Page 16 - Chiasson from Cheticamp: Working on Coastal Vessels

ISSUE : Issue 65

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1994/1/1

Then the next day in the afternoon at 2 o'clock we'd be in Larry's River, starting to discharge again. (That's right, you did the physical work, you ran the ship, you stood watches. I guess.) That's right. And when it was clear like that, you'd be alone on watch. The captain, you know, would be lying there. He'd just set the course, and he'd say, "Okay, keep this course," and that was it. If it was foggy then he'd stick around. (And what was this high pay you were get? ting?) Oh, well, on that coaster, I was getting a big pay then--$45 a month! Chuckles. On the Dago 1 was getting 9. But you know, those days--the chap that was with me, -he was a married man, and his pay, he was only getting, I think it was 55. A month. When I went on the Lady Boats, when I went on the Lady Hawkins in 1936, our pay on deck was only $50 a month, and there was a lot of them that were married. When we used to come into Halifax, I used to take a room in Halifax at South Street --a room for the week, $5. Now, all these coasters that I mention there now, they were pretty well all ex- rumrunners. All the rumrunners were con? verted to freight. See, because the schooner trade (was over). Once they started with these coasters with power-- anybody with a store would sooner get to somebody that had a fast coaster to bring his freight down than a sailing ship, be? cause sailing ships would be delayed. If the wind was the wrong way, it used to take them a long time. So that's why the sails started to go then, started to go. People then got wise and they started to buy these rumrunners, making them into little coasters. So that's why the sailing vessels disappeared completely. U-DO CRAFT SUPPUES LOCAL CRAFTS ' WICKER AND WOOD Cratts & Supplies AND MUCH MUCH MORE! Drop in and enjot| our targe selection /or your personal use or Jor gi/ts. ' 1818 KING'S ROAD, SYDNEY BIP 6G5 564-9877 N0.1'""""' HEATING • State of the art heating equipment • Trained heating technicians • Largest Fleet of Home Heating delivery vehicles • Ways to save you money • Budget Payment Plan • FREE Furnace Efficiency Tests IN SYDNEY CALL: STEVE BLUNDON I IRVING 567-3000 '' Because the old (fellow) that I was with. Bourgeois, first he had a sailing vessel called the Anna Kerr. Now, like I was telling you just now, it was slow. So he put in a small engine; it was not very powerful--I think it was 45 horsepower. But it was good for when the weather was calm. And he left just small sails on, like the riding sail and a foresail and a jib, which was a big help if it was windy. But then when the rumrunners began to be out of business and they were selling out, he made a trade--he deposited this schoon? er to the fellow that owned the Reo, as a down payment. And it was practically new. It was not the price of a good-sized row- boat today.... The photograph of the Kinburn is taken from the book The Ca? bot Trail 1932-1992, written by Terry IVIacLean and Judy lUlclMaster. The photograph of the first Reo is taken from Duty- Free by Geoff and Dorothy Robinson. Capt. Paul Chiasson went on to serve on the Lady Boats as harbour defense on both coasts during the Second World War, as a tugboat cap? tain, and as a pilot for foreign ships in Cape Breton waters. He was aboard the Wabana when she was cut through by the Scythia in 1952. But that is another story. Pictures on page 11 are from Fr. Anselme Chiasson's book Cheticamp: History and Acadian Traditions, Breakwater Books. EXPLORE SYDNEY'S PAST... JOST HOUSE • ST. PATRICK'S MUSEUM COSSIT HOUSE OPEN June 1 CAPE BRETON CENTRE FOR HERITAGE & SCIENCE • 225GEORGE STREET* Summer: Mid June-Labour Day 10-4l/lon-SaL Winter: 10-4 Tue-Fri; 1-4 Sat. For information: (902) 539-1572 Operated by the Old Sydney Society

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