HISTORY
TRANSPORTATION
FERRIES & THE TICKLE
TRANSPORTATION
FERRIES & THE TICKLE
S.S. Mary, 1888-1929
BELL ISLAND-PORTUGAL COVE SERVICE:1907-1929
by Gail Hussey-Weir
Created May 5, 2025
BELL ISLAND-PORTUGAL COVE SERVICE:1907-1929
by Gail Hussey-Weir
Created May 5, 2025
The undated and uncredited photo below was posted on the Port de Grave Pictures From The Past Facebook Group April 30, 2022 by Wayne A Morgan. She was obviously stuck in ice in this photo as a horse and sleigh can be seen with men offloading freight.
The following history of the S.S. Mary's service to Bell Island is from Addison Bown's article entitled, "Bell Island Ferries of Former Years," published in The Daily News, August 31, 1960:
"In 1907, the S.S. Mary (1907-1929) was purchased in Quebec by the Bell Island Steamship Company and used at first as a freighter between St. John's and the Island. She was the first to display that company's house flag, a red bell on a white background; it flew on the company's successive ferries until the end of 1955. When the Mary arrived off the Beach at Bell Island in August 1907 with her first cargo, she was too big to berth at the public wharf and the freight had to be discharged in boats and lighters. She replaced the Progress on the Tickle in September when that regular ferry went to St. John's for a refit. By 1909, The Mary was one of four craft providing ferry service between Portugal Cove and Bell Island Beach. She was licensed to carry 80 passengers.
"In the winter of 1922, the Mary went on a two-week cruise in search of seals with her captain and crew of eight. She lost her propeller in the ice, but managed to reach Catalina under sail and was towed from there to St. John's by the Cabot. Later in the fall of 1922, she was used to lay the first telephone cable between Bell Island and Portugal Cove.
"The S.S. Mary ended her days in November 1929 when she drove ashore at Ship Cove, Port de Grave during a storm."
I recently received information from Mike Scott, a volunteer with the Scottish Maritime Museum, who has been researching the history of the S.S. Mary. He graciously sent me a link to the website "shippingandshipbuilding.uk" (see info from that website below) from which I learned that the S.S. Mary was built by Thomas Charlton at West Side, Royal Dock 23 in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England, in 1888. She was described as a "Fishing vessel trawler, iron screw steamer." She was 108 gross tons / 59 net tons, 90 feet long by 19.5 feet wide, with a draft of 10.4 feet. Her engine was "C2cyl (14.26 x 18 in), 30 hp, 1 screw. She was registered on October 4, 1888. In 1898 she was sold to Deep Sea Fishery Co. Ltd. in Esbjerg, Denmark. A few years later she was back with the original owner. She was registered at St. John's, NL, in 1907.
"In 1907, the S.S. Mary (1907-1929) was purchased in Quebec by the Bell Island Steamship Company and used at first as a freighter between St. John's and the Island. She was the first to display that company's house flag, a red bell on a white background; it flew on the company's successive ferries until the end of 1955. When the Mary arrived off the Beach at Bell Island in August 1907 with her first cargo, she was too big to berth at the public wharf and the freight had to be discharged in boats and lighters. She replaced the Progress on the Tickle in September when that regular ferry went to St. John's for a refit. By 1909, The Mary was one of four craft providing ferry service between Portugal Cove and Bell Island Beach. She was licensed to carry 80 passengers.
"In the winter of 1922, the Mary went on a two-week cruise in search of seals with her captain and crew of eight. She lost her propeller in the ice, but managed to reach Catalina under sail and was towed from there to St. John's by the Cabot. Later in the fall of 1922, she was used to lay the first telephone cable between Bell Island and Portugal Cove.
"The S.S. Mary ended her days in November 1929 when she drove ashore at Ship Cove, Port de Grave during a storm."
I recently received information from Mike Scott, a volunteer with the Scottish Maritime Museum, who has been researching the history of the S.S. Mary. He graciously sent me a link to the website "shippingandshipbuilding.uk" (see info from that website below) from which I learned that the S.S. Mary was built by Thomas Charlton at West Side, Royal Dock 23 in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England, in 1888. She was described as a "Fishing vessel trawler, iron screw steamer." She was 108 gross tons / 59 net tons, 90 feet long by 19.5 feet wide, with a draft of 10.4 feet. Her engine was "C2cyl (14.26 x 18 in), 30 hp, 1 screw. She was registered on October 4, 1888. In 1898 she was sold to Deep Sea Fishery Co. Ltd. in Esbjerg, Denmark. A few years later she was back with the original owner. She was registered at St. John's, NL, in 1907.
