Historic Wabana
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        • Arthur House Article >
          • Part 1 of "Early History of Bell Island Mines," March 1, 1939
          • Part 2 of "Early History of Bell Island Mines," March 2, 1939
          • Part 3 of "Early History of Bell Island Mines," March 3, 1939
          • Part 4 of "Early History of Bell Island Mines," March 4, 1939
          • Part 5 of "Early History of Bell Island Mines," March 6, 1939
          • Part 6 of "Early History of Bell Island Mines," March 7, 1939
        • F.F. Jardine Article >
          • Fortieth Anniversary of Wabana Mines, Bell Island
          • Part 1 of "Forty-Fourth Anniversary of Wabana Mines"
          • Part 2 of "Forty-Fourth Anniversary of Wabana Mines"
          • Part 3 of "Forty-Fourth Anniversary of Wabana Mines"
          • Part 4 of "Forty-Fourth Anniversary of Wabana Mines"
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        • Tragedy in The Tickle 1940
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    • A Mine Dead - A Town Stricken
    • Newfoundland Quarterly >
      • "Bell Island," V. 1, No. 1, July 1901
      • "Belle Island Boyhood," Part 1, V. 85, No. 2, Fall 1989
      • "Belle Island Boyhood," Part 2, V. 85, No. 3, Winter 1990
    • Place Where the Sun Rises
    • Submarine Miner >
      • 1954 Issues >
        • Submarine Miner, V. 1 # 1, June 1954
        • Submarine Miner, V. 1 # 2, July 1954
        • Submarine Miner, V. 1 # 3, August 1954
        • Submarine Miner, V. 1 # 4, September 1954
        • Submarine Miner, V. 1 # 5, October 1954
        • Submarine Miner, V. 1 # 6, November 1954
        • Submarine Miner, V. 1 # 7, December 1954
      • 1955 Issues >
        • Submarine Miner, V. 2 # 1, January 1955
        • Submarine Miner, V. 2 # 2, February 1955
        • Submarine Miner, V. 2 # 3, March 1955
        • Submarine Miner, V. 2 # 4, April 1955
        • Submarine Miner, V. 2 # 5, May 1955
        • Submarine Miner, V. 2 # 6, June 1955
        • Submarine Miner, V. 2 # 7, July 1955
        • Submarine Miner, V. 2 # 8, August 1955
        • Submarine Miner, V. 2 # 9, September 1955
        • Submarine Miner, V. 2 #10, October 1955
        • Submarine Miner, V. 2 # 11, November 1955
        • Submarine Miner, V. 2 #12, December 1955
      • 1956 Issues >
        • Submarine Miner, V. 3 # 1, January 1956
        • Submarine Miner, V. 3 # 2, February 1956
        • Submarine Miner, V. 3 # 3, March 1956
        • Submarine Miner, V. 3 # 4, April 1956
        • Submarine Miner, V. 3 # 5, May 1956
        • Submarine Miner, V. 3 # 6, June 1956
        • Submarine Miner, V. 3 # 7, July 1956
        • Submarine Miner, V. 3 # 8, August 1956
        • Submarine Miner, V. 3 # 9, September 1956
        • Submarine Miner, V. 3 #10, October 1956
        • Submarine Miner, V. 3 # 11, November 1956
        • Submarine Miner, V. 3 #12, December 1956
      • 1957 Issues >
        • Submarine Miner, V. 4, # 1, January 1957
        • Submarine Miner, V. 4, # 2, February 1957
        • Submarine Miner, V. 4, # 3, March 1957
        • Submarine Miner, V. 4, #4, April 1957
        • Submarine Miner, V. 4, #5, May 1957
        • Submarine Miner, V. 4, #6, June 1957
        • Submarine Miner, V. 4, #7, July 1957
        • Submarine Miner, V. 4, #8, August 1957
        • Submarine Miner, V. 4, #9, September 1957
        • Submarine Miner, V.4, #10, October 1957
        • Submarine Miner, V.4, #11, November 1957
        • Submarine Miner, V.4, #12, December 1957
      • 1958 Issues >
        • Submarine Miner, V.5, #1, January 1958
        • Submarine Miner, V.5, #2, February 1958
        • Submarine Miner, V.5, #3, March 1958
        • Submarine Miner, V.5, #4, April 1958
        • Submarine Miner, V.5, #5, May 1958
        • Submarine Miner, V.5, #6, June 1958
        • Submarine Miner, V.5, #7, July 1958
        • Submarine Miner, V.5, #8, August 1958
        • Submarine Miner, V.5, #9, September 1958
        • Submarine Miner, V.5, #10, October 1958
        • Submarine Miner, V.5, #11, November 1958
        • Submarine Miner, V.5, #12, December 1958
      • 1959 Issues >
        • Submarine Miner, V.6, #1, January 1959
        • Submarine Miner, V.6, #2, February 1959
        • Submarine Miner, V.6, #3, March 1959
        • Submarine Miner, V.6, #4, April 1959
        • Submarine Miner, V.6, #5, May 1959
        • Submarine Miner, V.6, #6, June 1959
        • Submarine Miner, V.6, #7, July 1959
        • Submarine Miner, V.6, #8, August 1959
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Ferries & The Tickle

