Page 54 - Eddie Barrington: Early Diving Years

ISSUE : Issue 59

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1992/1/1

about three miles inside Money Point.... The first time I dove on her was 1963, I think, and that was with the boat that the scrap dealer had. That's a particularly interesting wreck when you get on another subject as well. They talk about--God, I don't know if we should open that can of worms or not. But they talk about the preservation of wrecks, and the government takes a hands- off policy in terms of divers, and so on. Now, that wreck, the Lovland. Let's say in 1963 I started diving on her. That's 25 years ago. 26 years this summer. She was, as far as wrecks go, in pretty good shape when I first visited her. Now you go there and there's just lit? tle bits and pieces left, that's all. In a period of 25 years. (Is this because of divers or because the ocean broke her up?) Oh, sea action and ice in the winter. You know, this,time of year, now. you'll have ice there. There's only--well, she ranges from about 25 to 40 feet of wa? ter, and the ice will ground out on that. So it's the sea play? ing havoc with her. In fact there was a piece of that wreck-- it was a very sheer TJXBELL BUOYl H Seafood & Steak ' ; RESTAURANT I Baddeck, N.S. 295-2581 cliff right where she is. And there was a little ledge of rock--I wouldn't be exag? gerating to say 40 feet above sea level. And there was a piece of her shell plating that probably weighed about 600 pounds or so--up on that ledge. That'll give you an idea of what the sea does to these things. So as I said, a can of worms would be that they're talking today about, you know, they don't want divers poking around the older-- the historically important--wrecks, be? cause they're going to do damage and so on. But the thing is that if they don't soon attend to them, and catalogue them, and de? cide which ones they are actually interest? ed in and get out and do some diving on them--it's going to be lost to everyone. By the working of the sea and the ice and so on. They're just not going to last forever. They're losing artifacts--you know, every storm, they're losing stuff. (Tell me about diving on wrecks at St. Paul's Island. St. Paul's is about 13 miles off the northern tip of Cape Breton.) Oh, for a wreck diver St. Paul's Island is a paradise. You go hand over hand right DUNLOP'S AMBULANCE SERVICE Serving Baddeck & Surrounding Areas IN BUSINESS FOR OVER 65 YEARS 24 HOUR SERVICE • QUALIFIED AHENDANTS. AMBULANCE - 295-2360 Welcome to Baddeck! The HIGH WHEELER 295-3006 Cafe * Deli * Bakery %l%f ENJOY THE DECK IN THE HEART OF BADDECK! ART • HANDCRAFTS ANTIQUES • WOOLENS IMPORTED GOODS BOOKS • MUSIC "Purchases mailed/shipped to any destination" Located in the Centre of Baddeck /9ynt4fooel 295-2950 • Bill Fraser yi?i?i?i?ififgggi?i?i?i?i?i?i?gggi?i?i?i?i?i?i?i?i?i?i?gi?i?i?i?' 20 Years Ago We Advertised Mukluks • Staplers • Toys • Incense • Records Foot Rot Remedy • Brass Cuspidors Rubber Worms • Horoscopes • Fishing Gear • Cow, calf, horse, pig & chicken medicine • Salmon Eggs • Muskrat Pelt Stretchers 100 Ice Cream Cones • China Hunting Knives • Ant Traps * Kerosene Lamps IN SUPPORT OF Cape Breton's Magazine TODAYS MOST OF THOSE ITEMS ARE OUT OF STOCK- BUT WE CARRY JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE! STONE'S in BADDECK ~ We Provide All Your Gift, Personal, and Pharmaceutical Needs 295-2404 Baddeck: on Highway 105 and the Cabot Trail

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