"The Steamer Great Britain - 1839", by H.F. Ainslie.
The steamer Great Britain, the largest vessel on Lake Ontario in 1839, was a side-wheeler with two ninety horse-power engines. Her regular route was from Niagara to Kingston, Brockville, and Prescott and then back to York, a journey which took five days. The fares for cabins ranged from $5.00 to $10.00 from Prescott to Niagara, but deck fares were much less. The Great Britain also carried ashes, pork, flour, and livestock around the lake. Still, communications between the eastern and western settlements came to a near halt in winter.
