Wednesday, August 31, 2016

St. John's, Newfoundland 8/28-30/2016

The city of St. John's Newfoundland is full of color and history.  Like many cities, however, it is hard to park, especially our large beast (truck).  But we still managed to get around and see a lot.

Signal Hill is the reception point of the first transatlantic wireless signal by Marconi in 1901.  Last year we visited the transmission point for this signal in Nova Scotia. While at Signal Hill we also visited the Queen's Battery and Barracks as well as the Cabot Tower.  The fortification of Signal Hill with barracks and a battery began during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815).  The Cabot Tower was completed in 1901 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and also the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Cabot' landing in Newfoundland.  From what we were told, the tower served no other purpose. 

The Commissariat House was built in 1820 to house the Commissariat Department of the British armed forces that were stationed in Newfoundland.  This office was in charge of overseeing the pay and supplies of the British armed forces.  Our house tour included the offices and fireproof cash vault as well as the living accommodations for the Assistant Commissary General.  After the withdrawal of the garrison in 1871, the house was converted to a rectory for the St. Thomas Church.

Because the Colonial Building is undergoing a full renovation, we were unable to tour the inside.  We did get to see the outside, however, and we did learn a few things concerning this building while we were here.  The building was constructed of white Irish limestone in 1850.  It served as the legislative building for Newfoundland from 1850-1960.  When the colony began governing itself in 1832, its first legislative home was a tavern owned by Mrs. Tavers. It was not until 1846 that construction of a true legislative house was begun.  That house was Colonial building. We learned that this build eventually had a tunnel built to the Governor's house.  It is said that legislative debates were know to turn into full scale riots and the tunnel was to enable the Governor's escape.  One of the notable riots occurred on April 5, 1932. This protest turned into a full scale riot and all the windows within the building were broken as well as furniture and doors.  We were told there was over $10,000 dollars of damage done on that occasion.

The Confederation Building was a replacement to the Colonial building and was completed in 1960. The entryway is done with large Italian Marble columns to tie themselves into Cabot (Italian), having discovered Newfoundland.  In the legislature room all the chairs and desk blotters are all made from seal skins.  The desks can be re positioned and are done so to keep the various parties sitting together. Presently the Liberal party has control of the chamber (30 of the 40 seats)which is why you see so many desks on the far side in the picture.

St. John's is home to many historic churches.  We have included 3 in the blog, 2 of which we were able to tour inside as well.  St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church was completed in 1896.  It is the oldest surviving Presbyterian church in the city.  The church is built of brick and stone that was imported from Scotland.  The church is known as the 'Kirk' .  While we were not able to see inside the day we visited, the picture we found online is beautiful. Church Interior

St. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral is the oldest Anglican church in all of Canada.  The parish was founded in 1699 and the church was consecrated as a cathedral in 1850.  The interior, including the Casavant Pipe Organ are stunning.

The Basilica of St. John the Baptist was consecrated in 1855.  At that time, it was the largest building project to date in the city of St. John's.  The church was certainly very contemporary for the time. The Basilica is built of grey limestone and granite that was quarried in Galway and Dublin, Ireland.The alter sacrifice that stands at the front of the sanctuary is sculpted in Carrara marble by the Irish sculptor, John Hogan.  It is considered to be his best work and is entitled 'The Dead Christ'.

The Newman Wine Vaults were constructed of stone and brick, are one of the oldest structures remaining in St. John's, and one of the few vaults remaining in Newfoundland.  They developed a good and unique port.  The unique qualities they were able to achieve with their port, they claim to not know if it came from the rocking of the seas or the maturation in Newfoundland with their climate. We are not really Port wine drinkers, but the sample we tasted made us decide to buy a bottle to take home with us to open on a special occasion.  We also learned about the various types of Port, which was new to us.

On our last day in St. John's we counted ourselves incredibly lucky.  We went up to Cape Spear as we just had to hike out to the most Eastern part of North America.  But that day there were 50 plus mile an hour winds, most likely caused by Hurricane Gaston.  The seas that day were 25 feet swells and we were  so glad that our ferry departure was yet 2 days away.

