FREE PRESS

1921

Transcribed from the handwritten notes of Calvin Evans by Beverly Warford  While I have endeavored to be as correct as humanly possible, there may be typographical errors

Jan 4, 1921

Events of Year 1920

§ Nov 11, 1920 Air ships for seal fishery arrive at Botwood

§ Feb 1920 Schooner Monchy reported abandoned in mid-ocean. Crew rescued by S.S. Persian Prince.

§ Mar 14, 1920 Schooner Sordello, 3 master auxiliary schooner, Capt. S.C. Duder, arrived after a winter of adventure and danger amid the ice and rocks of Notre Dame Bay.

Jan 25, 1921

Mr. S.L. Parmiter of Harbour Grace died at Angle Brook, Glovertown. Working for Terra Nova Sulphite Co. Ltd. Operating a locomotive crane hoisting rock from an excavation when the locomotive and boiler turned over and he was caught underneath. Scalded to death.

Mar 1, 1921

The schooner Sordello is now at Fowey loading china clay for Genoa. The vessel discharged her pulp cargo at Preston, and had a trying trip from there to Forney being 30 days on the passage.

Mar 8, 1921

Died at Botwood Jan 29, Norman Kenneth, son of Lieut & Mrs. K.W. Dean, aged 28 ½ yrs of consumption. Enlisted May 1915. Wounded in the famous 1st July drive and invalided home in 1916.

Sealing Plane Makes Trial Flight (Special to the Daily News)

Botwood March 1. Cotton’s aeroplane made very successful trial fly over the harbour last evening, landing gracefully. Correspondent

The schooner Sordello arrived at Liverpool from Fowey on March 4th.

Mar 15, 1921

The schooner Nancy Lee arrived at Smyrna where she discharged her fish cargo. Capt. Wiltshire.

Apr 5, 1921

Schooner Sordello left Liverpool on March 30th with china clay for the A.N.D.Co. Botwood.

Apr 12, 1921

The small aeroplane operating at Botwood made a half hour flight on Wednesday but owing to Thursday’s wind and snow no flights took place.

From messages received in town on Wednesday it is learned that during the flight of the sealing plane on Tuesday, engine trouble developed, “as a result the plane was unable to continue her trip in search of the whitecoats and returned to Botwood. The machine was in the air 75 minutes and traveled at an altitude of 4000 feet. The weather was very cold, the temperature being 5 below zero."

Apr 26, 1921

Schooner Sordello, Capt. N. Kennedy, 21 days from Liverpool, reached port Thursday afternoon with a cargo of china clay. The Sordello is bound to Botwood and sails for there as soon as ice conditions permit.

Note – Free Press not published May 3 to Jul 5, 1921 because of labour strike.

Resumes Jul 12, 1921

Schooner Defender is loading split herring at Twillingate from Hodge Brothers for Halifax.

The ____ steamer Fleetway, built by Mr. Adam Chaulk for the A.N.D. Co. made her trial trip during the past week, giving every satisfaction. The ship is excellently filled up and will be used by the Company in connection with its logging operations on Red Indian Lake. The Fleetway can steam 10 knots and is well adapted for the work in which she will be engaged. This is the 3rd vessel Mr. Chaulk has built for the A.N.D. Co., the others being the Sordello and the Bella Scott. Mr. D. MacFarlane, Lloyd’s Surveyor, who was at Millertown making the final survey on the ship, has returned to town.

Aug 2, 1921

Destructive fire at Bishop’s Falls…..when the plant of the A.E. Reed Co. was practically destroyed. Blaze broke out in the wood and slasher rooms….buildings were doomed only walls of buildings remained….stock destroyed…..preparing rooms destroyed – roof extensively damaged. Machinery and plant badly damaged.

Aug 9, 1921

Strike at Grand Falls Mill ends. Workers accepted reduction in pay.

Sept 27, 1921

Schooner Strathcona, R. Blackwood master, arrived at Wesleyville after 2nd trip. 1300 qtls being her catch for the season.

Schooner Defender is loading herring at Sandy Point for Halifax for Messrs. Burke & Co.

Nov 1, 1921

Died on Oct 28th at residence of her brother, Mr. Isaac Sellars, 18 Clifford St., beloved wife of late James Evans of Adams Cove, Bay de Verde, aged 47 yrs, leaving 3 sons, 3 sisters, 4 brothers, 3 step-daughters, one step-son.

Nov 22, 1921

Newfoundland to Halifax by air – Colonel Oxley has been advised by the Minister of Posts, St. John’s, Newfoundland, that Major Cotton contemplates making a trip by airplane to Halifax on or about the 28th instant and will carry a mail. The Newfoundland Government are giving him $1,000 towards his expenses and hope that similar encouragement will be given him to make a return trip. Halifax Chronicle.

A.E. Reed Co. Plant at Bishop’s Falls being rebuilt with the most modern of materials. Many men employed.

