1874 Census

1874 Census

What was the population of Lower Island Cove 143 years ago?

Here's the results from the census carried out in 1874 from Red Lands to Bay-de-Verds in the District of Conception Bay.

Red Lands (Redlands) was a settlement located between Job's Cove and Lower Island Cove.  There's nothing left to the Redlands settlement now other than old roads, foundations and root cellars.

What's known today as Lower Island Cove was subdivided into Lower Island Cove and Burnt Woods in the census.  Burnt Woods is no longer considered a separate settlement by government, but many people still reside there, and it's still referred to as Burnt Woods by a lot of residents.

Lower Island Cove was the largest settlement in 1874 with 810 Residents.  Bay-de-Verds (Bay de Verde) was next in line with 678 residents.

If you look at the columns showing the age of inhabitants, the number of young people is staggering.
In Lower Island Cove, roughly 52% of the population was under the age of 20.  Bay de Verde was at 46% <20.

The census also indicates that people were dying at a younger age.  There's not many residents (male or female) in the "70 upwards" category.  For example, only 2.4% of the population of Lower Island Cove and Burnt Woods combined were over the age of 70.

How things have changed!

I increased the size to hopefully make it a bit more readable:

Here's the numbers from the 2016 government census.  2016 population numbers are on the left, 2011 numbers on the right. 

As you can see, the local population is shrinking.  

                                                                                                                           

Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency - 2016 Census

That being said, populations of larger towns and cities are heading in the other direction. For example:

Carbonear         +119 

Bay Roberts      +194

St. John's           +2688

(change in population 2011 to 2016) 

Hope you enjoyed the post and found it interesting.  Drop me an email if you have any comments or things to add.

S.

Lower Island Cove Soldiers Return from the War - July 1919

Soldiers Return from the War - July 1919

Here's an interesting little wartime article that I came across.

It was Friday July 11, 1919, and a large reception was being held in Lower Island Cove at the Orange Lodge, prepared by Mrs. Pickering and the ladies of the Methodist Church.  A group of soldiers were returning home from battle in World War 1.

 The following soldiers were present:

Sargeant A.M. Hudson - LIC
Lance Corporal Harry Garland - LIC
Sapper Simeon Louis - LIC
Private Stanley Garland - LIC
Private John Louis - LIC
Private Herbert Bursey - LIC
Private Charles Vail - LIC
Private Selby Morris - LIC
Private Horatio Turner - LIC
Private Frank Cull - Caplin Cove
Private Douglas Wicks - Burnt Point
Private Harry Morris - St. John's (visiting LIC)

 The soldiers are described as 'boys' and were given refreshments and candy.  I'm guessing candy would have been a luxury in 1919.

The St. John's Daily Star - July 21, 1919

With Rev. Pickering presiding, several speakers had welcomes and words of appreciation for the soldiers.  It's pretty amazing that Mr. Eli Garland had three Sons in active service.  I wonder if they all returned back to Newfoundland unharmed? Perhaps somebody in the Garland family would know.

The St. John's Daily Star - July 21, 1919

Unfortunately, many soldiers did not return home alive.  Eight soldiers from Lower Island Cove that gave their lives in battle, and were acknowledged at the reception.

Private Kenneth Morris

Private Arthur Cummins

Private Kenneth LeShane 

Private Reuben Wheeler

Private Charles Reid

Private Gascar Garland

Private William Morris

Private Phillip Louis

After the names of the deceased were read, a few of the soldiers in attendance spoke a few words.

The St. John's Daily Star - July 21, 1919

EDIT * A sad thing I learned since publishing this blog: Apparently Mr. Allan G. Hudson could not be present due to the fact that his wife just died.  Mrs. Eliza Rankin Louis Hudson died the day after her son arrived home from the war.  Rev. Louis Hudson spoke in his place. (Thanks to John Taylor-Johnson and Jeannie Howse for that information).

EDIT ** Here's a Note of Thanks which confirms that Mrs. Hudson passed suddenly the day before the social.  It appears Mrs. Hudson showed no signs of illness before retiring for the evening and had a busy day preparing for the social.

The Evening Telegram - April 12, 1919

The Returning Soldiers article continues describing the soldiers bravery, and mentions fighting in the sands of Egypt, barren soil of Gallipoli and the blood-stained soil of France and Belgium.

