There are not many accounts provided by others attesting to his personality. Dr. Lorris E. Borden, the medical officer on the Neptune, who shared the captain's table with Commander Low on a daily basis for 14 months, described him as “a likeable and companionable man, much respected and admired by his men.” But Dr. Borden also noted that in 18 months of working with Low, that the man never spoke about himself.59 In his diary of the trip, Borden generally refers to Low in a rather distant manner generally as “ Mr. Low” or “the Commander.”60 We wonder if Low had a warmer relationship with some of his canoemen and assistants, who, after all, often would sign up to work with him for several years in a row. The only hint we have is from Siméon Raphael, a canoeman from Lake St. John, who paddled and snowshoed with Low in 1893–94 on the expedition from Lake St. John to Fort Chimo and up the Hamilton River. Dr. Jacques Rousseau, the famous Quebec botanist and a long-time admirer of Low, engaged Siméon (then 79 years old) in the 1940s for a trip, and stated, “Pour Siméon, il n'y avait pas ‘de meuilleur garçon que monsieur Low.‘“61 Loosely translated, Siméon had said “there was no better guy than Mr. Low.”
Low got along well with most men, as his leading role in organized sports over several decades shows. In his field trips, several of his assistants (who would have shared a tent with him), as well as canoemen, went with him for several field seasons in a row. At least he did not drive them away — for even the closest of friendships can suffer from sharing a tent over a long period. He also inspired loyalty in the Geological Survey. Following his illness in 1907, which led to his early retirement, questions arose over whether he was eligible for a pension because his contributions had lapsed when he had left the government in 1901. His colleagues were loyal enough to approach the Prime Minister for a favourable consideration, and finally obtained a pension for him. His physical toughness is evident by his participation in football and hockey — no padding was worn in those days — and by his endurance, strength, and ability to put up with discomfort on long canoe and snowshoe expeditions.
Dr. Robert Bell (1841–1917) one of the great Canadian scientists, was acting director of the Geological Survey of Canada, 1901–06. Courtesy of Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, photo KGS2369BB.
Low was not only physically strong, he was also strong-willed. His willingness to challenge authority was shown by his objection to John Bignell's62 authority during the 1884–85 Mistassini Expedition. (Whether this objection was deserved is a separate question.) His dislike of pomposity and officialdom manifested itself in the difficult relationship he had with Major Moodie of the North-West Mounted Police whose duty it was to enforce Canadian law in Hudson Bay during the cruise of the Neptune in 1903–04. By the end of the voyage, the two were communicating by memoranda, even though they ate at the same table every day.
The relationship between Low and Dr. Robert Bell also shows this element of “will.” While Bell was senior to Low in the Geological Survey, they enjoyed a seemingly friendly relationship. In 1901, Bell, as acting director, lent Low the Geological Survey's yacht for a year in James Bay to allow him to undertake his work for the private firm, the Dominion Development Company, which had just lured him away with the offer of a much higher salary. After Bell had arranged for the Geological Survey's rehiring of Low in 1903, Low brought back birds' eggs from his Neptune expedition for Bell's son. However, in April of 1906, once Low was appointed director, making him the supervisor of Bell, their relationship changed quickly and drastically. Bell objected to being subordinate to Low, and strongly complained to the minister responsible for the Geological Survey that he (Bell) deserved the appointment, and provided a long list of reasons as to why Low was not qualified. The degree to which the relationship deteriorated is shown by a lengthy series of written memoranda between the two over the fulfillment of office procedures and missing files.
A person's sense of humour (or lack of it) can tell something of their character. Following Low's return from his expedition in 1894, he was unpacking some barrels of rock samples when Alfred Selwyn, the director, walked in and started to harangue him. Apparently, Selwyn always started his day with a harangue. The verbal onslaught was returned and, as Selwyn was leaving the room, Low rolled a barrel after him; Selwyn jumped63 to escape injury, and was satisfied that his verbal onslaught had elicited a response. A second anecdote relates to a fisherman who charged Low an exorbitant rate for his boat. “Never mind,” said Low, “we'll get it back before this trip is over.” And he did — at poker.64
It seems that Low was a plain-spoken man, a little quiet, very private and modest about his achievements, but proud of his athletic abilities. Having published at least 37 articles and chapters, of which 23 were official government publications, Low was recognized as an expert in the geology and geography of the Quebec-Labrador peninsula. However, we conclude that he was not a brilliant scientist, in the sense that he conceived new geological theories, but rather a careful, methodical scientist whose observations are still quoted.
Because he spent so much time away, we can only conjecture that his relationship with Isabella was not one of burning passion. Nevertheless, he had a strong relationship with her family, as he lived with one or another of them for over 50 years. Did Low have a hidden artistic or literary side? If so, then his sensitive side was limited as the texts of the only two poems found, including the portion cited earlier in this chapter, are really doggerel at best.
All of our description of his personality is conjecture. The bridge of time and the absence of personal data do not permit a clear picture.
HIS DECLINE TO OBLIVION
The career of A.P. Low unexpectedly fizzled out, beginning in 1907 when he took extended sick leave at the age of 46; he officially retired in 1913. Nothing is known for certain about the nature of his illness. After his retirement, he survived another 29 years, and continued to live in McLaren Street with his unmarried sister-in-law, his daughter Estelle and his son Reginald.65 As Estelle never married,66 she appears to have spent over 30 years of her adult years caring for her ailing father. Two events occurred in close succession that would have affected Low greatly during his retirement. In April 1917, Low's friend, David Eaton, who had accompanied him on expeditions for over three years, was killed just before the Canadian attack on Vimy Ridge (France);67 and on January 22, 1918, his son Reginald died of natural causes at the age of 22.68
What was Low's mysterious illness, and just how debilitating was this illness? Dr. Morgan Gross, a retired Geological Survey geologist, states that Low was sometimes seen walking to movies in the neighbourhood during his retirement. While the oral history of the Geological Survey is that his ill health was rumoured to have been due to syphilis,69 there is no evidence of this. During his retirement, Low also visited Montreal where he smoked cigarettes and recalled old times with fellow geologists.70)
After Jessie Cunningham died on February 28, 1939,71 the house on MacLaren Avenue was sold. Low and Estelle moved to a modest rented apartment in a nearby house on Waverley Street.72
A.P. Low died at age 81, on October 9,1942, after a “lengthy illness.”73 There was no will.74 He was buried in Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa, beside his wife and two sons.75 His obituary lists a number of surviving friends who attended the service, including Geological Survey colleagues and several militia people. The two newspapers in Ottawa at the time contained surprisingly long obituaries for him, given the Second World War battles going on at that time and the casualty lists. The graves of A.P., Isabella, Andrew and Reginald are marked in the Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa by a single small and simple rough-hewn rock, with the names of himself, Isabella, Andrew and Reginald carved on its surface, in contrast to the polished granite obelisks that surround it.
What happened to Estelle who was 55 at the time of her father's death? According to the intestate documents, she inherited all of her father's private writings and mementoes which except for some stocks and insurance policies, were not itemized. She definitely inherited articles from his explorations since the year after her father's death, Estelle donated some Inuit ivory statuettes