From the archives: An unusual dining room

This story was first published on July 22, 2007, in the Montreal Gazette.
“The Grand Railway Contractors have at length got their Coffer Dam for Pier No. 1 floated to the place, sunk, and the water pumped out.”
The Gazette, Monday, July 24, 1854
When James Hodges said “Let’s do lunch,” or its mid-19th century equivalent, he wasn’t fooling around. The luncheon he had in mind proved one of the most unusual Montreal has ever seen.
The 40-year-old Hodges was in ch