People of the Sea

By Clarence Vautier

From bestselling author Clarence Vautier comes more stories of unsung heroes: the fishermen who made a living off the sea in Atlantic Canada. These stories are the biographies, family histories, and photograph collections of twenty-two highliners. During the twentieth century, these were the elite fishermen who consistently sailed home with the largest catches taken from the waters off Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick. Of course, with success often comes a price, and many of these brave fishermen lost their lives while engaged in what is still the most dangerous industry in the world. This book is a tribute to the men, women, and families who lived and died for the cold Atlantic waters.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Flanker Press
• Release date: Oct 27, 2011
• ISBN: 9781926881478

Clarence Vautier

Clarence Vautier Jr. was born in 1972 in La Poile, Newfoundland. He moved away to attend high school, and after high school he fished with his father, Clarence Sr., and his brother Raymond for a short time. Upon completion of school at the Nautical Institute of Nova Scotia in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, Clarence obtained employment with Biorex Atlantic Inc., and he took many voyages on fishing vessels on the east coast of Canada. In 1994, he enrolled at the Institute of Fisheries and Marine Technology at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, where he studied navigation. He later went to work as a deck officer on the Great Lakes, first for P & H Shipping, then for Algoma Central Marine, where he remains today. Clarence Vautier currently resides in St. John’s with his wife, Marina, and their son, Brandon Daniel.

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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Vautier, Clarence, 1972-

People of the sea / Clarence Vautier.

Includes index.

ISBN EPUB 978-1-926881-47-8

1. Seafaring life--Atlantic Provinces. 2. Ship captains-- Atlantic Provinces. 3. Fisheries--Atlantic Provinces. I. Title.

FC2019. S42V382011 971.5'04 C2011-906662-9

© 2011 by Clarence Vautier

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of the work covered by the copyright hereon maybe reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical—without the written permission of the publisher. Any request for photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems of any part of this book shall be directed to Access Copyright, The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency, One Yonge Street, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M5E 1E5. This applies to classroom use as well.

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We acknowledge the financial support of: the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP); the Canada Council for the Arts which last year invested $20.1 million in writing and publishing throughout Canada; the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

Contents

Cover

Copyright

Contents

PREFACE AND DEDICATION

THE STORM OF FEBRUARY, 1959

STORM OF FEBRUARY, 1967: CAPTAIN EDWIN BREWER AND CAPTAIN NORMAN MACK FIANDER

LIFE OF EMMANUEL WARREN AND FOX ISLAND, NL.

A LOCKEPORT TRAGEDY

LIFE AND TIMES OF ABRAHAM AND CHELSEA MILES

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM EVANS

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ROY HATCHER

THE LIFE OF LLEWELLYN BROWN

THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN OWEN GRANDY

THE HISTORY OF CAPTAIN GARFIELD ANSTEY

THE LIFE OF SHIPBUILDER GEORGE ANDERSON

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE BARRACUDINA

THE LOSS OF THE BONNIE LOU II

THE LOSS OF THE ENTERPRISE

THE MALLOY FAMILY

LIFE AND TIMES OF THE MAUGER FAMILY

THE MYSTERY OF THE CAPE ROYAL

THE WRECK OF THE JOHN A. MCGOWAN

THE WRECK OF THE MV CAROLYN A.

THE WRECK OF THE S/V J. W. ROBERTS

THE LIFE OF RICHARD HILLIER

TRAGEDY ABOARD THE MV KORALLE

BIOGRAPHY

INDEX

BACK COVER

PREFACE AND DEDICATION

I compiled two books—The Coast of Newfoundland: The Southwest Corner (Flanker Press, 2001) and Beneath the Waves (Flanker Press, 2006)—prior to this one, following many hours of researching newspapers and letters along with many phone conversations.

After these books were published, I spoke with many more people who were involved in the commercial shipping and fishing industry, as well as their family members who had stories to tell. I came to realize there were a lot more stories that needed telling. Hence, this third book: People of the Sea.

As time passes, it is becoming more challenging to get all the facts. I have tried my best to relay this information as accurately as possible. The stories contained herein were chosen strictly to illustrate the hard work and intelligence often displayed by the sea folk along the east coast of Canada, both past and present.

As the years go by, the future of the fishery has become more unpredictable. We can only hope to hang on to the fishery for as long as possible. It was, and is, the backbone of Atlantic Canada. My goal is to preserve as much of this history as possible, through storytelling, from those who know the lifestyle best.

