bruce County has lost another of it old pioneers in the death of Capt. Hackett, which occurred at his residence, Frank St., on Monday evening. Although over 75 years of age the Captain was scarcely ever know to be ill. He had been working on a scow for Messrs. Mallard and Miller. One day when very warm he went to the bay and taking his boots off bathed his feet in the cold water of the bay. He took very ill shortly after and had to be taken home, and lived only a week.

Capt. Alfred A. Hackett was born in Montrose, Scotland, where he served his apprenticeship as a ship-builder and carpenter. He afterwards went to sea where he became first mate on a bark trading with Australia and New Zealand. Following his calling for years he was a length wrecked on the Atlantic coast and was rescued on the coast of New Brunswick near Saint John. After this he made his way westward to Bruce County and was in Paisley in the early fifties, where he was engaged at carpentering under a millwright erected a mill and putting in machinery for Col. Valentine at Mud River, that being the early name of Paisley. Col. Valentine was also from Montrose.

Capt. Hackett lived for years in these early times at Southampton where he followed his trade as a shipbuilder. There he built a great many schooners, some of which he also sailed, and of the lake craft which he built were also some good steam craft, among which were the tug Queen of this port and the Annie Watt, which was sunk off Lion's Head.

It is about twelve years since the Captain came to live in Wiarton, and here as elsewhere, he had many friends, who admired his sturdy manliness and upright character. His family consisted of two daughters and four sons, three of the later following their father's calling of shipbuilders. His widow and family all survive him.

Capt. Hackett was a man of good judgment and wide information as might be expected of one who has seen so much of the world as he, and being of an observant turn of mind he benefited by his travels. His death is deeply regretted and the bereave family have the sympathy of all. (Wiarton Canadian, May 9, 1895).

We will attempt to add a few of the details which the obituary neglected to provide. The year of his birth in Montrose was 1819. His wife Elizabeth Cameron, known as Betsy, was born in 1825 and they were married in 1857. The Hacketts lived on the southern edge of Southampton, at lot 50 Lake Range, likely from the mid-1850s on, perhaps until they moved to Wiarton.

The property is immediately south of the 10th Line, at the western end by Lake Huron. The Hackett family record in the Saugeen Township history book, Roots and Branches of Saugeen, says that an indentation where the house one stood is still to be seen there, alotugh now grown up with trees.

The Hackett's appear on Saugeen Township voters lists from 1858 to 1866. In both the 1861 and 1871 census of Saugeen Township Alfred is shown as a farmer. He was obviously doing more than farming. Records abound to show that he was building schooners as early as 1858 and on into the 1870s and 1880s in Southampton.

(One must differentiate between Saugeen Township, which is the rural municipality surrounding Southampton, and Saugeen, the community-used name for the village of Southampton in its first 40 years of existence. Saugeen and the Port of Saugeen dropped out of favour, in both local use and government documents, in 1888-1889, when the Port of Saugeen became the Port of Southampton.)

The story about the Hackett in Roots and Branches also says that in addition to being shipwrecked on the Atlantic coast, Capt. Hackett was shipwrecked twice again, in 1854 and 1855, on the Great Lakes. Details of these two incidents are not known, although Elizabeth McKay recalls being told that an incident on Lake Erie in which the schooner Conductor was blown ashore involved her great-grandfather.

The first schooner he built that we know about is the Britannia, constructed at Southampton in 1858. This is the only vessel where he appears to have had a building partner - a John Murray. The 1864 register of Lake and River Shipping by the Board of Lake Underwriters, shows the Britannia was 39 tons, its owner was George MacAulay of Southampton and Saugeen (Southampton) was its port of hail. Although there have been at least five George MacAulays in Southampton's past, we are fairly certain that this George was the same one who owned the Caledonia, also built by Hackett, and who drowned in the Fishing Islands Nov. 2, 1865.