It's interesting that Private Douglas Wicks of Burnt Point married a Scottish woman.  The war bride was given a warm welcome by the crowd.

The St. John's Daily Star - July 21, 1919

EDIT***

Since publishing this write-up I was contacted by Mr. Ian Leary from England.  He had quite a story to share with me regarding the Scottish bride mentioned above!

Ian's Grandfather was Charles (Charley) Leary, who was born in St. Anne's Placentia Bay.  Charles was one of five Sons of John & Margaret Leary.  St. Anne's was abandoned or relocated years ago and the family settled in Brigus.  Ian writes that John's house still stands in Brigus.

When WW1 started, Charles enlisted in the Newfoundland Regiment.  He was wounded at Beaumont Hamel, but he served until he died in action in Belgium October 1917 (at the 3rd battle of Passchendaele).

After enlisting the regiment was based for quite a period of time in Ayr Scotland, where Charley met Agnes Shaw from Prestwick (which is now an airport).  They got married in Prestwick and a son was born - John Leary - Ian's Father.

Agnes obviously became a widow in 1917 when Charles died in battle.  Therefore Ian's Father John never knew his Father Charles.

After Charles died and the war ended, Ian's Grandmother Agnes re-married.  Ian said he knew the new husbands surname was Wicks, but hardly knew any more details other than the fact she died in Boston, USA.

When she re-married she decided to leave Scotland for Newfoundland or the United States.  

Agnes decided to leave John (Ian's Father) behind with her Father and Sisters in Scotland.  Ian said he didn't know the reason for sure but he believes the new husband didn't have the appetite to care for another man's child.  John was very young, therefore he didn't really get to know his mother before she left for North America.

Ian tells me that he discovered details regarding Douglas via The Rooms database in St. John's.  He also served in the Newfoundland Regiment No. 5069 in 1918 and was stationed in the UK at the end of the war - but never saw any action.  Ian stumbled across this blog the same day which talked about him marrying a Scottish Bride.  Douglas was listed on his enlistment as a fisherman and worked with his father Josiah Wicks, mother nee Stockwood from Burnt Point.

Ian wrote that it took him about 20 years to trace Douglas and Agnes and establish the details.  I'm glad I was able to have a small part of solving his family history.

Here's a picture of Charles and Agnes that Ian sent me, shortly after they were married.  Note the jodhpur pants! Great picture.

Thanks Ian for sharing your story!

I hope you enjoyed this blog post.  Keep an eye on this blog for more Lower Island Cove history stories and findings.  If you have anything to add to any of my blog posts, feel free to drop me an email.

S.

Lower Island Cove Regatta - The First Years

The Lower Island Cove Regatta

The Lower Island Cove Regatta is an annual event held in the community at Island Cove Pond.

I remember older residents talking about the original 'boat houses' which were located on the north side of the pond years ago.  There's nothing left there now.  The Regatta was held for many years up until the early 70s when the event came to a halt.  The Regatta was revived in the early 90s by the newly formed A.Y.L.A. (The Association for Youth and Leisure time Activities).

The regatta is usually held on the 2nd weekend in August.  Crews consist of people from the Lower Island Cove area, as well as crews from places such as Hr. Grace.

I rowed with friends a few years in the early 90s in the youth division.  I also was Coxswain for a mens team for a year or two as well.  It was always something we looked forward to in the summer.

The A.Y.L.A. Building, at Island Cove Pond

Regatta weekend usually kicks off with a Folk Festival, Fireworks and miscellaneous events.  Race day is Saturday with all races held that day along with food and games for the kids.  An adult dance takes place Saturday night at the A.Y.L.A. building.


The 1st Lower Island Cove Regatta

I was always curious about what year the Regatta started, and who rowed in the first races.  This got me searching for information.  From my research, I learned that the first Regatta took place 105 years ago!

The article below describes the very first LIC regatta, which took place Thursday August 15, 1912.  It appears that this event was part of the Sunday School picnic, which was probably like a church garden party like you see today.