Tomorrow we depart on an 18 hours ferry from this wonderful island and its wonderful music, beauty and people.  We have been here an entire month, yet we think we would like to return sometime, possible during iceberg season.  We are headed towards home and expect to arrive around the 3rd week in September.  We will still try to blog along our way home as we plan to stop in some exciting places.  We are talking about Alaska once again in 2017.  We will see what our coming year brings.  Those of you that have followed our Newfoundland adventure, we hope you have enjoyed it.  For us it has been wonderful, informative and full of love from the locals.

Newfoundland Trivia: (this is the last trivia post) Newfoundland is the only province in Canada to have its own dictionary. While enjoying our stay on this lovely island we also so enjoyed listening to the locals speak.  They have a bit of their own accent and every once in a while you will hear them say a distinctly Newfoundland phrase, that really is so fun to hear.  Almost everyone in a a shop calls you sweetheart or love and there are other fun phrases as well.  Here are just a few:

Do you want some taken up? - Do you want some supper?
Who knit ya? - Who's your parents?
I just dies at you. -  You make me laugh.
Its a mausey day. - A foggy wet day.
I'm just 'bout gutfounded. - I'm very hungry.
And through out our travels I also noticed most say 'good day', with that almost Irish brogue.  This has been so very much fun.

While a Newfoundlander will say 'we comes from away', their hospitality and friendliness can not be overstated.  We will surely miss this lovely place.



The City of St. John's Newfoundland taken from Signal Hill
An example of their 'Jelly Bean' Houses (their term)
St. John's Newfoundland
The Beautiful Newfoundland Dog
He was beautiful and friendly too!
Superior Court (built 1904)
St. John's Newfoundland
Queen's Barracks and Battery
Signal Hill, St.John's Newfoundland
Cabot Tower
Signal Hill, St.John's Newfoundland
Commissariat House
St. John's, Newfoundland
 Commissariat House
St. John's, Newfoundland
Commissariat House
St. John's, Newfoundland
Colonial Building
St. John's Newfoundland
Confederation Building
St. John's, Newfoundland
Confederation Building
St. John's, Newfoundland
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (1896)
 St. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral
St. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral
St. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral
St. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral
Casavant Pipe Organ
St. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral
Basilica of St. John the Baptist
 Basilica of St. John the Baptist
Basilica of St. John the Baptist
 'The Dead Christ' by John Hogan
Basilica of St. John the Baptist
Basilica of St. John the Baptist
 Newman Wine Vaults
St. John's,Newfoundland
 Newman Wine Vaults
St. John's,Newfoundland
Cape Spear Lighthouse
Newfoundland
Cape Spear, Newfoundland
Cape Spear, Newfoundland 


Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Bell Island, Newfoundland 8/30/2016

The forecast was for a warm and sunny day, so it seemed like the perfect day for us to take the ferry to Bell Island.  Bell Island is accessible via a ferry from Portugal Cove,which is about 20 minutes from where we are camping.  The ferry ride over was also a short 20 minutes.  In its boom time, Bell Island was home to 12,000 people.  Today, only 2,500 remain.  Bell Island was once a booming iron ore mining town.  The iron ore mines spread an impressive 70 square miles under both the 2 mile long island and also under the ocean floor.  The ore from these mines is 51% iron (20% iron is more common). Mining operations here ran from 1895-1966.

When the mines shut down operations in 1966, a huge local economy was lost.  While we will share only a few things in this blog, I found a video, a bit long, but I think it contains a lot of good content and great old footage.  If you have the time and the interest, please watch.
History of Bell Island

Our tour through Mine # 2 was very enlightening, most especially because our tour guide had his grandfathers and great grandfathers working in the mines over the years (one who today at 94 is still alive). We got to tour almost 700 feet down into the Main Slope of mine #2 and also a couple of her spurs. There is a lot of information out there on the internet, and like I mentioned earlier the video link above is good.  But, our guide telling us stories from his grandfather that is still living, well, it was really somewhat special.  Our guide, and his grandparents and great grandparents have spent their entire lives on Bell Island.

