"I will enjoy finishing your book! So far it is great! Thanks so much! Can’t wait for the sequel!"  Vanessa, Grade 5

"YOUR BOOK ROCKS!!! I never knew about the Empress of Ireland  before I read your book!"  Ryan, Grade 5

The idea for SECOND WATCH began when my grandmother gave me a silver sugar spoon. It had been given to her by a friend, a Finnish woman who claimed it was saved from the Titanic. That certainly got my attention! I wanted to know how and by whom. What stories were hidden in that old spoon?

I asked my family in Ontario to find out more about the woman and the spoon. To my amazement, the Titanic wasn’t the only ship to sink in her family’s history. Members of her Finnish immigrant family from Port Arthur (now part of Thunder Bay) died in the wreck of the Empress of Ireland in the St. Lawrence River.

I had never heard of the Empress of Ireland. I searched the library and internet for information about the steamship, and tracked down out-of-print books. The more I read, the more fascinated I became with the Empress. The origin of the spoon continued to intrigue me, as well. Like most silver spoons, mine has a hallmark of tiny symbols, numbers, and letters on the back. Researching the hallmark revealed where and when it was made. What I learned was a complete surprise! The tale of the spoon contained unexpected twists and turns before ending in mystery once again. I would never know the whole story.

Setting for SECOND WATCH:

The main setting is Port Arthur (now part of Thunder Bay, Ontario). To help me picture the setting while writing the novel, I drew a map of Port Arthur in 1914  showing points of interest to Saara.

Empress of Ireland Links:

To learn more about the Empress of Ireland, the final voyage, and the wreck, click here.

For details about the Canadian Pacific, the Empress of Ireland, and the disaster, click here. 

Over the years, divers have removed many items from the wreck of the Empress of Ireland. Most of these artifacts belong to private collectors. The Empress of Ireland Artifacts Committee is working hard to raise money to buy important artifacts. The artifacts will be donated for public exhibition in Canada.

When Empress of Ireland artifacts toured western Canada in 2004, Karen had the privilege of viewing the historic items. Here she is, wearing period costume, holding a third-class mineral water bottle and deep plate, both salvaged from the wreck, as well as a lime that washed ashore in a crate from the ship.

 To view additional artifacts, click here.

Not only are birthdays celebrated in Finland, but Name Days (Nimipäivät), as well. First names are assigned a date on the calendar on which to be honoured. The Nimipäivät for Saara is July 19.

Reindeer live in the northern part of Finland called Lapland.

Did you know that in 1906 Finland was the first country in Europe to allow women to vote?

The Juhannus (Midsummer) festival is the Saturday between June 20 and June 26. Midsummer’s Eve is a time for traditional food (like crepe-thin Finnish pancakes), music, dancing, and playing games by the light of a giant-sized bonfire called a kokko.