Throughout my research for this book, I called upon many fishermen, some of them many times over. They were always willing to tell their stories and always eager to help. Unfortunately, five of these fishermen passed away before this book was published. I would like to dedicate this book to them:

WALTER BOND

September 16, 1943 – September 22, 2009

WILFRED BERKLEY MAUGER, SR.

April 6, 1949 – July 26, 2008

GEORGE ORGAN

March 16, 1930 – July 26, 2008

ALVIN ASHLEY SANGSTER

October 14, 1937 – April 16, 2008

CHELSEA MILES

June 11, 1919 – February 22, 2007

THE STORM OF FEBRUARY, 1959

The winter fishery along the shores of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia has been very fruitful for the hard-working fishermen who have fished these waters over the years. Unfortunately, there have also been many mishaps and tragedies.

During the late 1950s, the fishing communities along the coast of Nova Scotia were becoming home for a new style of longliner. These new vessels were outfitted with the latest navigation and hydraulic equipment.

One Nova Scotia community well-known for the longliner fleet was Port Bickerton, located along the eastern shore. The fishermen of Port Bickerton were some of the first to acquire the new style of longliners. These vessels were used to fish mainly for cod, halibut, and swordfish.

In the winter of 1959, the fishing fleets of Port Bickerton were busy fishing cod on the fishing grounds 35 to 75 miles offshore, depending on the weather conditions and the availability of the fish.

In the first week of February, 1959, the longlining fleet had their trawls baited and were prepared for several days of fishing on the well-known Middle Bank fishing grounds. Middle Bank is fairly large, with its closest point 40 miles southeast of Port Bickerton and the farthest 75 miles.

On Thursday, February 5, 1959, a small group of the fishing fleet were getting ready to depart Port Bickerton for Middle Bank. They departed different times throughout the day depending on their exact location. They included the 55-foot MV Kenmore (Captain Aubrey Kaiser), the 57-foot MV New Star (Captain Charlie Kaiser), the 55-foot MV Sea-Dog (Captain Burnell Hiltz), the 55-foot MV Rocket II (Captain Wesley Kaiser), the 49-foot MV Whitecap (Captain Clayton Harpell), the 58-foot MV Karen Dawn (Captain Douglas Jack) and the 49-foot MV Elizabeth & Jenny (Captain Alvin Sangster).

Although they departed different times, some of them waited until the 6: 30 p.m. forecast Thursday evening. By leaving in the early evening together, they would arrive on the fishing grounds early morning, the perfect time to set their trawl.

The weather was cooperating at the beginning of the voyage and as the fleet arrived on the fishing grounds their trawls were set for the day. After a quick lunch the crew went below for a short rest before beginning the task of retrieving the trawl several hours later.

As daylight approached Friday, February 6, the weather was still cooperating and the fishermen had already started their day’s work. During the operation of retrieving the trawl, some of the crew were busy cleaning the catch while others were baiting the trawl to be set back out later that day. This trawl would be retrieved the next day. If all went well, they would return to Port Bickerton Saturday evening.

However, the fishermen were unaware that a storm was moving into the area. The forecast Friday morning did not indicate gale- or storm-force winds but by 9: 00 p.m. the wind was increasing and in a hour it was gusting to gale-force.

As the weather deteriorated, the longlining fleet prepared their boats for the voyage back home instead of another day of fishing, hoping to stay ahead of the storm and reach port safety.

Unfortunately the crew could not get ahead of the storm, and shortly after leaving the fishing grounds the wind was steadily increasing from the northwest, and the temperature was dropping below freezing. This was accompanied by poor visibility and moderate seas. With the wind blowing from the northwest, the fishing fleet would have to head into the wind all the way back to port, thus accumulating ice from the freezing spray.

As the night progressed, the fleet managed to hold their own, and slowly but surely they were making their way back to port. As midnight passed and morning approached, some of the fleet were getting close to shore, close to home. Captain Burnell Hiltz (aged 49) and his crew; John Horton (aged 17), Harvey Taylor (aged 55), and Ernie Ealer (aged 20), aboard the MV Sea-Dog were ahead of others in the fleet but fate had a different plan. While approaching Port Bickerton Harbour in zero visibility and running seas, the MV Sea-Dog grounded just a quarter of a mile from the lighthouse at 4: 45 a.m. on February 7.