There were four boats on the pond:

1) The Beothic
2) The Myrtle
3) The Crimson Arrow
4) The Volunteer

The writer (K. Morris - Secretary Regatta Committee) seems disappointed that only 3 races (one in each division) were held for the day.  There were Fisherman, Student and Juvenile divisions.  There appeared to be a rivalry between North and South sides of Lower Island Cove.  The article describes the members of each crew.  I wonder how old the juvenile racers would have been?  Since we have the names of the crew members, we should be able to figure out how old the racers would have been that year.

An tea was prepared for the racers and spectators after the event, which was followed with games for the kids which went into the "Wee sma" hours at the Orange Lodge (this building still exists in Lower Island Cove).  Sounds like a good time was held by all!

Here's the write-up which describes the first Regatta.  Did your ancestors race?

The Evening Telegram - August 19, 1912

This letter to the Evening Telegram from Chas. (Charles) Garland August 21st, 1912.  It appears that the Beothic had a clear advantage on the pond over the Myrtle.  He mentions having shipbuilder Wm. (William) Broderick build a couple new race boats to keep the races fair.

The Evening Telegram - August 24, 1912

The 2nd Lower Island Cove Regatta

The 2nd Regatta (August 20, 1913) is described below.  It sounds like the morning weather was not the greatest on race day.  It cleared in the afternoon and they managed to go ahead with the races. There appeared to be a good turnout of spectators for the event once the weather cleared up.

They kicked off the Regatta with a running contest which H. A. Gillingham from Musgrave Harbour won.  I wonder how long the race was?  Maybe they ran around the pond.

It sounds like only two boats were used for the 1913 races:

1) The Beothic
2) The Dreadnought

Unlike the first race in 1912, the 1913 Regatta have teams from the neighboring community of Caplin Cove, who did quite well in the races.  It appears that both Juvenile and Senior Fisherman races were won by the Caplin Cove teams.

The Student race was between a LIC team and an "All-comers" team which appears to be made up of people from several communities.  I'm guessing due to low numbers it had to be done in this manner to allow racing in that division.

The Evening Telegram - September 6, 1913

Thanks to Lance Tock for sending me these old pictures of the Regatta.

1965 or 1966 LIC Regatta

Race boats on Lower Island Cove pond

Boathouse on Regatta Day

Earlier today, I presented the A.Y.L.A. with a framed copy of the above articles to be displayed in their building.

I hope you enjoyed my findings describing the first two Regattas.  Keep an eye on this Blog for more Lower Island Cove history stories.

S.

The Workington Mine - Lower Island Cove

The Mines

The Mines Road, which leads to the former Workington Mine

There's a lot of people who never heard about the mining operation in Lower Island cove.  Mention of "The Mines" in Lower Island Cove will usually bring back memories of outdoor activities for many residents.  Berrypicking, camping, trouting or in some cases bonfires have all been experienced in "The Mines".  Oh yes, lets not forget parties.  The Mines Road is also home to gravel quarries and the abandoned open burn community garbage dump.  The Workington Mine stirred up quite a bit of activity on the North Shore the short time it was operational.  It was also referred to as the Bay de Verde Mine, as well as The Newfoundland Iron Ore Company Mine.

Below are some facts that I found regarding the mine.

The Discovery and Start of the Mine

The discovery of the Bell Island Mine iron deposits in the 1800s excited prospectors.  This sent them to other areas of Conception Bay searching for iron-rich earth.  It was Andrew Colford of Redlands that first discovered iron ore at Lower Island Cove in 1885.  However, the first newspaper reports stated that the mine was in Northern Bay.  Bluff Head is in Lower Island Cove, and was always the name of a cod fishing berth in the community.

Evening Telegram July 7,1886 - Mine Discovery

Mr. Colford did not have the financial means to develop a mine, and therefore reached out to St. John's businessman and jeweler Robert Sleater. Mr. Sleater had lots of capital.  He sent a team of five men, who staked 14 adjoining claims in the area.  Colford was given a one-eighteenth share of the venture.  However, during 1896 he lost his share to Charles Tessier (a merchant) and Donald Morrison (who was already a claim holder) to pay grocery bills and various debts. This left him no claim to the Mine.  Mr. Colford continued to prospect in the area.  His three sons also became prospectors.

Donald Morrison was a well educated lawyer.  He promoted the mine and sent samples to the H. Spencer and Company in Workington, England. In June 1898 the company sent an engineer to Lower Island Cove to analyze the findings.  He later reported back to London that the mine was suitable and they commenced to lease the 14 claims.

