Jumping aboard the "Wilfred C" from market wharf and steaming out of the harbor one leaves behind further down the harbor, the Halifax shipyards, numerous piers, including Pier 2, where all the big liners dock, and the Halifax- Dartmouth ferry dock. Adjacent to this is the market wharf from where the Imperoyal ferry leaves. As our boat progresses seaward we note on the Halifax side many small wharves and then the ocean terminals and the C.N.R. station. Still further out lies the long strip of land which known as Point Pleasant Park, very beautiful in its wild and natural state. Beyond Point Pleasant Park to the westward and extending inland about three or four miles, is the beautiful North West Arm, with its many boat clubs, and countless canoes. On the shore, the Memorial Tower, with its bits of stone from all corners of the world, looms up, and all along the shore can he seen beautiful spots for picnicking. It is a wonderful place, one in which a person can have rest and quiet and enjoy the beauties of nature.
On the eastern shore of the harbor, there lies a branch of the Halifax shipyards, the marine and fisheries wharves, the Nova Scotia Hospital, the Acadia sugar refinery, Fort Clarence, and then one beholds a large number of tall chimneys by day or a vast expanse of dazzling light by night. These are the electric lights of the Imperoyal plant. A sea-captain not familiar with Halifax harbor at first sight, in the evening, mistook the Imperoyal plant and village for Halifax city, such is the imposing appearance of Imperoyal.
On the harbor front are three docks. First, the main dock where all boats load or unload cargoes; then further south is the passenger dock where the ferry from Halifax lands her human cargo; still further south is the Admiralty dock, built during the war to accommodate ships of the Admiralty and now used whenever the main dock is occupied and other boats are waiting to be attended to. Almost due east from the Admiralty dock lies the Company’s cottages thirty-three in all; modernly equipped and kept in first class condition. Also in this group is the Imperoyal school, with its three class rooms, two basements, library, teachers’ room, and the necessary cloak rooms. It is certainly one of the best school houses in Nova Scotia. Instruction is received here from the best teachers that are obtainable. Needless to say the building is filled to its capacity.
To come to the plant proper, we must go back to the north a bit from the cottages. The plant is cut into three sections running north and south. The first section is that between the sea and the Canadian National Railways line which runs between Windsor junction and Musquodoboit. The second section lies between this railway line and the eastern passage main road - a road which if followed northward takes one to Dartmouth. The third section lies east of the eastern passage road and extends in that direction about one and a half miles to Morris Lake, from which the Company get their supply of fresh water.
Taking up the first section: we shall start at the passenger dock and pass along the shore to the main office. On the war we pass, on our right, the "big separator" which collects the drainage of the whole plant; also the "booster pump house" situated near the railway; a little further north but still on our right is the "filling" building belonging to the marketing department. Here the oil is barrelled, the barrels repaired, etc. A few steps further north and on the water’s edge is the salt water pumphouse, equipped with pumps capable of handling 6,000,000 gallons of water each, daily. On our right, and near the pumphouse, is the main office.