Shortly after the Sea-Dog went aground, the crew managed to launch the dory. John Horton was the first to board the dory and had to bail the water out before the rest of the crew could get on board. Harvey Taylor was the last to board the dory and had to be pulled aboard by the other crew members. Finally the crew rowed away from the grounded longliner.

The crew rowed with all their might. Two of the men were on one pair of oars and the other two bailed water for an hour and a half. They finally reached the mainland where they were greeted by lightkeeper Harold Beiswanger and his wife Eileen. They were then taken to the lightkeeper’s residence where they were given hot drinks and warm food while they recovered from frostbite. At 7: 00 a.m., they left the home of the lightkeeper and walked a mile and a half where they were picked up by car and taken back to their homes.

As for the remainder of the fleet, they continued to batter the storm all night and by mid-afternoon the last of the fleet finally made it back to port. The Whitecap arrived at 3: 00 p.m. on Saturday, February 7; the Rocket and the Kenmore followed an hour later. Heavily iced up but safe at last.

As for the MV Sea-Dog, the wind and sea continued to pound the longliner against the rocks until it finally broke into two pieces. The Sea-Dog was just three years old at the time so they decided to try and save the engine. A wire was passed through her bow in hopes of towing the forward section where the engine was located but unfortunately the operation was unsuccessful. The Sea-Dog became a total loss.

Although the crew of the Port Bickerton fishing fleet was safe at home, that was not the case for other fishermen farther to the east.

Captain George Organ of North Sydney and his men; Allan Keeping, Robert Rideout, George Pink and Montford Styles made up the crew of the 53' longliner named MV Betty Harris. The Betty Harris and her crew departed North Sydney in the early afternoon of February 5, and gradually made their way along the Cape Breton shore to the westward while they awaited for the weather report at evening. Their destination was the Mizzen Bank, some 60 miles off the Cape Breton coast and 90 miles from the port of North Sydney.

Once the weather report was received and the forecast looked good, George Organ and the crew of the Betty Harris, like the crew of the Port Bickerton fleet set course for the fishing grounds. They arrived on the fishing grounds late that night and set their trawl for the next day.

Early on the next morning, the crew of the MV Betty Harris began to retrieve their trawl. Early that afternoon the trawl was back on board and the catch of 15,000 pounds of cod was cleaned and stored down below. The catch was good and the crew began to bait their trawl for the next day. Once some of the trawl was baited, the crew went below for a quick lunch and a quick rest.

Shortly before midnight George Organ awoke and went to the wheelhouse to check on the weather. He soon discovered that the wind had already increased. With no other fishing vessels in the immediate vicinity, George Organ decided to try and make it back to port before the weather got too bad.

Unfortunately, Captain Organ and the crew of the MV Betty Harris would have to head into the wind and sea, as did the Port Bickerton fleet to seek some port of refuge. Captain Organ stood at the wheel all morning and throughout the next day. Later that day, the Betty Harris was starting to accumulate ice and the crew knew if they wanted to make it back to port they would have to stop and beat some of the ice off, so they did.

That afternoon, Captain Organ stopped the Betty Harris near Louisbourg, NS, to beat ice and when they did, the longliner listed and nearly capsized.

Fortunately they managed to get enough ice off the longliner to keep her afloat until they arrived in North Sydney in the early evening of February 7, 1959. By this time George Organ had spent approximately 18 hours on the wheel.

Although the longliner fleet was fortunate enough to make it back to port, that was not the case for a fishing fleet farther to the eastward on the Banks of Newfoundland. Approximately 200 miles east of Newfoundland, there were several trawlers such as the MV Triton (under the command of Captain William Vardy out of Burgeo, NL), the MV Pennyluck, (under the command of Captain Walter Carter out of Ramea, NL), and the MV Zerda (under the command of Captain Joseph Pitcher out of Burin, NL).