Here's an article reporting how mining was to be conducted on "a huge scale".  It must have been exciting for the residents in the area reading this kind of news.  It would certainly create jobs and wealth in the area. Or would it?

The Evening Telegram - May 17, 1898

The Railway

A typical Workington Iron and Steel Company (W.I.&S.C.) Train with Ore Cars

Henry Moore was the resident manager of the H. Spencer and Company living in Lower Island Cove.  He notified the company that the community didn't have a suitable location or shelter for a shipping pier to handle the iron ore.  150 men were hired to construct a railway to Old Perlican and a large pier was built there.  A couple publications mention "The Cliff" in Old Perlican as being the site of the pier.  12 ship loads of wharf cribbing, 9 tonnes of nails and 3000 ft of lumber were used in the pier construction.

The Workington railway was operational from November 1898 to 1901. It was a 42 guage track and built by Baldwin.

This track crosses Pissingmare brook just before getting to the mine site, and there must have been a bridge of some sort spanning this brook.  There's a fairly deep depression from what would have been the elevation of the tracks in this location.

There's not much left to the railway now other than the gravel bed in which the tracks were once laid. The old CN railway is still used today as an ATV trail, but the branch to the Workington mine area is now overgrown with trees and not usable for any activity.

Overgrown Workington Railbed looking South towards the main mine site

The Mine Site

The mine site was on the south side of Pissingmare Pond.  Boilers, Crushers, Machine Shops, luxurious houses for the managers and stores were built.  This newspaper clipping from August 1898 describing the schooner Greenleaf heading to Lower Island Cove with machinery for the mine.

The Evening Telegram - August 5, 1898

Not much remains of the mine site now.  It's documented that seven shafts were dug for the Workington Mine operation.  Not that long ago, a couple abandoned mine shafts were visible.  Shaft #1 was located in the main mine operation area southwest of the pond.   From what I can remember, it was nothing more than a large hole in the ground, surrounded by a dirt berm.  It contained a lot of water and was basically used as a garbage can for years.  This shaft was fenced at one point for safety reasons and to prevent garbage dumping.  It has since been infilled with gravel and nothing remains of it (at least above ground).

Approximate location of Shaft #1 (now infilled)

Overview of Workington Mine area 

If you look hard enough in the trees surrounding the Shaft #1 area, you can still find chunks of iron ore rock.  The gravel is red in areas, due to the high levels of iron in the soil.  Some residents of Lower Island Cove have poor tasting drinking water due to the high levels of iron in their hand dug wells.

Iron Ore adjacent to Shaft #1 (maybe slag?)

Red Gravel

There's a couple places where there's traces of where machinery once stood.  An old concrete foundation is barely visible near Shaft #1.  There's also what remains of a small concrete structure in the trees west of this shaft.

Concrete Foundation West of Shaft #1

Concrete Foundation East of Shaft #1

There are some water filled holes and mounds of gravel in the marsh west of the mine area as well which were probably test pits, or perhaps overgrown shafts.  Some of these appear very deep and I would not venture too close to them.

Mounds of gravel and holes in the marsh to the East

Shaft #2 is on the west side of Pissingmare Pond. This shaft had a square poured concrete rim at the top, and until a few years ago, the wooden remains of the cross shaft (possibly used to hang pulleys or equipment) could be seen several feet below the water surface.  The wood beam was approximately 12" x 12" from what I can remember, and well preserved.  I do remember throwing a fishing line in there as a kid with a rock on the end to see how deep the water was.  It was approximately 25 ft. deep at that time.  The shaft probably headed in a more horizontal direction once underground. There's a surface trench connecting this shaft and the nearby pond.  I'm thinking this could have been a ditch that water was pumped into from the shaft, as it slopes towards the pond. Shaft flooding was a constant problem the miners encountered at the Workington Mine.  A few rotten fence posts remain around the former shaft location.  It has been infilled with rock, and a large number of alder trees have overtaken the mine shaft location.

