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Genernlly take 8-10 days. On her one time coming up Indian Tickle in a stann.
there whcn thcre was no good anchorage land we were) two or three days in a
raging wind stann 100 miles.
Chris Cullum got 10st[drowTled] pUlling stutT aboard. Ilimscifand Joey Walsh. [I]
wasn't on the Labrador then. September in the 1930s. l ll'Il
Jim Doyle. who is profiled in the follo\\ing chapter. told a string ofnarratives that
illustrntc that going on the Labrador was a rite ofpassage into manhood. The first account
describes the custom ofa having a meal and a drink in a public house in Conception
Ilarbour before boarding the vessel and leaving for the Labrador. The second story takes
place in Labrador and tells ofhim trying to pass as a man by acting like one and shaving
with a straight-edged razor. The final account illustrates Jim's acceptance as a man \\hen.
undcr age. he succeeds in the task ofbuying liquor in SI. John's for Ihe men.
There was one spring when we were going to the Labrador, the Kyle came up in
Conception. All the crews got taken to the Church and that's where she hcaded.
We wcnt up 10 Mickey Doyle's. He had what you call a public housc. two rooms.
You could gCI a lunch there. You go in and get a lunch. probably a sandwich and
forty cents for a bottle of beer... I-Ic had a lable license. You had to go in and get
your meal and you would get a drink with it. And we put our stufT aboard firsl and
mesclfand me falher and Uncle Pad and I don't know but Tom and Malt (was
Ihere 100) and] wenlup. I don't know but I was only sixteen or seventeen and I
don't kllow how I gOI in with them. We all got abourd loaded [drunk] ... They
didn't have the gear half stored aboard then. Took 'em all day and all night and I
c1on't k.now but the next day to load her... I gOI in. When I got the beer.] was
loaded drinking. I was only {supposed to bel cllling lunch and I was drinking
bottle for bottle, forty cents a boule. Had to be twenty-one to drink. I was big
cnough to be twenty-one. Even had a beard. I was about sixteen.
I used to stcalthc old man's razor and go down on the stage and shave when I was
cleven or twelve on the Labrador. Straight razor. Take the razor and go on dO\\ll
the stage and have a shave. Wipe ofT the razor and bring her bad: and put her
\\here she was at. '0 soap. '0 water. No nOlhin". No mirror. Wonder I didn't cut
,.. M NFLA 86-013. C8689.
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