Tales of Fogo Island Compiled and edited by Della Coish Fogo Island Literacy Association Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Main entry under title: Tales of Fogo Island Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-9685025-0-4 1. Readers for new literates. 2. Readers (Adult) 3. Fogo Island (Nfld.) I. Coish, Della, 1971- II. Fogo Island Literacy Association. PB1126.N43T34 1999 428.6'2 C99-900361-5 Available in Audio Format. Copyright © 1999 Della A. Coish All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. Local Sponsor: Fogo Island Literacy Association Project Coordinator: Della A. Coish Typesetting and Layout: Della A. Coish Cover Art: Winston J. Osmond Economy Printing Limited P.O. Box 383, Gander, Newfoundland (709) 256-2116 Table of Contents Acknowledgments The Lumber Woods Contributors Lumber Woods Travel Introduction Thinking about Christmas A Brush With Death Forest Fires A Remarkable Nurse Man's Best Friend An Earthquake in Strange Events Newfoundland Boats The Disappearance of Bill Tragedy on Duck Island Hurley The Story of Marguerite de Serving Your Country Roberval The Souvenir Turtle Shell Resettled Communities Faith The Beheading of Michael Schooner Life Turpin A Family Business Bringing Water The Sea Gives Up Its Dead The Good Sheppards The Unexpected Visitor The Fogo Process The Newfoundland Pony The Story of the Markland Wedding Tales Bits and Pieces The Three Day Storm A Poor Night, Not Too Long Remedies and Cures Ago The Fishery My Island Home The Fish Merchants Bibliography Shipwrecks Appendix 1 Tragedy at the Ice Photos and Illustrations Jumping Ship on Fogo Island Acknowledgments I would like to thank the National Literacy Secretariat for its financial assistance in making this work possible. The members of the Fogo Island Literacy Association provided valuable support throughout this project. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all who helped in researching and compiling stories for inclusion, especially Colette Wells, who researched materials and supervised the project during my absence. Many thanks as well to Steven Dwyer, who conducted a pilot project and helped with research. Without their help, the production of this book would have been much more difficult. I also wish to express my sincere gratitude to all of the people who provided suggestions for editing and helped in proofreading. In particular, thanks to Catherine McKenna, Patrick Donahue, Cyril and Rita Burke, Susan Osmond, and Teresa Greene. I extend special thanks to my parents, Harold and Phyllis Coish, who have helped throughout this project and have been tremendously supportive. Many thanks to Gerald Freake for helping to edit and mix the recorded version and to Bud Davidge for reproducing the tapes for distribution. Without their help, the audio component of this production would not have been possible. Finally, special thanks to all who willingly shared their stories, drawings and photographs. I have made many new friends in compiling this text and I am honored to have had such an opportunity. I would like to thank all the contributors for welcoming me into their homes with such warmth and enthusiasm. Their cooperation was essential in bringing this project to fruition. Contributors The following people and organizations have offered stories and materials for use in this text: Winston Osmond (cover art, art work), Keith Whelan (art work). Arthur Ludlow, George and Ruby Ford, Pauline Hynes, Patrick Donahue, Herbert and Ella Coish, Hubert Collins, Daina Adams, Judy Adams, Mary Margaret Adams, Shirley Broders, Bleak House Museum, Gregory and Christina Cole, Barbara Collins, George Decker, Cyril Burke, Colette Wells, James Decker, Harry Decker, Elaine Penton and the Joe Batt's Arm, Shoal Bay-Barr'd Islands Town Council, Clive and Doris Cull, Heber Budden, Margaret McKenna, Harold and Phyllis Coish, James Greene, Cecil and Anne Godwin, Clem Dwyer, Bride Miller, Sheryl Miller, Joyce and Flora Primmer, Albert and Stella Collins, Cheryl Penton and the Fogo Island Flyer, Doreen Dwyer and family, Bruce Pomeroy and the Fogo Town Council, Lewis and Daisy Blundon, Wilson Freake, Anthony Burke, Daniel Foley, Hubert Collins, Marion Foley, Aaron and Ivy Cobb, Ruby Holmes, Steven Dwyer, Alison Freake, Bernadette Dwyer, Lisa Blundon, Audrey Nippard, Sadie Curlew, Hal Anthony, George Combden, Phyllis Lewis, Austin Earle, Ken Budden, Watson Sheppard, Anora Osmond, Bonnie McCay, Gertie Dwyer, Albert Cluett, Sterling Tarrant, Leonard Penton, Anastasia Penton, John Greene (St John's), Ernie and Shirley Coish, Hardy and Clara Coish, Richard and Bernice Hynes, George Budden, Fogo Island Co-operative Society Limited, Fogo Island Central Academy, The