Information on the S.S. Mary, from shippingandshipbuilding.uk:
Name Official number Flag IMO
MARY 94092 GBR
Year built Date launched Date completed
1888 10/1888 10/1888
Vessel type Vessel description
Fishing Vessel Trawler Iron Screw Steamer
Builder Yard Yard no
Thomas Charlton, Grimsby West Side, Royal Dock 23
Tonnage Length Breadth Depth Draft
108 grt / 59 nrt / 90.0 ft 19.5 ft 10.4 ft
Engine builder Thomas Charlton
Engine detail
C2cyl (14, 26 x 18in), 30hp, 1 screw
First owner First port of register Registration date
T. Charlton, Grimsby Grimsby 04/10/1888
Other names
ESBJERG - 1907 MARY
Subsequent owner and registration history
1897 British register closed - sold foreign
LR1898 A/S Fram, Esbjerg (as ESBJERG)
LR1901 Deep Sea Fishery Co. Ltd., noted as British (as ESBJERG)
1907 reg. at St. John's, Newfoundland (as MARY)
MNL1910-1930 Belle Island Steamship Co. Ltd., Conception Bay, Newfoundland
Vessel history
Remarks
End year Fate / Status
1930 Register Closed
Disposal Detail
1930 British/Canadian register closed.
No photos available for this vessel
Name Official number Flag IMO
MARY 94092 GBR
Year built Date launched Date completed
1888 10/1888 10/1888
Vessel type Vessel description
Fishing Vessel Trawler Iron Screw Steamer
Builder Yard Yard no
Thomas Charlton, Grimsby West Side, Royal Dock 23
Tonnage Length Breadth Depth Draft
108 grt / 59 nrt / 90.0 ft 19.5 ft 10.4 ft
Engine builder Thomas Charlton
Engine detail
C2cyl (14, 26 x 18in), 30hp, 1 screw
First owner First port of register Registration date
T. Charlton, Grimsby Grimsby 04/10/1888
Other names
ESBJERG - 1907 MARY
Subsequent owner and registration history
1897 British register closed - sold foreign
LR1898 A/S Fram, Esbjerg (as ESBJERG)
LR1901 Deep Sea Fishery Co. Ltd., noted as British (as ESBJERG)
1907 reg. at St. John's, Newfoundland (as MARY)
MNL1910-1930 Belle Island Steamship Co. Ltd., Conception Bay, Newfoundland
Vessel history
Remarks
End year Fate / Status
1930 Register Closed
Disposal Detail
1930 British/Canadian register closed.
No photos available for this vessel
The following information is from The Daily News and from Addison Bown's "Newspaper History of Bell Island," which he published in installments in The Daily News between 1957 and 1960:
The S.S. Mary was first mentioned in The Daily News on December 19, 1906, p. 6:
"Mr. Tasker Cook has effected the sale of the S.S. Mary, from the White Friars Steamship Co. to the Bell Island Steamship Co. The Mary is 108 tons gross, 59 tons net and is now at Quebec. She will ply between Wabana, St. John's and ports in Conception Bay. She has accommodation for 10 saloon passengers, and is suitable for the work she will be engaged in."
"The S.S. Mary discharged her first cargo of freight at Bell Island in August 1907. There was insufficient water at the public wharf to accommodate her and the cargo had to be discharged in small boats and lighters. The wharf would have to be extended 20 feet to receive her." [Source: Bown, 1907, p. 23.]
From The Daily News, Sept. 5, 1907, p. 6:
"The S.S. Mary, Capt. Nickerson, sailed for Bell Island at 1:15 p.m. yesterday. She took a full load of freight, principally machinery and fittings for the Nova Scotia and Dominion companies."
"S.S. Mary arrived at Bell Island on Feb. 5, 1908, with a load of machinery and was flying the new house flag of the Bell Island Steamship Company, a white flag with a large red bell in the centre." [Source: Bown, 1908, p. 24.]
