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Bonavista, Trinity Bay. then drop ofT crews on the Labrador. The first thing we
had to do when we got down there, and that was 10 open up the bunkhouse and to
put the stage head out. After selling up fishing gear, first thing we had to do was
get a load of wood. There was no wood out around the islands \\here the
fishemlen set up. You had to go up in a place called Potties Bay. That was a day's
\\ork. Then you'd go and get a load ofsah. Get the fishing gear in the waler. Get
trap out. Evcrything was go then as hard as you could go for about 6 weeks until
the trap season was o\·er. Store fish away c\cn ifit \\crc midnight. It would spoil
ifyou Icft it all night. The girl would help.
After six weeks, lrapping season was done. Had to wash the fish, lake it out and
salt bulk or wash out in tubs on the stage. The water drawn up in buckets over
stagc head - a man's job to draw water. Wash fish, carry fish in. sail it. bring back
lhc barrow again, keep going back and forth. Drawing watcr, washing fish. carry
it in the sun. When the fish was all washed out. it was bulked on the stage. Leave
it there for a week or two - two weeks. The same as it had been in salt bulk. They
c311ed that water horse. Let it sct, then start to dry it. It was spread out on the
hawn. Each b3tch of fish took a couplc ofdays, two to three days ifyou gct the
right weather. It was made up. There was really a science to curing fish on the
Labrador that the older people knew but we didn't know now because we weren't
there long enough to learn it. The older people had it down fine. Even when it was
being cured on the bawn...They could take the fish up and look at it and tell ifit
wcre finished, ifit had to be spread again or pressed for another night. When the
fish was all cured, start to ship it. Usually a steamer come down. Ifthere was no
steamer down you could carry it to the merchant and store it in his warehouse
there. Merchant in that area was Hiscock in Smokey. Jerrets was there too but
gave up. Whcn the steamer was there you wenl alongside and took your tum, slow
work. Threc to four thousand tonne. She was light and empty, ship high up. The
Iirsttime we wenl there to load, there was two scaffolds on the ship's sidc. You'd
yarne the fish [load your arms with fishl and throw it up to the mcn on thc tirst
scaffold. I-Ie throw it to the man on another scaffold and thcn it was thrown up to
the man on deck ..."ho'd throw it in the holc. There would bc not onc fish left. That
took a fair bit oftime to leam. Had to practice thut before you could do it right.
Then when all the fish were loaded. cverything cleared out. gct ready for home.
You may have to wait a week, two weeks for a mail boal to come round again.
There were still a few bankers there in the thirties. Ifwe had any spare time we'd
go up there or up around the high hill on thc island. You could sec them (the
bankers) on the outside going up and down. They had no power - all salls. l40
,.. MUNFLA 86-013, C8700.
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