The Tragic Death of Harold Wright Douglas

Harold Wright Douglas was the eldest son of T.W. Douglas and Winnifred Henrietta Victoria Wright. He was born 23 July 1885 in Owen Sound [D05715, D06025].



In the spring of 1904, at the age of nineteen, Harold Wright Douglas moved to Toronto to work for Purdy Mansell & Co., a plumbing and steamfitting company located based in Toronto at 16 Adelaide St. West [D00236, D06020]. He had previously worked for Owen Sound plumber A.J. Ross [D00236, D06020].

While in Toronto, Harold roomed at 346 Berkeley Street along with his co-worker William Bell [D00236, D01210, D06022].

Around 4:00 in the afternoon of Sunday 4 June 1904, Harold and William borrowed a canoe from Ewan’s boat-house at the foot of Sherbourne street and began paddling out on Toronto Bay [D00236, D01210]. When they were about four-hundred yards out, Harold, who was cold stood up to put on his coat. The action caused the canoe to overturn, spilling both Harold and William into the lake. The two of them clung on to the side of the canoe and waited for help [D00236, D01210, D06022].

Boaters James Cockerell and James Ramsden were also out on the water at the time and came to the assistance of the two young men. The two were able to rescue William Bell, but Harold had let go and had sunk beneath the waters by the time that they arrived [D00236, D01210, D06022].

A search was conducted, and the drowned body of Harold Wright Douglas was recovered the following day around 3:00 in the afternoon by ex-Esplanade Constable George Williams [D01209, D06020].

His well-attended funeral was held on Wednesday, 15 June 1904 at the residence of his parents [D06016, D6021, D06023]. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery [D01131, D04954].

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Sources:
[D00236] "Harold Douglas Drowned," (Owen Sound) The Advertiser, Owen Sound , 14 June 1904, p. 1, col. 6.

[D01131] "Owen Sound Greenwood Cemetery Interments" (typescript, 2005), p. 81.

[D01209] "Douglas' Body Recovered," Toronto Star, 14 Jun 1904, col. 3; digital images, Pages of the Past (accessed 6 Apr 2019).

[D01210] "Canoes Claimed Two More Victims," Toronto Star, 13 Jun 1904, p. 7, col. 2; digital images, Pages of the Past (accessed 6 Apr 2019).

[D04954] Greenwood Cemetery (Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario), G-S9-1.

[D05715] "Births," (Owen Sound) The Advertiser, Owen Sound, 30 July 1885, p. 2, col. 5.

[D06016] "Interred on Wednesday," (Owen Sound) The Advertiser, Owen Sound , 17 Jun 1904, p. 1, col. 3.

[D06020] (Owen Sound) Owen Sound Times, 17 Jun 1904, p. 1, col. 4.

[D06021] (Owen Sound) Owen Sound Times, 17 Jun 1904, p. 5, col. 5.

[D06022] "Harold Douglas Drowned at Toronto," (Owen Sound) Owen Sound Sun , 14 Jun 1904, p. 1, col. 4&5.

[D06023] (Owen Sound) Owen Sound Sun, 17 Jun 1904, p. 1, col. 2.

[D06025] Ontario Archives of Ontario, MS 929, reels 1-245, MS929, Reel 70: 11742, 96; digital image, Ancestry.com, "Ontario, Canada Births," (16 Mar 2019).