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Dedication
to Heritage Standards
Approach
to Restoration
Samson V is the last remaining steam-powered sternwheeler
on the Fraser River. This means she occupies a unique place in our maritime heritage,
and one of the primary concerns in restoring and maintaining Samson V
is ensuring that her ambience and historic fabric is retained.
Initial Condition of Samson V
Samson V had a working lifespan of 43 years, including the time
she spent laid-up and under reconstruction. Her long working life and immaculate
condition twenty years after her retirement can be attributed to the rugged construction,
and high quality of materials and workmanship employed in her hull.
But it was also because Samson V was maintained to the highest standards
when she was operating, that she was able to retire in such good shape. During
her working life, Samson V was kept manned almost continually, and
her crew of eleven, with an additional three night watchmen aboard, led to a very
well maintained vessel.
During her service period, everything aboard Samson V (except the
bottom of the bilge) was kept immaculate. Brass
was polished, and the machinery, walls and decks were spotless. The entire vessel
was painted every year, and every four years, she was hauled out for bottom work
and a full steamship inspection. Samson V cost the government $65,000
during the depression, and for the next forty years a large group of people were
involved in seeing to it that the investment was well protected. There was a chief
engineer, a first mate, a bosun, and a captain eager to assign work to the crew
when Samson V was not working the river.
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Commitment to Tradition
One of the primary concerns in the restoration and maintenance of a heritage vessel
is preserving its historic fabric. This means, wherever possible, that the initial
structure, style and materials of the vessel, as it was built or in service, should
be retained or replicated.
This approach is not for only aesthetic or sentimental reasons. A heritage vessel
needs to be looked at as a system. The methods and procedures for building and
maintaining it were often developed over a period of hundreds of years and are
proven to be the most effective means of keeping that particular type of structure
sound. Interfering with one part of the system by "improving" it does
more than degrade the vessel's value as a historic artefact; it often endangers
the vessel itself.
For example, you can fibre-glass the decks or a wooden hull to your heart's content,
but eventually the fibre-glass will:
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Crack due
to the flexing of the structure;
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Delaminate
due to moisture moving through the substrate; or
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Cause the
vessel to rot in a hundred places by trapping water beneath it and not allowing
the structure to dry out.
Other new-fangled approaches
applied to a heritage vessel, though designed to cure or avoid the problem of
regular maintenance, will often only wind up shortening its life.
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Approach to restoration and maintenance
Early on, the following guidelines were established regarding the general approach
to materials and standards of workmanship, and these guidelines have been followed
throughout the work on Samson V:
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Retain as
much of the historic fabric of the vessel as possible;
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Document
the work thoroughly and retain samples of historic fabric;
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Use replacement
materials that are as close to the original historic fabric as possible (except
where original materials contain lead, asbestos or other unsafe substances);
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Where original
materials are no longer available, make substitutions that produce the same effect
and visual impression as the original;
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Apply materials
in a similar manner to the techniques used by the Department of Public Works during
the vessel's service period and in British Columbia's shipyards of the time. When
in doubt, ask: "How would the old shipwrights have done this?";
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Use modern
materials or structurally stronger materials only where necessary for safety,
for structural integrity, or to protect or conserve historic fabric in inconspicuous
and non-intrusive ways; and in general,
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Find ways
of doing things right, even if it takes a little longer and costs a little more.
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Ongoing maintenance
Samson V is now maintained by one regular staff person and a small
supply of dedicated volunteers. With the crew sticking to a maintenance plan,
and being aggressive in controlling leaks, failed seams, and deteriorating paint,
Samson V will be able to last for generations to come.
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See our Lingo,
Links & Resource page for books and publications on restoration
procedures.
Hit a vocabulary
snag? Clicking on the words in blue will take you to their definition in our glossary.
Use your brower's Back button to return to this page.
Technical
Information
Study Samson V's plan and technical specifications, and read the
Engineering Interpretive.
The
A-Frame Surprise
What can go wrong with a heritage snagpuller? Read the
A-frame structural repairs report.
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to Restorations/
Maintenance Page
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