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Both Ferries In Harbour

a black and white aerial photograph showing two ferries docked in Cobourg Harbour, one in the centre of the picture at a pier with its bow toward the lake and it's stern at the end of a railway line with railway cars on it, and the other at a dock along the shore. The picture includes the western extension of the harbour in the foreground and the beach in the distance.

Ontario Car Ferries No. 1 & 2

Credit: www.cobourghistory.ca

Seeing both ferries in the harbour at once raises the question of accidents. However, the Ontario Car Ferry Company had an outstanding safety record, but there were several “incidents”.

For instance, on August 5, 1924 when Ontario No. 2 was attempting to return to Cobourg in dense fog with 930 passengers on a church excursion, the Captain misread the fog horn signals and the ferry grounded on the sandy bottom. Passengers had to be removed by smaller boats and barges to the pier until the ferry was refloated.

On March 23, 1923 the two ferries collided in dense fog and both vessels sustained considerable damage.