This page will feature general photos and items about the body of water between Bell Island and Portugal Cove known as The Tickle, and the boats and ferries that have plied it over the years. Items and photos about specific ferries will be featured on off-shoot pages for each ferry. The first item, below, is a history of Bell Island's ferries written by Addison Bown and featured in the St. John's Daily News on August 31, 1960:

Addison Bown (1905-1988): Journalist; Editor; Historian; Secretary of Wabana Safety Committee; Minister of Supply in 1st Provincial Cabinet; Vice-Chair of Board of Public Utilities. Born Glace Bay, Nova Scotia; moved to Bell Island in 1906 when his father, Thomas Bown, became DISCO Assistant Manager there. Educated Bell Island and St. Bonaventure's College, St. John's. The family moved to St. John's in 1915. Bown returned to Bell Island in 1924 as Secretary of the Wabana Safety Committee, holding that position for 20 years. He was the newspaper correspondent for the St. John's Daily News from 1928-34, and editor of The Bell Island Miner from 1939-44. Premier J. R. Smallwood appointed him Minister of Supply in his first Cabinet in April 1949, but he was defeated in the Harbour Main-Bell Island district in the first provincial election a month later. In 1956, he was appointed Member of the Board of Public Utilities and was Vice-Chairman of that board when he retired in 1973.
Volunteer Activity: First president of the Businessmen's Association, 1949; regional VP of the Newfoundland Board of Trade, 1950; President of the Kiwanis Club, 1955; Chief Civil Defence Warden for Bell Island, 1956; member of the Canadian Authors' Association; executive member of the Newfoundland Historical Society. Source: ​Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador
Between 1957 and 1960, Bown made his most important contribution to Bell Island's history when he searched through 46 years of the St. John's Daily News to compile and edit his "Newspaper History of Bell Island, 1894-1939." These 2 hand-bound volumes are available at the MUN QE II Library, the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre Library, and Bell Island Library. They contain every article of Bell Island news that was published in The Daily News from the beginnings of the Wabana iron-ore mines through to the end of 1939, including social notes, marriages and deaths, and all things sports-related. He probably considered this work a hobby, but the countless hours of research and writing he must have put into it, along with his commentary and annotations based on local knowledge, have greatly benefited succeeding generations of writers of Bell Island's history and will continue to do so indefinitely. He is also the author of Newfoundland Journeys, published in 1971. Source: ​Encyclopedia of NL.
​
Addison Bown wrote the following comprehensive history of Bell Island ferries on the arrival of the John Guy in August 1960. Reading about the great advances and changes in ferry service down through the years, the old adage still proves true: "The more things change, the more they remain the same."

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The 1913 and 1915 Directories for Bell Island lists two steamship companies for Bell Island: 
     The Bell Island Steamship Company
​and
     The Euphrates Steamship Company

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