"S.S. Mary took an excursion party of 60 people from Harbour Grace to Bell Island on July 22, 1908. The Mary was certified to carry 80 passengers."[Source: Bown, 1908, p. 25.]
"The S.S. Mary brought a cargo of dynamite from Halifax in the fall for the Dominion Company. This appears to have been the first direct shipment of dynamite [to Bell Island] as all shipments of explosives previously had come in by way of St. John's from which they were transhipped to Bell Island." [Source: Bown, 1911, p. 37.]
"The first telephone cable to Bell Island was laid across the Tickle by the S.S. Mary in November 1922." [Source: Bown, 1922, p. 69.]
The S.S. Mary was wrecked in a wind storm at Port de Grave, NL, November 16, 1929. The undated and uncredited photo below was posted on the Port de Grave Pictures From The Past Facebook Group October 15, 2020 by Wayne A Morgan.
The S.S. Mary was first mentioned in The Daily News on December 19, 1906, p. 6:
"Mr. Tasker Cook has effected the sale of the S.S. Mary, from the White Friars Steamship Co. to the Bell Island Steamship Co. The Mary is 108 tons gross, 59 tons net and is now at Quebec. She will ply between Wabana, St. John's and ports in Conception Bay. She has accommodation for 10 saloon passengers, and is suitable for the work she will be engaged in."
"The S.S. Mary discharged her first cargo of freight at Bell Island in August 1907. There was insufficient water at the public wharf to accommodate her and the cargo had to be discharged in small boats and lighters. The wharf would have to be extended 20 feet to receive her." [Source: Bown, 1907, p. 23.]
From The Daily News, Sept. 5, 1907, p. 6:
"The S.S. Mary, Capt. Nickerson, sailed for Bell Island at 1:15 p.m. yesterday. She took a full load of freight, principally machinery and fittings for the Nova Scotia and Dominion companies."
"S.S. Mary arrived at Bell Island on Feb. 5, 1908, with a load of machinery and was flying the new house flag of the Bell Island Steamship Company, a white flag with a large red bell in the centre." [Source: Bown, 1908, p. 24.]
"S.S. Mary took an excursion party of 60 people from Harbour Grace to Bell Island on July 22, 1908. The Mary was certified to carry 80 passengers."[Source: Bown, 1908, p. 25.]
"The S.S. Mary brought a cargo of dynamite from Halifax in the fall for the Dominion Company. This appears to have been the first direct shipment of dynamite [to Bell Island] as all shipments of explosives previously had come in by way of St. John's from which they were transhipped to Bell Island." [Source: Bown, 1911, p. 37.]
"The first telephone cable to Bell Island was laid across the Tickle by the S.S. Mary in November 1922." [Source: Bown, 1922, p. 69.]
The S.S. Mary was wrecked in a wind storm at Port de Grave, NL, November 16, 1929. The undated and uncredited photo below was posted on the Port de Grave Pictures From The Past Facebook Group October 15, 2020 by Wayne A Morgan.
Another similar undated and uncredited photo below was posted on the Port de Grave Pictures From The Past Facebook Group July 31, 2024 by Wayne A Morgan.
From The Daily News, Nov. 18, 1929, p. 3:
"Well-Known Steamer Meets Disaster at Port de Grave: Bell Island Steamship Company's Carrier Mary, After Over Twenty Years of Service, Comes to Grief in Conception Bay. Cause of Casualty Due to Entangled Propellor. S.S. Mary of the Bell Island Steamship Co. Ltd. went on shore at Port de Grave shortly after noon on Saturday [Nov. 16, 1929] and is now lying upright with her hold full of water between two large boulders with a small bounder sticking through her bottom. The crew got on shore safely as the steamer is within a few feet of the land. Mr. W.R. Neal, managing director of the Steamship Co. visited the scene of the wreck yesterday and gave the following information to the Daily News: S.S. Mary in ballast arrived at the wharf of Mr. Harold Andrews at Port de Grave and tied up, preparatory to loading fish for St. John's. There was considerable swell and the captain decided to pull out from the wharf. The Mary was backed out. A motor schooner was moored a little distance from the wharf. She had a long length of anchor chain out, which got entangled in the Mary's propellor, stopping the engines. The steamer drifted, with the high wind on the land, resting between two large boulders with a smaller one through her bottom. It is not known at present if the boat can be salvaged. No insurance was carried. The Mary was built in 1888 at Grimsby, by T. Charlton, and is 104 tons gross and 59 net and came to this country from Quebec in 1908 [sic: 1907]."