Here are other schooners (with dimensions - length, beam, depth, and tonnage where possible - in brackets) that he built at Southampton and nearby:

* 1861 - Caledonia, built at Southampton April 1861. (62.5 by 16.5 by 7.1, and 61 tons) Owner 'G. McAuley'. This would appear to be the same George MacAulay who owned Britannia. The Caledonia went ashore at Kincardine and lost its cargo of salt, according to the Huron Signal of June 7, 1864. (It later became an American vessel, a fact that is explained in a later paragraph.)

* 1862 - Hackett is credited with building the schooner Ariel at Owen Sound in 1862. (162 tons, 111 feet.) No further details are known.

* 1863 - Cameronian built at Port Bruce, which is in the Inverhuron area. Few details of its dimensions, or its history, are available, bur an interesting detail turned up in Federal Department of Public Works correspondence recently:

Point Clark, 1st May 1865. Sir. The Schooner Cameronian Laughlen Cameron capt. & owner of the Port of Bedadore, (Baie du Dore) was drove (sic) on shore at this Point on the morning of the 15th Inst. during a snow storm - the Light was visible at the time - I delayed to report until I would see the result, which is, the vessel is stripped of the rigging and the hull abandoned as a wreck. - I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, John Young, Light House Keeper. (To Secretary, Public Works, Quebec. Public Works correspondence, National Archives)

* 1865 - Scow Favourite built at Port Elgin. (24 tons) This vessel is listed as a 'scow' schooner, with Saugeen as its port of hail and John C. Currie, owner.

* 1866 - Cascaden built at Southampton. (92.3 by 17.8 by 7.8 by 138 tons) It was owned by the Cascaden family of Southampton. Thomas and David Cascaden operated the Bruce foundry in the village in the 1860s, and David is shown later as an innkeeper and Southampton harbourmaster. The year after Cascaden was built, she was completely dismasted in a storm, 'nothing but the stumps of her masts left standing'. She was rescued by the Southampton-Goderich steamer Silver Spray. Although she survived that incident, she was completely wrecked at Cape Hurd in October of 1871. All hands were saved. It is quite likely that Capt. Angus MacAulay of Southampton was on it at the time - the first of three shipwrecks for this hardy Highlander.

* 1868 - Schooner Abeona launched at Southampton. (55.5 by 15.8 by 6.7, 49 tons) Ownership of this schooner is given simply as 'Lambert' in some records. (In the Mifflin book The Light on Chantry, it is stated that William McGregor Lambert, who was to become Chantry lighthouse keeper, 'helped build his own sailing vessel … at age 21'.) Another George MacAulay - George A., who later owned the Golden Fleece and helped rescue the crew of the Annabell - is said to have owned the Abeona at a later date. His grandson, George MacAulay, lives n Eckford Street in Southampton.

* 1868 - Schooner Kate Pringle built at Southampton. (43 by 14 by 5.5, 26 tons) The owner is shown as George Pringle, Southampton. Pringle was a village blacksmith. Whether he had any connection (in passing, perhaps) with the Pringle Shoal, just north of Lee Bank, off Southampton's north shore, is not known.

Several news stories from the Owen Sound Advertiser provide us with a picture of the activity and size of A. A. Hackett's boat-building industry at Southampton in 1870. The Capt. Spence who is assisting would be Capt. John Spence, the town's first permanent settler. He is known to have had financial problems; this might account for the fact that he was working for Capt. Hackett

Southampton - Large quantities of wheat have been delivered at Southampton this winter. Mr. Hackett, assisted by Captain Spence, is building a handsome schooner, to be launched the middle of next month. Mr. Kennedy intends to erect a new Saw Mill this spring. (Owen Sound Advertiser, April 7, 1870.)

