The Whitehorse Star, August 4, 1955

Tutshi trip hits the spot

More than one hundred Whitehorse residents and friends enjoyed a perfect weekend excursion to Ben-My-Chree from Carcross on board the steamer Tutshi last Saturday and Sunday, under the sponsorship of the local branch of the Engineering Institute of Canada.

Sunny skies and calm weather enhanced the vistas of blue lakes and rugged mountains, and Captain Alex Courquin and crew did their best to make the trip memorable for everyone on board.

Responsible for organizing the charter trip were members of the local E.I.C. executive, the burden falling equally on John Phelps, M.E. Almstrom and Ken Baker.

One of the most interesting passengers on the cruise was George Rose who had chalked up over thirty years' service on board the steamer Tutshi as an engineering officer, and enjoyed his trip as passenger to the full. His comments on the various points of interest seen along the way were greatly appreciated by his fellow passengers.

The gardens at Ben-My-Chree brought exclamations of astonishment and delight from the Whitehorse visitors, many of them expressed the wish that there might be accommodation for a stop-over in that lovely spot.

As a final extra touch, Patsy Henderson's lecture at Carcross brought the trip to a very happy close - there are at least 100 people in Whitehorse who would like to repeat the cruise at some future date.

Rough estimates of the footage of film shot b shutter-bugs during the two -day cruise were astronomical, and there should be many happy evenings spent this winter viewing the crop of color movies and slides.

One of the amusing sidelights on the trip was the clever lists of answers to questions frequently asked the Purser on board the Tutshi by tourists not familiar with this part of the country. D. A. McWilliams gave The Star special permission to reprint his bulletin and here it is-

Answers to some frequently asked questions on steamer Tutshi-

"No, Madam, we have no other slides than those on display in this case."

"No, Sir, you are not in Alaska - you are either in the Yukon or in British Columbia depending on when you read this and both are part of Canada."

No, Sir, Canada is not a colony of England but is a completely independent country. The Queen of England is also the Queen of Canada because we like it to be that way, and has no control over our government, just as in Great Britain."

"The lake on which you are travelling is called Lake Tagish and is 65 miles in length."

"The temperature of the water is about 40 degrees (above zero) and it is for this reason that we do not recommend diving from the top deck. Also, the statistical detail demanded by the authorities in reporting missing persons is very tiring on the Purser. For these reasons we urge parents of young children to deep close watch over them at all times."

"Yes, Madam, we do have Northern Lights in the Yukon. These things have not been explained by science to date and the Purser can do no better. All that can be said for sure is that they occur at night, usually when the Chief Engineer plugs them in.

The depth of this lake varies from zero to over 750 feet, depending on how far out from the shore you are measuring and also on how thick the water happens ot be."

"The speed of the steamer Tutshi is about 12 mph but is greatly affected by strong winds. Thus, if the wind exceeds 13 mph the boat has to turn around and back up to Ben-My-Chree."

"No, Madam, there are no keys for the staterooms on this ship. Everyone is honest in the Yukon."

"No, Sir, there is no Bar on this ship due to inclement liquor regulations in British Columbia until recently and a strong Methodist upbringing." - (D.A. McWilliams.)

Note- At the end of the 1955 navigation season the Tutshi was placed on the ways at Carcross.

She was never on the water again.

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