From The Bay Roberts Guardian, Nov. 22, 1929, p. 6:
"S.S. Mary Wrecked at Port de Grave: The Bell Island Steamship Co's. steamer Mary, which has been plying between St. John's, Bell Island and the [Conception] Bay ports for a number of years, went ashore at Port de Grave on Saturday last [ie. Nov. 16] and still lies wedged between two large boulders with several feet of water in her hold. The Mary went to Port de Grave to load fish from Mr. Harold Andrews. A heavy swell and gale obliged the ship to leave the wharf and, in so doing, her propellor became entangled in the mooring of a motor boat and, in this helpless position, she drove on the rocks."
The photo below shows the S.S. Mary wrecked at Port de Grave in 1929. [Source: Maritime History Archive, Munn-Godden Collection.]
"Well-Known Steamer Meets Disaster at Port de Grave: Bell Island Steamship Company's Carrier Mary, After Over Twenty Years of Service, Comes to Grief in Conception Bay. Cause of Casualty Due to Entangled Propellor. S.S. Mary of the Bell Island Steamship Co. Ltd. went on shore at Port de Grave shortly after noon on Saturday [Nov. 16, 1929] and is now lying upright with her hold full of water between two large boulders with a small bounder sticking through her bottom. The crew got on shore safely as the steamer is within a few feet of the land. Mr. W.R. Neal, managing director of the Steamship Co. visited the scene of the wreck yesterday and gave the following information to the Daily News: S.S. Mary in ballast arrived at the wharf of Mr. Harold Andrews at Port de Grave and tied up, preparatory to loading fish for St. John's. There was considerable swell and the captain decided to pull out from the wharf. The Mary was backed out. A motor schooner was moored a little distance from the wharf. She had a long length of anchor chain out, which got entangled in the Mary's propellor, stopping the engines. The steamer drifted, with the high wind on the land, resting between two large boulders with a smaller one through her bottom. It is not known at present if the boat can be salvaged. No insurance was carried. The Mary was built in 1888 at Grimsby, by T. Charlton, and is 104 tons gross and 59 net and came to this country from Quebec in 1908 [sic: 1907]."
From The Bay Roberts Guardian, Nov. 22, 1929, p. 6:
"S.S. Mary Wrecked at Port de Grave: The Bell Island Steamship Co's. steamer Mary, which has been plying between St. John's, Bell Island and the [Conception] Bay ports for a number of years, went ashore at Port de Grave on Saturday last [ie. Nov. 16] and still lies wedged between two large boulders with several feet of water in her hold. The Mary went to Port de Grave to load fish from Mr. Harold Andrews. A heavy swell and gale obliged the ship to leave the wharf and, in so doing, her propellor became entangled in the mooring of a motor boat and, in this helpless position, she drove on the rocks."
The photo below shows the S.S. Mary wrecked at Port de Grave in 1929. [Source: Maritime History Archive, Munn-Godden Collection.]
Here are some comments by members of the Port de Grave Pictures From The Past Facebook Group regarding the wreckage of the S.S. Mary in response to someone asking, "Does anything still exist or has it all rotted away?":
"They removed what they could before they put the new wharf and plant there."
"Nothing there now. I remember in the early seventies we would row over it. The full shape was still there all rusted and collapsed. Hooked up one of the bronze valves that was on it. The prop was recovered and sold."
"Hooked up a large brass valve one day and sold it to a scrap dealer in Makinsons for 3 dollars; a fair sum back then."
"They removed what they could before they put the new wharf and plant there."
"Nothing there now. I remember in the early seventies we would row over it. The full shape was still there all rusted and collapsed. Hooked up one of the bronze valves that was on it. The prop was recovered and sold."
"Hooked up a large brass valve one day and sold it to a scrap dealer in Makinsons for 3 dollars; a fair sum back then."