NEW VESSEL
There is now on the stocks, at Southampton, a fine looking schooner, built by A.A. Hacket, which from her appearance, gives promise of being worthy of the reputation of her builder. She will be launched in about ten days, and when fitted out, will be employed in the coasting trade. (Owen Sound Advertiser, May 19, 1870)

LAUNCH
The schooner that has been building at Saugeen River for some time was successfully launched on Tuesday, the 15th ult. There was a great number of spectators present. The vessel was named the Alliance. Mrs. Hackett broke the customary bottle on the bow as she started on the ways. She is pronounced by every one who has seen her as a perfect model, and reflects credit on Capt. Hackett, the builder and proprietor. He has shown great pluck in the undertaking, as she has been constructed under adverse circumstances. This is the eighth vessel Mr. Hackett has built here, including two at Port Elgin, shows that, at least, Southampton has considerable shipbuilding enterprise, Goderich being the only port on Lake Huron that is ahead in that line. It is understood that Mr. Hackett is to put a steam barge on the stocks this summer. (Owen Sound Advertiser, June 9, 1870.)

The name of the first owner of the Alliance is not known, but it might have been Robert Pringle, for he owned it in 1873 according to the registry. In the registry of 1878 the owner is shown as 'George S. McAulay of Saugeen, ship-owner, with 32 shares' and 'Malcolm Mathewson (sic) as master, 32 shares'. In that year, Alliance was rebuilt by James Rhody or Port Elgin and the name changes to Caledonia. According to the registry, the vessel went ashore the latter part of 1885 and was burned in April 1886. This would appear to be a third George MacAulay to own a Hackett vessel. George S. MacAulay lived in the 'Cape Codder' house at the north end of Huron Street, and at one time was owner of the tug A. Chambers. The original Caledonia (#4384) built by Hackett is said to have been wrecked at Glenhaven, Michigan, November, 1901.

The Hackett family is listed, with some picturesque spelling, in the 1881 census of Saugeen: Alfred, 58, shipbuilder; wife 'Alizabeth', 55; children, Margaret A., 23; Luisia J., 21; Alfred A., 19, farmer; William J., 17, farmer; Alexander, 14, farmer; John Angus, 11, farmer.

In 1881-82, Capt. Hackett worked on rebuilding the Nemesis, a schooner which readers may recall figured in the rescue by Capt. John Spence of the 15 American sailors in 1876 (FO'C'S'LE #43, March 1995):

Southampton - May 20 - The schooner Nemesis which was rebuilt here this winter by Capt. A. A. Hackett, the well known shipbuilder, was launched today. She is commended by Capt. H. J. Spence, of this place. (Globe, May 22, 1882)

About this time, Capt. Hackett and his family moved from Southampton area to Wiarton. No exact date is known, but the move would have been in late 1882 or early 1883. His yard is not mentioned in a summary of Wiarton businesses, which were experiencing a boom at that time, carried by the Echo Jan. 12, 1883, but he was there three months later, as this item about Sauble Mills shows:

MR. MCLEAN'S NEW TUG LAUNCHED
On Tuesday last the new tug Phoenix built from the remains of the burned Sauble Queen, was launched at Sauble Mills. The boat is 63 feet in length over all and is well constructed, fitted up with first-class machinery, and her enterprising owners, Messrs. McLean, claim that the craft is second to no other, of the same size, on Lake Huron or Georgian Bay. She was built under the supervision of Capt. A. A. Hackett, formerly of Southampton, and now resident in Wiarton, an experienced and trustworthy man. (Echo, April 20, 1883).

His move to Wiarton coincided with - but was not necessarily connected to - two big events in Wiarton's development, the arrival of the railway and the beginning of construction if the new government docks, both in the summer of 1882. Before long, Capt. Hackett was at work on a new vessel at Wiarton, one that any true sailor would sin for, if only for a glimpse:

NEW BOAT
Mr. Ralph Ely, heir apparent of H. R. A. Ely, Esq., the popular and courteous landlord of the more popular Ely House, is building a new boat, and to give an expression more than ordinary emphasis we must descend to plebian (sic) language and say that she will be 'a stunner'.

Capt. A. A. Hackett is building the craft and her dimensions are as follows: 40 feet keel, 49 feet over all, 12 feet beam and 7 feet depth of hold; she will be supplied with four airtight compartments and have a cabin 18 by 12. The boat will be slooped-rigged, with all the modern improvements, and without doubt will, as far as we know, be the finest little vessel of the kind owned at Wiarton this season.

