Pump Story: From the Scout...

Scouting for Ontario Travel Guides turns up interesting boating stories in the strangest places. Take the Westport Spring old hand water pump for instance. It was found in the winter of 2008 after spending years tucked away at the old town hall. The cast iron pump had previously operated faithfully at the Westport Spring for close to half a century, quenching the thirst of boaters and other visitors at this special “watering hole.” An abundance of water quality precaution sent the old pump into the closet, a relic of the past for kids tomorrow who can no longer remember what this type of “water fountain” looked like or how it worked. The Scout drank from this water pump on a Rideau Centennial Cruise in 1967. There was a tin cup attached with a chain for all to share. Imagine. So he couldn’t resist the weekly newspaper’s call - pump goes to the highest bidder! Today it’s at our place thanks to the volunteer help of Westport Mayor Bill Thake and his half ton truck. He’s still laughing. The pump’s a big iron sucker and it will end up at the Rideau District Museum. But what’s that got to do with boating? Well, a quick Google of Baker Manufacturing in Evansville, Wisconsin showed the pump came from them and they’ve been around since 1873. Better still it seems a grandson of the founder, Gordon Baker, now passed on, loved boats and sailing almost more than the family business. He had a yen for hydrofoils. He successfully adapted this technology to a small outboard runabout that could zoom out of the water and literally fly across the lake at very high speeds. The U.S. Navy was also interested in hydrofoils for quick mine laying operations and other applications. George was a consultant working on prototypes for a time. While his product worked, attempts to convince the buying public in the mid-1950’s to invest in hydrofoil recreational boats fizzled. He even invented a hydrofoil sailboat that could also zing along flying out of the water. That boat, the Monitor, today is on display at the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, Virginia. Please visit The George Baker Story and follow through to the International Hydrofoil Society and learn more about this fascinating boating enterprise.

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