[2] In 1829, he built the first timber slide on the Ottawa River to transport logs past the Chaudière Falls, creating Philemon Island.
However, by 1840, a competing slide built on the opposite (Ontario) side of the river had won over most of the business.
[3] He also took on management of the family cement manufactory and greatly expanded it during the construction of the Rideau Canal.
His daughter Hannah, married Joseph Merrill Currier, a lumber baron, in 1868.
[1] In partnership with John Egan, he operated steamships transporting goods on the Ottawa River.