Historical Information

Notre Dame Bay ~ Exploits District

Log of Esau Moore aboard the Amelia, 1899

S S Greyhound passed North Friday the 14th at 7 o'clock. Remained calm until 6 o'clock Sunday morning, a little wind sprung from the SSW, we got to Square Island at 10 o'clock and stayed until Monday when we got to Domino Run at 11 o'clock at night. Fish very scarce. Tuesday the 18th we went to Dumpling, rowed over to Packs Hbr. to hear the news, fish seem to be coming on. Sam Carter at Independent got 20 quintels on Monday. Other boats doing a little. Wednesday the 19th, wind from the East. We are going down toward Fish Cove so we got in Old Man's Cove at 8:30AM Wind ahead Thursday and Friday, no fish. One man had 40 in two hauls Wednesday the 19th. Friday, 1/2 barrel. S S Labrador passed up on Friday evening, reports ice from Cockade to Turninalms (?) None from that to Nain, no fish.

Saturday the 22nd, we spoke to Indian Hbr. ,no fish, we are just going in Sloop Hbr.

July 24th we had prayers ashore twice yesterday and left this morning. The ice is very thick. We are down to Kings Bay at 4 o'clock. A nice breeze of wind from the South. A large steamer, barque rigged, passed down today (unknown) afterwards supposed to be the Algerine bound for Turnivick. We got to the Black Bear, Stag Hbr. at 10 o'clock Monday night. Anchored about 2 hours when a sheet of ice caine down and we had to leave and be in the bay all night. Next morning ice still all around. We passed the S/S Greyhound at the Turnivicks going South, report all ice to the North, solid jam from Cape Mugford downstream, could get no further.

James Larmen was in company with us all day and anchored in Cape Harrigen in the evening. Next morning we left and got into the ice and fog. Had to tie on for an hour or two, schooners passed by us until the fog lifted and we came down inside of Moors Island and anchored at an island just above Shoal Tickle.

Charles Brett in the Notre Dame was on the rock there all day, had to take everything out of her. Five schooners anchored near and put lines to her stern and hove her off when the water rose. Got everything aboard by dark and today, Thursday the 27th we got down to Shoal Tickle at 6 o'clock, it's calm at present.

Well we got to Paul's Island about 4 o'clock, we also learned that Samuel Maidment lost the old Minnie Grey just above Paul's Island on Wednesday. Got across the rock and broke off. She is supposed to be not insured. She was wrecked for the benefit of the owners and on Friday the crew started in their boats for Fanny's Hbr. to wait for the S/S Labrador to go home. This is Saturday, July 29th and we are the last schooner to leave Paul's Island. Now we are just going in Dog Island Bight for a few days. The ice is very thick outside. James Youngs has been to the Lakes. We took up his trap Thursday. 4 schooners in Indian Cove. No one in Dog Harbour Bight. August 3rd, Thursday, we got here on Saturday and took three berths. Spencer and James came here after we. Remained here ever since, nothing special, ice is still plentiful and a lot of schooners all around the inside runs and still going to the Lakes. The Julia's crew was in here yesterday in skiff. They went out again and came in punt and took berths for their traps and are coming in in the schooner as soon as they can get in.

Spencer and James went down to Dog Hbr. yesterday to be clear of ice.

Mills passed down here Monday. Timothy killed a hare yesterday and Sam killed two partridge today.

Monday, August 7th the Julia got in Dog Hbr.Bight. On Friday and Saturday owing to ice, we both had to come down here to Dog Hbr. We had a fine game of ball on Saturday evening. Wind has been up from the ESE since Saturday with occasional rain. Tom killed a hare this evening. No fish yet, ice just as thick as ever outside and foggy. Friday the 11th the wind was about E till yesterday. It had been very moderate. Since no fish, we got out to the Lakes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Spencer had his trap out yesterday and took it up again, no signs yet. Caplin plenty.

Saturday 12th we was out to the Lakes. We jigged seven fish, Youngs got 20 in the morning. One man out to Indian Island jigged a barrel with one jigger. Julia got in from Gull Island Friday, he had been in danger of ice all the time. I had a look at Youngs trap berths. One is very remarkable, a little water soaking down over the rocks where the shore fast goes on and goes ashore just taking the big loose rocks outside of the sloping cliff rock that runs down to the sea. It's only just by the mouth of the Lake on the East side. (One steamer went down Friday)

Monday the 14th. A good sign of fish up here in Dog Hbr. They jigged from 4 to 20 this morning. We put out two of our traps, one below and one above. We hauled the upper one and got two barrels. Spencer, James and John Moors put out theirs yesterday. They hauled but got nothing.

Tuesday 15th we got three barrels this morning and five or six at noon. Spencer much the same at noon, the others not much. The wind has been blowing strong from the ENE these two days with rain all the time. Barometer 29.0 and moving up so in the evening we came back to the Bight.

Now this is Thursday the 17th. We did not get much today. We have not got our big trap out since Tuesday. The ice is troublesome. John Moors came up here yesterday. He is doing very well out to the outside of Sunken Rock. Jaines seems to be doing very well down along shore. There was one of Efferns boats from Lakes was just in here; a good sign of fish there but a lot of ice; schooners got from Paul's Island yesterday; reported good sign from the jigging but ice prevented from putting out traps.