Another member of the fleet, the MV Cape Dauphin had left Louisbourg, NS, late January for a routine fishing trip as well. They were destined to fish for flounder on the southeast edge of the Grand Banks. Her crew for this particular trip was as follows:

Dan Pitcher – Captain

John Douglas – Mate

Charles Strickland – Chief Engineer

William Keeping – Second Engineer

James Trimm – Bosun

Thomas Kennedy – Cook

Ernest Parsons – Deckhand

Gordon Parsons – Deckhand

Robert Parsons – Deckhand

Benjamin Dobbin – Deckhand

Lloyd Douglas – Deckhand

Garfield Rose – Deckland

George Short – Deckhand

On Sunday, February 8, 1959, the weather system had moved eastward to the Grand Banks. The trawler fleet kept their trawls aboard and hoped they could ride out the storm. Unfortunately, while riding out the storm, the MV Cape Dauphin was rocked by a large wave, which shook the trawler violently. Crew member Robert Parsons was thrown from his bunk and suffered a broken collar bone. He managed to get back to his bunk were he remained, hoping that the weather would improve. There were several other larger vessels fishing in the area as well, such as the side trawler MV Blue Wave out of Grand Bank, NL, and several foreign trawlers. Also in the area was the banking schooner MV Frances Geraldine out of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (under the command of Captain Owen Creaser).

On Monday, February 9, as daylight was approaching, the inclement weather continued. The crew of the Cape Dauphin were carrying out their normal watches waiting for the weather conditions to improve so they could return fishing. The crew aboard the trawler felt they had nothing to worry about; the MV Cape Dauphin was very sturdy. Although she was of wood construction, she was built in the well-known shipyard of Arthur D. Story in Essex, Massachusetts, in 1946. Her original name was the MV Benjamin C. She measured 94'8 x 22'8 x 12'2".

Unfortunately the weather was more than the Cape Dauphin could withstand. Shortly after daybreak, the Cape Dauphin was rocked by another large wave and then began to take on water. The ingress of water was more than the pumps could keep up with and the Cape Dauphin began to settle lower and lower in the water.

Although the Cape Dauphin was not heavily loaded with fish, it wasn’t long before the crew found themselves in desperate need of help.

Captain Dan Pitcher knew they would most likely have to abandon the trawler simply because the weather was not improving and the ingress of water was only getting worse. So immediately he sent a mayday, which of course was picked up by other trawlers in the vicinity. Captain Vardy on the MV Triton attempted to calm the seas by pumping storm oil overboard to the windward in hopes of helping the crew in their efforts to abandon the vessel. Meanwhile, Captain Joseph Pitcher (Captain Dan Pitcher’s brother) started making his way toward the MV Cape Dauphin. Once the two trawlers were in close range of each other, the crew of the Cape Dauphin launched a dory and rowed over to the Zerda. They kept a line secured to the Cape Dauphin so the crew on board both trawlers could pull the dory back and forth. This would make the abandonment a little faster.

Once the crew were all on board the Zerda, Captain Joseph Pitcher set course for Burin, approximately 275 miles away.

Late on February 10, 1959, the MV Zerda arrived in Burin, NL, where the crew was taken to a local hotel and prepared for their travel back home.

Although it was the first time Captain Pitcher was shipwrecked, he was no stranger to storms. Dan Pitcher, like many Newfoundlanders, went dory fishing at a young age and in 1942 he went to St. Lawrence and worked in the florspar mine. On February 19, 1942, while working in the mine, Dan along with some of his co-workers helped rescue crew members from the USS Pollux and USS Truxton—two US Navy ships that went aground while en route to Argentia.

After several years in the mine and a little dory fishing, Dan Pitcher decided to look for work elsewhere. In December, 1946, at the age of 23, Dan left his home in Wandsworth, NL, and went to Nova Scotia. He arrived in Halifax on Christmas Eve, 1946.

In January, 1947, Dan went to work aboard his first trawler, the MV Rayon D’or, a former minesweeper built in Selby, England in 1912.

Things worked out well aboard the trawler and Dan liked the trawler life. Shortly after arriving in Halifax he met his future wife, who was from North Sydney. The two married in August, 1948. In 1950, their first child, Wanda, was born. Then in 1952, Dan’s wife became ill and the couple, along with their daughter, relocated to North Sydney, where his in-laws helped care for Dan’s wife while he went to work as a labourer at the local CN Marine terminal.

In 1953 his wife’s health improved, and later that year she gave birth to their second daughter. Once his wife fully recovered, Dan went back on the MV Sheila Patricia, a 125-foot side trawler out of Mulgrave, Nova Scotia, home of Acadia Fisheries. Dan worked his way up the ranks aboard the MV Shelia Patricia and in 1954 he took command.

Dan remained in command of the MV Sheila Patricia for a short while. He and his wife and their two children relocated to Louisbourg, Nova Scotia.

After commanding the MV Sheila Patricia, Captain Pitcher went to work closer to home and took command of the MV Arnold & Graham, a 55-foot side trawler owned by the Levy family in Louisbourg. His command