ARTIFACTS
This page will feature photos and stories of man-made objects related to Bell Islands history and culture.
Souvenir Inkwell
The 4 photos below of an inkwell carved of Wabana iron ore are courtesy of Paul Conway. His description of the inkwell:
"The body is a solid block of iron ore, nicely carved out, and the insert is brass, engraved 'Bell Island, Nfld, 1937'."
There were several instances reported in the St. John's Daily News when such items were presented as gifts to visiting dignitaries:
On Sept. 6, 1937, Sir Humphrey Walwyn, Governor of Newfoundland, visited Bell Island for the 2nd annual A.A.A. Sports Day, where he was presented with a souvenir inkwell made of Wabana ore. The first recorded instance of the gift of an engraved piece of Wabana ore was noted in the Daily News in Sept. 1923 when the Grand Master of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for the Maritime Provinces and Nfld. was entertained at a banquet by the local lodge. He was presented with a block of Wabana ore bearing a gold plate with a "suitable inscription." Such gifts were to be "presented frequently to other visitors in years to come." In the summer of 1938, Sir Bruce Porter, who was Chief Medical Officer in charge of the Third London Hospital at Wandsworth during WWI, where he had charge of many wounded Nfld. soldiers, visited Bell Island as part of his Nfld. tour. He was given a hero's welcome and presented with an inkwell made of Wabana ore.
"The body is a solid block of iron ore, nicely carved out, and the insert is brass, engraved 'Bell Island, Nfld, 1937'."
There were several instances reported in the St. John's Daily News when such items were presented as gifts to visiting dignitaries:
On Sept. 6, 1937, Sir Humphrey Walwyn, Governor of Newfoundland, visited Bell Island for the 2nd annual A.A.A. Sports Day, where he was presented with a souvenir inkwell made of Wabana ore. The first recorded instance of the gift of an engraved piece of Wabana ore was noted in the Daily News in Sept. 1923 when the Grand Master of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for the Maritime Provinces and Nfld. was entertained at a banquet by the local lodge. He was presented with a block of Wabana ore bearing a gold plate with a "suitable inscription." Such gifts were to be "presented frequently to other visitors in years to come." In the summer of 1938, Sir Bruce Porter, who was Chief Medical Officer in charge of the Third London Hospital at Wandsworth during WWI, where he had charge of many wounded Nfld. soldiers, visited Bell Island as part of his Nfld. tour. He was given a hero's welcome and presented with an inkwell made of Wabana ore.
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PLM 27 Boom / Legion Flagstaff
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This is the flagstaff at the Canadian Legion in 2005, to the right of the mural of Steve Neary. (The mural is no longer at that location.)
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WWII Torpedo Remnant
The photo above shows a piece of the torpedo that struck Scotia Pier on November 2, 1942. The torpedo was fired by German submarine U-518 at 3:30 in the morning. It was aimed at a Greek ship, the S.S. Anna T., which was at anchor off the pier, but it missed its target and hit the cliff at the pier instead. The explosion resounded throughout the Island, jolting residents from their sleep. Photograph by Gerald Milne Moses, courtesy of Library and Archives Canada (PA-188854), Ottawa, Ontario.
Postage Stamps
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Iron ore mining on Bell Island has been celebrated four times on Newfoundland postage stamps. The first was in 1897, two years after the start of the mines. The 5-cent stamp shown on the right was issued as part of the commemoration of the Diamond Jublilee of Queen Victoria, which coincided with the 400th anniversary of the discovery of Newfoundland by John Cabot. The image shows two miners drilling a surface pit.
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The second Bell Island stamp appeared in 1932. On May 20th of that year, J.G. Hodder, Deputy Minister of Posts and Telegraphs, visited Bell Island to take a photograph of the ore carrier S.S. Williamsplein loading iron ore at Dominion Pier. The resulting image on a 24-cent stamp appeared later that year.
The third stamp was issued in 1937 to celebrate the coronation of King George VI, whose image was added to the 1932 Dominion Pier image.
In 1941, the original 1932 stamp was re-issued without the image of King George VI.