It is expected she will be ready to launch on the 24th of May. The owner being a loyal subject of Queen Victoria, will put forth extra exertions to baptize his boat on her Most Gracious Majesty's birthday. (Echo, April 20, 1883).

The yacht A. Hacket, launched in June is further described by the Echo as follows:

THE NEW YACHT
H. R. A. Ely, jr, launched his new yacht on Wednesday and as a bottle containing suspicious looking liquid was broken over her bow christened her the 'A. Hackett'. When fully-rigged she will certainly be a fine looking craft, and she has been built with a view to both speed and safety. Her main mast is 42 feet above deck and the foremast 40 feet; she will carry 400 yards of 22-inch canvas, and will, it is expected, be ready to sail tomorrow. We regret that lack of space prevents us giving a more minute description of the boat, but what is omitted this week will be given in a future issue. (Echo, June 8, 1883)

Before long, the new yacht A. Hackett was challenged to a proper race. The amount of the wager proposed suggests that it was a very serious challenge. The letter in the Echo of July 27, 1883, follows:

CHALLENGE TO ELY'S YACHT
Sir - A controversy having arisen as to whether Ely's yacht or my smack is a better boat, on account of the former while in racing trim, having beaten me while my boat was heavily laden, I hereby challenge Mr. Ely to race me for from $100 to $500 a side either with working or racing canvas, the race to come off Owen Sound bay within one month. If Mr. Ely should think it advisable to accept this I will meet him in Owen Sound at any time he may appoint to make a forfeit or other arrangements. Thanking you for the space, &c., I am yours truly, Joe Cohure, Owner of the smack 'Scared Dog'. Owen Sound, July 24, 1883.

Capt. Hackett, acting as 'agent for Ely', replied to the challenge in a subsequent issue of the Echo:

Sir - After a lapse of ten days from the time Cohure's challenge to Ely was accepted the challenging parties have found time to reply. Mr. Brown, agent for Cohure, whishes me to notice that in the challenge Owen Sound Bay was mentioned as the place where the race should be sailed, and states that it would be inconvenient for them to come to Wiarton. He further states that he would be glad to meet me Sunday after next at Allenford to make arrangements and deposit forfeit, if convenient, for me to meet him in Owen Sound before that Sunday - a singular say to select for such work. It is a sly way of backing out, because they have no intention of racing against 'The Hackett' for money. This information I have from reliable persons who have seen them in Owen Sound and offered bets on the anticipated contest which were not taken. Of we were to go to Owen Sound and race for fun it might suit them, but not otherwise. They ignore the right of challenged party to name the place of meeting and it is evident that they are not very anxious for a contest. I am busy at Sauble Mills and do not wish to waste any more time in useless parley with Mr. Brown and his friends. We are ready for the race at any time, but insist upon Colpoy's Bay as the sailing ground.

(Signed) Alfred A. Hackett, Agent for Ely (Echo Aug. 24, 1883)

* 1884 - Annie Watt. (42 tons) Propeller, built by A. A. Hackett at Lion's Head. Sunk Aug, 16, 1890, between Barrier Island and Gun Point, Georgian Bay, following a collision with William Alderson.

In the Nov. 14, 1884, edition of the Wiarton Echo Capt. Hackett made a strong plea for a telegraph line from Wiarton to Tobermory. His thought was that such a service might save some of the vessels that regularly went ashore in those days. By telegraphing the owners, he reasoned, tugs could be sent in time to pull the vessels off before storms could wreck them. The telegraph service would also aid in cases of medical emergencies, he said.

One line in his lengthy letter to the Echo may be of interest to Tobermory historians trying to establish sates of the Storm Signal Station at that port. Mr. Hackett writes that there has been a promise of a meteorological station at Tobermory and 'that the Marine and Fisheries Department may be induced to place a Storm Signal Station there'.

At this point, research into the Hacketts is complicated by the fact that A. A. Hackett had a son A. A. Hackett, a second son Alexander and a third son, John Angus, who was known as Angus. Consequently, when one encounters A. A. Hackett in newspaper stories, it could be on of two people; a simple A. Hackett could be one of three. We can assume that Capt. Hackett refers to the father, Alfred A.