Old fence around 2nd Shaft looking East - Brook exiting Pissingmare pond in distance

There's also evidence of exploration towards Job's Cove.  On the ridge just before you get to Job's Cove Island Pond you will find evidence of mining.  In one location a hill of what appears to be loose red rock surrounds a hole in the barrens (labelled 1st Hole in pictures below).  Another smaller hole is to the southwest near a marsh (labelled 2nd Hole in pictures below), and a long trench is to the east (labelled Trench in pictures below).  All have iron laden rock surrounding them.

Signs of mining near Job's Cove Island Pond

1st Hole - looking southwest

Red Rock around 1st Hole

1st Hole looking North- Pissingmare pond in the distance

Trench

2nd Hole

Iron Rock by Trench (or slag?)

From Aerial views you can see what appears to be a ditch that was probably built in an attempt to shed water away from the mine site near Shaft #1.

Drainage Ditch

 Prospecting in Other Communities

It appears that some other communities on the North Shore had iron ore finds as well.  Here's an article published in June 1898 where a new seam of iron was found in Western Bay by Mr. Murphy and Mr. Oliver, who were hired by the company to prospect.  It also mentions the "bright future" and "large scale" of the Lower Island Cove operation which was about to start.

The Evening Telegram - June 21, 1898

In the following write-up, it describes the new manager for the Workington Mine passing through Western Bay.  It also talks about prospecting in the Western Bay to Ochre Pit Cove area.  The new manager had "plenty of push in him"!

Like today, people were hoping the area's natural resources would create many jobs, and keep people home, instead of travelling to find work.  I guess some things never change.

The Evening Telegram - March 18, 1899

This clipping from 1906 talks about Mr. Andrew Colford starting a mine in Northern Bay.  I find it odd since it's the only mention of a mine in Northern Bay that I could find, and appeared in the paper years after the initial discovery in Lower Island Cove.   Was there a mining operation in Northern Bay?  Perhaps somebody from the Northern Bay area could shed some light on this.

The Evening Telegram - July 17, 1906

Another reference to Mr. Colford finding a deposit in Carbonear.

The Evening Telegram - May 30, 1906

Mine Assets

What equipment and infrastructure did they have at the Workington Mine?  This article from 1903 lists the items that were for sale once the mine shut down.  As you can see, there was a lot of equipment at the site.  Boilers, Machine Shops, support buildings.  It was an elaborate setup.

It's interesting that the railway being sold was just 2 miles and 620 yards long.  Measuring on Google Earth, this would be from the mine site to where it connects to the main line of the railway north of the pond.  This line goes all the way from Bay de Verde/Grates Cove to Carbonear.

The Reid Government in 1909 wanted the CN railway extended from Carbonear to Bay de Verde.  This work was completed in 1915.  I guess this new railway connected to the existing Workington railway at Lower Island Cove (rather than them building a whole new track through the area) as a cost saving measure.  This would explain why only a couple miles of railway was being sold, rather than the full 7 miles.  The Bay de Verde to Carbonear railway was operational until 1930.  The railway from the head of the bay into Carbonear didn't close until 1983.

It's also interesting that 4 square miles of land was part of the mine.

The Evening Telegram - Febuary 2, 1903

A Boondoggle?

All shafts that were constructed at Lower Island Cove produced poor results.  Most bodies of ore disappeared after a few yards.  Shafts were constantly filling with water.  Resident manager Mr. Moore's poor monthly reports back to London in 1898 raised red flags, and as a result, mine directors were asked to travel to see the mine.  It was also rumored that Mr. Moore was accused of squandering money.  Some say amounts as high as $250,000 which had to be an astronomical amount of money in the 1800s.  

After the 1898 visit by the mine directors, H. Spencer and Company decided to sublease the mine to The Newfoundland Iron Ore Company.  They didn't have much luck with the operation.

Tragedy in the Mine

Working in an underground mine in the 1800s was no doubt a dangerous job.  There were no safety inspectors in those days to identify and remedy operational or safety issues. On May 26, 1899, a terrible thing was reported happening in the No.1 shaft at The Workington Mine while being operated by the Newfoundland Iron Ore Company.

On Saturday eight men were working in the shaft, some of which were clearing debris from the last dynamite blast.  R. Barrett and M. Colford were on the drill when they drilled into a charge of dynamite which had not previously exploded.  The friction of the drill bit ignited the dynamite which caused an explosion seriously injuring Barrett, Colford and a third man Thorne.