Sunday August 20th, there is a lot of ice about, only yesterday we had to sink all of our traps. We did very well with fish in one trap, but none out of the big one. About 30 quintals in the small one and 100 in number 2. Noah Manuel got out here from Paul's Island Friday the 18th. He was there since August 2nd, plenty fish with the jigger, too much ice for the traps. He anchored in Dog Hbr Friday, came up here yesterday. He put his trap to the inside Sunken Rock, got about 2 1/2 barrels and had to take his trap up for ice. One schooner passed down here today.

Monday the 21st No fish. We only got about 15 barrels and Tuesday about half as much, others much the same. Noah got a white fish in his trap Wednesday morning. Thomas Rowsal came in here Monday and left on Tuesday for down the shore. There is a good sign of fish with the jigger, none to trap. We only got 1 or 2 barrels of fish on Wednesday and this morning, Thursday, the 24th, we got about 1 barrel. Our skiff is gone out for jigging, ice is still very troublesome. Yesterday we had to take off our leader to save it. We have had one pan moored for days. They jigged 3 or 4 barrels on Thursday.

Sunday the 3rd. The wind is up from the NE all day, blowing a strong breeze at night. James left and went down to Dog Hbr. yesterday evening. Peter Budgel was out to the islands yesterday and jigged about 6 barrels. Our skiff was out, got only a little.

Monday the 4th. One schooner went up outside, one more in by Paul's Island beating down. Our skiff was out to the islands, and got in about half past twelve in the night with 6 barrels of fish; we got eleven barrels out of the traps; and Tuesday the 5th we got 5 in the morning. We saw two craft beating down in the run; the wind is off from the W, a nice breeze. It came around from the NE in the night, and Wednesday it still kept up, so we all got ready and came down to Dog Hbr. Fish is scarce today, being Thursday the 7th. We shifted our big trap down here to the lower point of the harbour yesterday. We got about a dozen fish out of it today. There is one schooner going up inside. The hills were white with snow Monday. We carried our big trap out to Charlie's Island on Friday we got 4 or 5 barrels out if it on Saturday and the same today, being Monday.

There is a lot of schooners going up every day. We heard yesterday that Noahwas in Collier's and Glassburys had 500. Mike Byrne 200. There is not much fish to jig. We carried our midling size trap out to one of the islands on Tuesday. We only got about 2 barrels of fish out of it. We took up our new one on Wednesday the 13th. All the others had their's up ready to leave on Thursday the 14th so we took up ours in the morning and at 5 o'clock we left Dog Hbr. At the time that I am writing, we are about abreast of Blackwoods Reef, with the wind about NE. We got in Home (House?) Island just after dark. Next day it was a fine,fair wind. There was craft runned from Cut Throat Islands to Quirk's Tickle, and we only got there, being afraid to run for sea and wind, and on Saturday we got to Hopedale and today is Sunday, 17th. We burst our staysail sheet and lost the block and short cracker. It was after dark before we got around Manuel's Island. It has been wet all day today. There was 23 craft here this morning and two left it, the Julia, Jubilee, Lady Blackly, Experiment, Liberty and George Minty and C. Brett is here. We left Hopedale Monday morning just before daylight, had a fairish time till evening when the wind came down. We were just below Rodger's Hbr. at dark. We beat to Ragged Island. At daylight we were at Cape Harrigan. We had a fair wind on Tuesday till 1 o'clock. We got into Indian Tickles and got water and left again, within two hours. We were near Domino at daylight. Wednesday we had a fair wind all day , but moderate,in the evening it acted down and we came into Fishing Ships Harbour about 9 o'clock. On Thursday it was very wet with the wind about SE. Timothy, Tom and Herbert was ashore with their oil clothes on picking berries, and today Friday the 22nd. We all got some except Sam Cox and Boone. The wind is off now its a fairish time on. There was one schooner here when we came here, she is here now, her name is Cenesta (?) from Herring Neck. We are just going out about 9 o'clock. We got to Assizes Hbr. just at daylight Saturday. The Prima Donna is here with us, also the E.Moors came in on Sunday morning. We were over to Battle Hbr. by land on Sunday morning. Nearby the Fortune Hbr. schooner is here. Mike Byrne left Noah Manuel in Indian Tickle Sunday morning. The wind is right down today which is Monday the 25th.

John Phillips lost the Lily of the West off Stag Bay last Tuesday the 19th. She struck a pan of ice and went down in half an hour. Tuesday morning we left Assizes Hbr. with the winds down about WSW. There were several schooners came out, E.Moors among the fleet but there was only one to come on except ourselves. We beat up the Chimney Tickles and reached off from Camp Island and we just fetched Lark Hbr. We beat up to the Barracks by Wednesday morning. It became very foggy there so we reached off for a good while. We sighted St Anthony Cape in the evening, also Grey Islands. It became wet in the latter part of Wednesday night and very foggy all the time, just about dawn we had a strong breeze off shore for a little while then the wind came down again. Thursday, the schooner Viola has kept near us all the time. She came across the Straits with us. We saw two four masted steamers Tuesday evening going out the Straits. At 12 o'clock on Thursday we took a strong Westerly breeze. We had to reef our fore and mainsail. We got into Crouche, stayed there till next morning we came out, had the wind ahead all the time. We got home just after dark on Saturday, September 30th. This is the 5th of October, we finished taking out today. We weighed out 29 per man.

Julia much the same, she got home the 28th. Bruce arrived October 2nd, hails for 200. E.Moors arrived October 1st, hails for 300. Merley arrived October 3rd hails for 100. Prima Donna arrived October 3rd, hails for 100.