The Labrador Fishery, Part 2

by Gord Robbins

Reprinted from the Informer, June 1993
Transcribed by Wanda Garrett, January 2015

You will recall in the last issue I mentioned some of the schooners and their captains. To continue the list:

The Avalanche built in 1886 (61 ft. long gross tonnage 55) by Nehamiah & Levi Frost, Northern Bight (now Hillview) and skippered by Nehemiah Frost, lost at the seal fishery, 1898.

The J.S.G. built by Stephen Barfitt in 1909 at Long Beach, later sold to Captain Silas Tucker, St.Jone’s Within, repaired and renamed the Aileen E.G. Tucker (64 ft long 51 tons). They also built the Louis Francis.

The Vey’s of Long Beach were noted for building schooners for the Labrador fishery as well. William Vey, father of Wilson Vey, who I interviewed recently, built the Dulcie Ada in 1898 at Long Beach. She was 58 ft. long and 44 tons. She was later lost on the Labrador in an August gale. The storm claimed between 40 to 50 schooners. Mr. Vey, who is 96 years old, has an excellent memory and gave me quite a bit of information on the Labrador fishery. I will be using some of the information he gave me in this article and more in the next.

Other schooners built by the Vey’s were British Empire by Alfred Vey, Royal Oak by Nicholas Vey, maybe 1909; Silver Spray, 1897 (57 ft. long 46 tons) by John Vey. The Audrey Dianne Crosbie built in 1935 by Herbert John Vey (76 ft. long, 65 tons). If there are more please phone and let me know; I will add them to the next issue.

Mr. Wilson Vey, who spent 42 summers on the Labrador told me at one time there were 10 schooners sailing to the Labrador from Long Beach. He took over the Edward VII built in Smith Sound in 1901 (60 ft long, 45 tons) from his father and sailed her to the Labrador. These schooners would anchor at Little Heart’s Ease during the winter.

In the fall after the boats returned from the Labrador, the fish would be offloaded from the schooner to the crew to cure (wash and sun-dry). There would be too much for the Skipper and crew to handle so people in the various communities took fish to dry for $0.75 to $1.00 per quintal (112 lbs. dried, probably 175 lbs. green or salt bulk). Cured fish would be taken by schooner to St. John’s, Carbonear, Bay Roberts or Harbour Grace to be sold. They would then bring back supplies for the winter (food, horse feed, etc.).

In November of 1933, while returning from St. John’s in the Edward VII, Mr. Vey and eight men (passengers and crew) ran into rough weather. They lost their canvas (sails) in Trinity Bay and went adrift. They drifted for nine days and after many unsuccessful attempts finally flagged down a passing ship. This ship The Main rescued them (350 miles south east of Cape Race) and landed them at Wilmington, North Carolina. This was a Danish ship out of Hamburg, Germany with a load of potash (fertilizer) for North Carolina. From there they travelled by bus to New York and then to St. John’s by the passenger ship Rosalind. While in New York they met people from “home” who read their story in the daily paper. These people entertained them while they were there. They went adrift in late November and returned home on Xmas day. Gone for a month, people at home had given them up for lost and held a memorial service before they knew they were rescued.

The men aboard the Edward VII on that eventful trip were:
Wilson Vey, Captain, Long Beach
Dan Vey, Long Beach
Johnny Brown, Hatchet Cove
Lou Barfitt, Long Beach
Jim Gosse, Long Beach
George Smith, Island Cove
Edmund Allen Lambert, Hatchet Cove
Josiah Drover, Hodge’s Cove
John Barfitt, Long Beach

Wilson Vey, Dan Vey and Johnny Brown are still living. Mr. Vey explained that this was a very trying experience with very cold weather. They burned oakum (caulking for seams in the boat) and fat pork trying to signal passing ships.

In the next issue I will I include information about schooners and captains of Little Heart’s Ease, St. Jone’s Within and Hodge’s Cove. I’ll be talking to Mr. Fred Martin of Little Heart’s Ease, Skipper Allan Tucker of St. Jone’s Within, and Cyril Thomas, Hodge’s Cove. If anyone has any information I can include please call at 546-2314. I will be including information on other communities in future issues.

Acknowledgements: Wilson Vey, Long Beach; Johnny Brown, Hatchet Cove; and, Elisha Gregory, Queen’s Cove.

 

Transcriptions may contain human errors. As always, confirm these as you would any other source material.