The article mentions them fearing one of the men would die from his injuries, but it didn't say if he did.  They mention Barrett having limbs amputated, and Thorne receiving slight head injuries.  However, I have since read that R. Barrett was Roland Barrett from Holyrood who later died.  Colford and Thorne were said to be from "down the shore" (possibly the Old Perlican) area.  However, Colford was most likely related to Andrew Colford of Redlands who discovered the mine.

Mine Blast Article - Evening Telegram - May 5, 1899

Mining operations came to a halt after this explosion.

The Beginning of the End

Once restarting the operation after the explosion, The Newfoundland Iron Ore Company managed to bring enough ore to the surface to send one trial shipment to England.  However, they were not able to produce enough ore to continue mining.  The Newfoundland Iron Ore Company decided to leave the operation in Fall 1899. Mine ownership reverted back to the H. Spencer and Company.

There's wasn't much talk of positive results from the mine in publications.  Poor results seem to be the only news.  In September 1899 there's are report of large quantities of  iron ore being struck at Lower Island Cove.  The reader can't help but get a feeling of lost hope from this article.  It also gives a hint that claims in the Western Bay area were on hold pending the findings of the Workington Mine.

The Evening Telegram - September 11, 1889

By early 1900, due to financial difficulties, H. Spencer and Company approached Robert Chambers of the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company who was mining on the other side of Conception Bay at Bell Island.  He originally leased the claims but gave up on the idea of further developing the mine after closer investigating the land in 1904.

The Western Star reports poor findings in 1900 in this article.  Saying that the owners "built their barns before they raised their crops".  This pretty well sums up how the mine was doing.  People were getting frustrated with mismanagement and false claims.

Although he gave up on the mine, Chambers did buy some boilers and the company store.  The boilers were shipped to the Scotia steel mill.  The store was sailed to Bell Island and reused as a chapel.  I wonder if this building is still standing?

Sir Robert Bond

Sir Robert Bond was the last Premier of Newfoundland Colony from 1900 - 1907, and the first
Prime Minister of the Dominion of Newfoundland 1907-1909. 
It appears that there were conflict allegations against Sir Robert in 1912, for his involvement with the Workington Mine.  The Evening Chronicle newspaper claimed that Sir Robert held shares in the company while Premier, and later claimed that he was also a director of the mine (also while Premier).

Here's Sir Robert's response during an interview June 1912.

The Evening Telegram - June 21, 1912

This article (it's hard to read due to quality) from the House of Assembly notes published April 1900 mentions the Premier being a Director.  So, I'm not sure what is correct.  It also mentions the mine closing down, and the concern in London.

The Evening Telegram - April 9, 1900

Reopening Talks

The article published just before Christmas 1909 mentions how Americans were taking a look at the mine and possibly developing it.  It mentions "goodly deposits of iron", so there was still some optimism that ore could be mined at Lower Island Cove.

The Evening Telegram - December 22, 1909

This article from 1910 describes the mine being sold for $26,000, but didn't specify who the new owners were.

The Evening Telegram - October 17, 1910

** Edit  Here's an artifact that was found by a blog reader a while ago in the vicinity of Shaft #1.  It appears to be an original pickaxe used in the Workington mining operation. A very cool find!

** Edit 2

A connection to Ford automobile manufacturing in Detroit! 

 It appears that in 1926 Mr. Henry Ford expressed an interest in reviving the Workington Mine. In this article from the Daily Globe 1926-02-02, more ore samples were analyzed and were said to be of higher quality than the ore from Sweden and Cuba!  This obviously never got off the ground, but would have probably been a game-changer for LIC and surrounding areas if Mr. Ford had developed the mine.

In Conclusion

I sometimes wonder how Lower Island Cove area would look today if the Workington Mine had been sustainable and production continued.

Will modern technology allow prospectors see what's in the ground and if there's any value to the ore body?  I found one document from 2012 which shows 39 claims in the Lower Island Cove area.  Will the mining ever happen again?  Time will tell I guess.  It appears that the potential mineral wealth in the area has not been forgotten about.

Do you have any information on the Workington Mine or old photos you would like to share?  If so please contact me!  I hope you enjoyed reading about the mine.

S.