The mine was set up with 6 main slopes.  The main slopes had steam engine cars that ran continuous in the dark of the mines.  Workers in the early days only had candle light to guide them, later not much more.  The tunnels on the main slopes were 2 miles long, under the ocean floor and eventually covered 70 square miles.  Off of the main slopes were various levels, with odd numbers on one side and even numbers on the other. The various level tunnels connected to the various 6 main slopes. Steam engines pulled rail cars filled with ore from the main slopes to daylight, while horses pulled the ore to the main slopes along the various spurs.  Horses were stabled underground for 30 days at a time with shifts for both horses and men being 10 hrs/day, six days/week.  At first when they brought the horses up out of the mines, they realized that after being underground for so long, they quickly went blind when exposed to daylight.  Eventually they realized that by putting 5 layers of blinds on the horses, and removing one blind per day, that the horses would retain their eyesight.  Once above ground, the horses were given 30 days of rest before being returned underground to the stables for another 30 days.  Oh, and while the mines were in operations, there was also the ongoing job of continuously pumping water out of these mines.

Boys began working in the mines in the early years as early as age 11.  At 11 they would sort the ore above ground and at 13 they would go underground with the men.  It was dangerous work, mainly because one could not see.  The greatest hazard was being killed by the rail cars going up and down the main slopes (the cars could not be seen or heard due to the darkness and noise).  In the early years the men would paint white crosses at locations where men had died. When it was realized that the young miners, like 13, were afraid to go near the crosses, management ordered that the crosses be painted over.  Of further note, small Bell Island was the only place in North America to take a direct hit from a Nazi U-Boat during WWII.  This occurred when the Saganaga was sunk in 1942.

The people of the island were poorly educated, but hard working and when the mining came to an end, in their remote location, it became very hard times for them.  The interview on the video link above states that the ferry ride to the nearest unemployment office in St. John's at that time cost $7.  Well, in 2016 dollars that would be $56.  While many left the island, there are some that have managed to stay, throughout their hard times.

Newfoundland Trivia: Throughout Canada, July 1 is celebrated as Canada day (when Canada became its own country).  In Newfoundland, however, July 1 is also Remembrance Day.  It is the day that 90% of the Newfoundland Regiment was wiped out in WWI at the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel. Unlike the rest of Canada, in Newfoundland on July 1, the flags are all hung at half mast until noon, prior to their celebration of Canada Day.

Bell Island, Newfoundland
 Bell Island, Newfoundland
 Bell Island, Newfoundland
The Saganaga
Bell Island, Newfoundland
Walking Down the Main Slope (lights installed for the tours)
Mine #2 Tour
Bell Island, Newfoundland
Horse Stable within the mine
Mine #2 Tour
Bell Island, Newfoundland
Water Flowing into the Mine today
Natural Lake is about 17 feet deep by 2 miles long
Walking Down the Main Tunnel
Mine #2 Tour
Bell Island, Newfoundland

Breakwater near the Ferry Landing built with Iron Ore Rocks
How many breakwaters have you seen like that?
Bell Island, Newfoundland


Monday, August 29, 2016

Port Union and Trinity Newfoundland, 8/25/2016


Visiting Port Union was unique and fun.  We began our visit at the 'Bungalow'.  Called a bungalow because the home is built with 1- 1/2 floors.  The house was commissioned to be built for Sir William Ford Coaker in 1917.  

Coaker, born in 1871, had an interest in political things as a young boy, attending the Assembly debates at a very young age.  At the age of 13 he instigated a strike of the boy employees at a large exporting firm in St. John's.  The strike lasted two days and at its conclusion, the boys's wage demands were met.

By age 20 he owned his own store, but was left bankrupt 3 years later after the bank crash of 1894.Bank Crash  After the crash he turned to farming where he gained his compassion for the local fishermen.  He was determined that collective action was the only way they could improve their situation and free themselves from the unfair credit system imposed by the fish merchants. 