This problem becomes obvious in the following item from the Echo. It is possible that Alfred, junior, was the A. Hackett of this story:

DOMINION BOAT HOUSE
This boat house is now under the management of Mr. A. Hackett who has thoroughly overhauled the boats and put them in first-class condition. A number of new boats have been added and the public may depend upon being well accommodated when they wish to hire a boat. (Echo, June 5, 1885)

The 42-foot Blanche Shelby was one of the boats that the Hackett yard worked on that same year, 1885. Built in 1874 in Buffalo, it was lost on Lake Huron in October of 1887 and was a total wreck:

The work on the tug Blanche Shelby is being rapidly pushed ahead under the supervision of Capt. Hackett, we understand she is being completely overhauled from stem to stern and strengthened throughout her entire length. As the Captain is well up in his business we have no hesitation in stating what when completed the tug will compare favourably with any other craft on the lakes. (Echo, May 29, 1885)

Another difficulty arises in recording the work of Capt. Hackett. The 1891 census of Wiarton shows the occupation of all four sons - Alfred, William, Alexander and Angus - as ship carpenters. At what point the sons began working in the shipyard is not known. (It was not likely before 1884, for the oldest son, Alfred, lost the first and second fingers on his right hand while working in the Falk, Morlock & Wegenast furniture factory at Wiarton in 1884.)

In July of 1885 Capt. Hackett took possession of the little steamer Lady Eberth, offering excursions around the bay at Wiarton. (The story of the steamer's construction in Hanover, and its travels by train from there to Wiarton, was told in FO'C'S'LE #33, May, 1994.)

1886 - Port Elgin Queen (C#90765) Tug built in 1886 by Alfred A. Hackett of Port Elgin. (52.4' X 14.4' X 6.3', 43 tons) Among various owners of this tug over the years were David Porter if Wiarton; McKenzie and partners, Port Elgin; and Charles Hartleib/Peter Wagner, lumber operators. The tug had an Oelschlager steam engine built in Port Elgin.

* 1887 - S. R. Norcross. (23 tons) Built by Alfred A. Hackett at Tamarack Island, Stokes Bay. Owned in 1892 by Ontario Lumber Company.

WIARTON BOAT HOUSE
Mr. A. Hackett and E. Ely have gone into partnership in the boat house business here. Mr. Hackett is a practical boat builder and at present is completing a fine sailing yacht for the summer trade. A number more row boats will also be added at once. We wish the young men success. (Wiarton Echo, May 11, 1888)

In the fall of 1884, the schooner Cataract ran aground near Oliphant on Lake Huron. Crew members made their way to Wiarton, eight miles due east across the peninsula on Georgian Bay. They stayed there for awhile, for it was the owner's plan to wait until the ice had formed around the shore, at which time they would attempt to shift the vessel. No more is heard of the schooner - which had been left 'high and dry' near the shore - until the following spring.

story of the recovery and rebuilding of the grounded Cataract the following spring is a confusing on, but the following two items from the Wiarton Echo suggest that work on the vessel was carried out by Capt. Hackett right where it had gone ashore:

TO BE FLOATED
The schooner Cataract, of Sarnia, that went ashore at Oliphant last fall has been thoroughly overhauled, under the supervision of Captain A. Hackett. She had to be taken over a sand bar about 800 feet before sufficient water to float her can be got, owning partly to the extreme lowness of the water in the lake. If all goes as is expected, she will be ready for Captain W. Glass, of Sarnia, and his crew of six hands, who are putting her in shape, so that sail can be hoisted this week. The repairs she has undergone are calculated to produce a much higher rating for the craft than heretofore. (Wiarton Echo, May 4, 1888)