Dec 6, 1921

May Use Land Machine – A message to the News from Botwood last evening stated the Donaldson Line S.S. Cranley was cutting up the ice in the bay and that everything was ready for a flight if the Bay becomes clear. If, however, the ice does not clear away, and the Bay remains in a frozen state, the land machine will be used for the flight. The unexpected heavy frost has upset the calculations of the venturesome aviators, but it is hoped that conditions will yet permit them to carry out their programme.

Schooner Olive Evans lost on west coast. Bound to Halifax. Crew safe.

S.S. Cranley left Botwood for Manchester Wednesday, being the last sailing for the season.

Plane makes Forced landing. Machine only slightly damaged. After many days of anxious waiting and disappointments, the airplane carrying mails to Halifax, took off from Botwood at 10:40 am Saturday with Major Cotton and Capt. V.S. Bennett on board. Great interest was occasioned by the flight and all were hoping the young aviators would be successful in their flight but at 1:00 pm a message was received that owing to engine trouble the machine had been forced to land at Deer Lake after being 2 hours in the air. The machine descended from a height of 5000 feet landing safely. The following story of the trip was received by Free Press from Deer Lake:

Deer Lake Dec 11. Airplane left Botwood at 10:40 am for Halifax. After circling several times to gain height headed west. Passed Grand Falls at 10:52 and had good going until Millertown Junction was left at 11:16. Here the railway was lost sight of and a heavy snowstorm was passed over on the Topsails. At Grand Lake the railway was again picked up and Deer Lake station was passed above the clouds after heading into heavy head wind. The engine was now running unevenly and we were looking for landing ground when we met heavy storm clouds 8 minutes west of Deer Lake. We could not climb over these as they were 263,000 feet above us and the engine was gradually getting worse. We were driving east over Grand Lake where a safe landing was made on a strip of frozen beach at the east end. The radiator immediately froze and we spent the rest of the day thawing the radiator and overhauling engine, etc. Petrol, oil and water leaking, tied the machine down to the ice. We require several parts from Botwood which mechanics are bringing by tonight’s Express. Will carry on as soon as repairs are affected. AIRCRAFT

Dec 13, 1921

"Schr. Galatea, E. Sturge master, from Goose Cove to St. John's with lumber lost at Grates Cove. Crew reported safe.

Dec 20, 1921

With the Aviators. Town. Major Cotton Coming

A message to the NEWS from Deer Lake on Friday stated that Mr. Bennett attempted to fly back to Botwood but immediately engine trouble developed and he was forced to land again. It was thereupon decided that he would return to Botwood by train, leaving the aeroplane where it was until the Halifax flight is finished with another machine. Major Cotton joined the Express and came to town for x-ray treatment.

The following story of the recent flight from Botwood is taken from a letter received by Mr. J.R. Bennett from her son who is associate with Major Cotton in the projected flight to Halifax:

“We were ready yesterday morning at about 5:00 a.m. and as it was quite calm decided to have a shot at Halifax. We left Botwood at 10:40 a.m. and took a fairly long run to get off owing to the load we had on board. The clouds were only 2000 feet high, so we climbed above them and followed the railway until we reached the Topsails. Here a big storm was raging and we could see nothing, so steered by compass until we hit the railway again at Grand Lake.

The engine by this time was giving considerable trouble. However we did not come down to rectify it but carried on and passed over Deer Lake Station but only caught occasional glimpses of it through the clouds. Noting a thin strip of ice at the head of the lake ( an airman’s mind is instinctively picking up possible landing places in case of engine failure) we carried on to the end of the lake and came up against a black wall of seething clouds towering about 3000 feet above us. It was a wonderful sight, but it was hardly the time to show us beauty.

We endeavored to get round as we could not get above them with the engine running so badly, and got right out over Grand Lake, a lovely sight with banks dropping sheer to the lake whose waters were a perfect opal black.

The engine was not beginning to cut out altogether so we turned and steered back by compass to the piece of ice noted at Deer Lake.

Most of the last hour and 20 minutes had been passed above the clouds with but an occasional glimpse of the ground, making it very difficult, because to put one’s head out to look over the side meant a frozen blast of air, which was almost unbearable. We landed alright, thanks to the skids and ran across a ditch and up over logs to the edge of the forest. In fact we ran high and dry, as we feared the ice might not hold or weight.

Trying to locate our trouble we found a frozen radiator which we thawed out with a patent petrol heater we carried for cooking. Number 5 cylinder has a nasty clank in it and as we require some parts from Botwood, we sent for two mechanics who will be here tomorrow morning.

Both of us have had headaches from breathing the exhaust gas from the Austin lighting plant, as we worked all night, and kept the lights on, however, we both feel A1 now."

Major Cotton Arrives

Major Cotton, who with Capt. S.V. Bennet, participated in the attempted air flight to Halifax and was later injured by the machine’s propeller at Deer Lake, whence they were forced to descend, arrived in this city by Saturday’s express and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Issue for Dec 27th missing or not published.

© Beverley Warford, Calvin Evans and NL GenWeb