Dominion Steamers.
In connection with the Lighthouse and Buoy service and the Fisheries’ Protection the Canadian Government employs fourteen steamers and three sailing vessels. The aggregate gross tonnage of the steamers is 5,589 tons. Of these the Stanley is the largest, after which come the Newfield, 785 tons; the Aberdeen, 674 tons; the Acadia, 526 tons—all of Halifax; the Lansdowne, 680 tons, of St. John, N.B.; the Quadra, 573 tons, of Victoria, B.C.; La Canadienne, 372 tons, of Quebec, etc., etc.
Newfoundland.[71]
The history of steam navigation in this province begins with the year 1840, when Her Majesty’s ship Spitfire—a paddle steamer—entered the harbour of St. John’s with a detachment of soldiers to strengthen the garrison. In 1842 the steamship John McAdam visited St. John’s, and a number of ladies and gentlemen made excursions in her to Conception and Trinity bays, startling the natives by the sight of a vessel walking the waters without the aid of sails or oars. In 1844 the Government arranged with the owners of the steamship North American to carry mails and passengers regularly between St. John’s and Halifax. When this vessel first entered the harbour, with her huge walking-beam and a figurehead of an Indian, painted white, half of the population of the city crowded the wharves to see her. She had made the run from Halifax in sixty hours. Soon after this a contract was made with the Cunard Company for a mail service between St. John’s and Halifax, fortnightly in summer and monthly during the winter months. In 1873 direct steam communication with England and America was established by arrangement with the Allan Line for the conveyance of mails, passengers and goods, fortnightly during nine months of the year and monthly during the remaining months, though at a later date fortnightly trips were made all the year round.
At the present time there are five regular lines of steamships sailing from St. John’s—the Allan Line, the Canadian and Newfoundland Steamship Company, the Red Cross Line, the Black Diamond and the Ross Lines. Besides these, a steamer plies regularly between Halifax and the western ports of Newfoundland; and two local steamers ply between St. John’s and the principal ports north, south and west.
The total number of steamers registered in St. John’s is thirty-two, with a gross tonnage of 9,272 tons. About 1,500 vessels arrive and depart annually from the several ports of Newfoundland. The sealing fleet comprises some twenty steamers, with a united tonnage of 6,230 tons, and crews numbering 4,680 men. The first steamers to engage in the seal fishing were the Bloodhound and the Wolf in 1862. The former arrived with 3,000 seals, and the latter with only 1,300. The largest catch of seals recorded was in 1844, when 685,530 were captured. The cod-fishing industry is carried on by sailing schooners. The annual catch in the Newfoundland waters is about 1,350,000 quintals of 112 pounds. But the total amount of cod caught in North American waters is estimated at 3,700,000 quintals annually. Allowing fifty fish to a quintal, we have the enormous number of 185,000,000 fish caught every year. And still they continue to multiply and replenish the sea!
As yet no steamers have been built in Newfoundland.