The Schooner Cataract, belonging to a man by the name of McGibbons, of Sarnia, it will be remembered, ran ashore last fall on the north side of Chief's point in Lake Huron, near Oliphant, and was abandoned as a total wreck. A shipbuilder who was sent from Sarnia, thought different from his predecessor [sic], who denounced her a total wreck. He placed her on blocks and then employed Captain Hackett (sic) to rebuild her and launch her. The launching, however, proved to be the most difficult part of the business, as she had to be drawn a mile and a half over a sand bar before they could find sufficient water to float her. This was successfully accomplished by the aid of a tug, on Friday last. She is now ready for her cargo, which she intends taking on at Golden Valley. The difficulties overcame in this work reflects much credit on our townsman, Captain Hackett. (Wiarton Echo, June 8, 1888)

* 1891 - Wiarton Census: Alfred, 69, from Scotland, ship builder; wife Betsy, 60, from Ontario,; and children, Alfred, 26, ship carpenter; Jennie, 24; William, 23, ship carpenter; Alexander, 22, ship carpenter, and Angus, 20, ship carpenter.

1892 - Capt. Hackett has secured a large contract at French River for the construction of two large tugs. (Echo, Sept. 1, 1892)

More research is needed concerning the little craft Iris built at Southampton in 1892. Once source credits Hackett with the building, another says that is was built by its owner, Albert Frederick Bowman, who was connected with the Zinkan and Bowman tannery. It was 39 feet long, 8.83 registered tons, with a 10.6 foot beam. It, too, carried an Oelschlager steam engine from Port Elgin. One registry lists it as a schooner, but in a subsequent registry it is called a tug.

1893 - Capt. Hackett of Wiarton, government Fisheries Inspector, seized two black bass nets in Lake Huron. Fishing black bass with nets is illegal. (Owen Sound Times, Aug 10, 1893)

* 1895 - Tug Queen being re-caulked by Hackett Brothers

A. A. Hackett died at Wiarton on Monday, May 6, 1895. He was 75 years, 11 months and 18 days, according to the Wiarton Canadian. His wife Betsy died in 1903. Both are buried in Wiarton cemetery. Elizabeth McKay of Southampton is a daughter of William and Martha Cordick. Her father's mother, Margaret Ann Hackett, was a daughter of Capt. A. A. and Betsy Hackett.

We leave off the senior Hackett's history at this point. A brief summary of the work carried out by his sons may be of interest. It would appear that the Hackett yard continued to flourish, likely under the leadership of the A. A. Hackett, junior.

the contracts landed by the yard were: Repairs to the steamer Joe Milton, in 1886; The Winnie built in 1897 at Southampton, powered by an Oelschlager steam engine built in Port Elgin, owned by John H. and Henry J. Spence, Pike Bay, sons of Capt. John Spence; the dredge Hackett, built in 1897 at Wiarton, for George E. Smith, Southampton; new machinery put into the Southampton tug John Logie, 1900; overhaul and enlargement of tug Surprise of Manitoulin, 1900; building of new tug, 1900, name unknown; A. A. Hackett builds large propeller in Winnipegosis; repairs on large dredge from Meaford, 1903; appears to have done repair work on steamer Dickson, perhaps at Michipocoten, 1903.

The harbour is a busy scene of activity these days. A. Hackett has about 20 men engaged in repairing boats. He intends to build a marine railway, when he will be able to quickly and easily dock a boat when it is in need of repair. (Echo, April 28, 1904)

In 1905, A. A. Hackett built a new tug, Crawford, (95 by 17 by 10) for the Crawford Tug Co. The Echo said it is 'a credit to that gentleman's work'.

And finally, the Echo of May 18, 1905, carries this note:

A. A. Hackett, shipbuilder, has secured a position in the west and has gone to Winnipeg. We understand that he intends to settle in that country, and Mrs. Hackett and family will follow in August. (Echo, May 18, 1905)

Alexander married Elizabeth Cameron, daughter of Alexander Cameron and Emily McPhail. (Elizabeth Cameron was born on 19 Feb 1825 in Glengarry County, Canada West ^{1 2}, christened on 2 Nov 1828 in Saint Andrews West, Stormont, Canada West ¹⁹ and died on 13 Oct 1903 in Preston, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada ^{2 20 21}.). The cause of her death was Cardiac Dropsy.⁸