Fogo Island Marine Information Centre, The Fogo Island Public Library, The Centre for Newfoundland Studies and Folklore Department, Memorial University of Newfoundland, The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. Introduction Most adult learning and literacy materials are produced in other parts of Canada and the United States. Often these materials lack local content. In response to the need for culturally relevant materials, the Fogo Island Literacy Association with the support of many individuals, organizations and businesses, presented a proposal for materials development to the National Literacy Secretariat in Ottawa. The Association was pleased to receive the Secretariat's support and soon began researching ideas for use in the text. The resulting compilation of stories, Tales of Fogo Island, is one attempt at addressing the need for local literacy materials. The following are notes about content and layout: *TaIes of Fogo Island is meant to be an easy-to-read book about local life and culture. It is intended for use with adult learners in literacy programs. *When published materials are used, the source is noted in the body of the text. A complete reference for each source appears in the bibliography. *Words appearing in bold are direct quotations or summaries of statements made by individuals. These sections must be read as if a person is speaking. In a few cases, comments were edited because they were lengthy. However, every effort was made to keep the meaning of the item intact. For example, a statement such as: 'I don't spose he never done dat atall' would be rewritten as: 'I don't spose he ever done that at all.' *when two horizontal lines divide the page it signals that the introduction to the story has ended. If the lines divide sections that are written in bold print, it means that one speaker has finished and another speaker has begun. *Sometimes the names of contributors appear in the body of the text. In other cases, the person supplying the information preferred to remain anonymous. *A complete list of photo and illustration credits may be found at the back in Appendix 1. An Earthquake in Newfoundland On November 18, 1929, an earthquake to the south of Newfoundland rocked the ocean floor. This caused a tidal wave to come ashore between the communities of Rock Harbour and Lamaline. There was a lot of damage and some people in those areas were killed. Fogo Island was not directly affected by the earthquake and tidal wave, but some Fogo Islanders still got quite a fright when they felt the ground shake. One elderly man from Seldom clearly remembers the day of the earthquake: I was up in the lumber woods, I was only just old enough to be up there. I went up with me father. In them days, when all the wood in one area was cut, the camp would be moved to another spot. The company was just after building a new bunkhouse in a new cutting area. Me and another feller were the young ones in the camp and they give us the job of picking moss. We would get the moss and stuff it between the logs in the bunkhouse walls. The moss was supposed to keep the draft and the rain out. We were out picking our last bag of moss for the day, when all of a sudden, we feels this coming! It was strange. The like of it you will never hear nor feel! We taut for sure that the world was coming to an end. My son! The ground was shaking under our feet and we took off fer the camp. What a fright! We never did get that last bag of moss! The young man and his friend were quick to reach the camp. The first person they met was the cook. They asked him what happened, but he had no idea. The cook explained that he was baking a cake when the whole place started shaking. As he told the story, the cook pointed a shaking finger at the enamel mugs that had fallen off the hooks on the wall. The men at the lumber camp had no idea what caused the earth to shake. There were no radios or telephones and soon rumors began to spread. One man reported that a bomb was dropped. Another person said there was a big explosion in one of the mines. Finally, the story of the earthquake reached the camp. A number of people on Fogo Island were also frightened by the earthquake. A former resident shared the following story about a local man: A Brush with Death Years ago, medical help was more than just a phone call away. Sometimes, patients were taken on long, difficult journeys to get treatment. The following is one person's story of survival. Before having breakfast on Wednesday, May 25, 1927, Mr William James Cull and his son, Jack went to their shed. They planned to do some work on their new boat. The cod-fishing season was just a few short weeks away and there was a lot of work to be done.