In November 1908 he organized 19 fisherman in the Fisherman's Protective Union.  One year later there were thousands of members in fifty local chapters on the north east coast of the island.  Note, he did all of this without Facebook too.  In 1910 he began the weekly publication of the Fisherman's Advocate.  Before long not only were the Fishermen representing themselves but he set up a whole town, and built houses for the workers with reasonable rents.  He built schools for the fishermen to learn to read and write in the summers.  In 1923 he was 'Knighted' by the British Empire for his works.  So there is the background and we started by visiting his home, aka bungalow.  

Wow his home was beautiful!  All the decorating was done by his niece and Coaker we learned was a simple man, as you will see by his bedroom that his niece was instructed not to touch.  

Our first impression was for the early 1900's his house was so very modern in it's decor.  The walls and ceilings are Beaver Wood, which is a type of particle board.  But the designs that his niece had put into the the Beaver Wood are beautiful.  Coaker was said to love the sea, which is why his dining room has port hole windows.  The house was so beautiful and so much of its art was given to him by people that respected and loved him or that he bought at auction.   

We walked across the street to see his printing press operation and woodworking facility.  All were impressive and we were just as impressed that he chose to live right next to the row houses he had built for the fishermen.

Wow, we spent more time than we had planned in Port Union, so our visit to Trinity was a bit short. But while in Trinity we had a late lunch, visited the St. Paul's Anglican Church, the Hiscock house and the mercantile. 

The church was beautiful as was the view from its ground.  

The Hiscock house was similar to others we have visited but we could not help but cheer for the widow, who found creative ways to survive with 6 children in tow (without remarrying as most would have done).  She rented part of her home to a bank, became a postal  center and more. We could not help but feel for this this very strong woman.

The mercantile, we will say, we found it interesting how the guide saw this as just providing a needed service in the community.....  like so different than just up the road in Port Union.  But in fairness we were at the end of a long day.

Newfoundland Trivia: Construction began on the Newfoundland Railway in 1881 and the track to Port aux Basque was completed in 1898.  For reasons of economy the the tracks were built on what is known as narrow track- a 3'6" gauge.  Standard gauge is 4'8.5".  The small gauge required that the train slow down on sharp turns, to avoid coming off of the track.  At Wreckhouse, near Port aux Basque,  the winds funnel down from the Long Range Mountains at high speeds,  and with great force.  Lauchie McDougal, a famous Newfoundlander,  lived at Wreckhouse.  It was believed that Lauchie could smell the wind before it came up.  This belief was so strong that the Newfoundland Railway hired him and installed a phone in his home.  It was his job to call the railway when he smelled wind that was brewing.  The one time the Railway did not head Lauchie's warning, the train had 22 cars blow off of the track at Wreckhouse.  The rail distance from St. John's to Port aux Basque was 548 miles and it was the longest narrow track installation in all of North America.  The railway seldom made a profit and passenger service ceased in 1969 and all freight service was halted in 1988.  Rail service in Newfoundland is now just a historical tale.

The Coaker Bungalow
Port Union, Newfoundland
The Coaker Bungalow
Port Union, Newfoundland
The Coaker Bungalow
Port Union, Newfoundland
The Coaker Bungalow
Port Union, Newfoundland
Ceiling
The Coaker Bungalow
Port Union, Newfoundland
The Coaker Bungalow
Port Union, Newfoundland
The Coaker Bungalow
Port Union, Newfoundland
The Coaker Bungalow
Port Union, Newfoundland
The Coaker Bungalow
Port Union, Newfoundland
Coaker's bedroom (furniture is from his childhood)
Port Union, Newfoundland
The Coaker Bungalow
Niece and her Husband's Bedroom
Port Union, Newfoundland
Wood working shop to build ships and the houses
Port Union, Newfoundland
3 Bedroom houses, all alike, built by the Union Woodworking
Rent was $12/month
Port Union, Newfoundland
 St. Paul's Anglican Church (first established in 1730)
Trinity, Newfoundland
 St. Paul's Anglican Church (first established in 1730)
Trinity, Newfoundland
Hiscock house
Trinity, Newfoundland
Accounting Room for Mercantile
Trinity, Newfoundland
Local Town Buildings in Trinity, Newfoundland