HISTORY
TRANSPORTATION
TRANSPORTATION
TRANSPORT & SHIPPING COMPANIES
by Gail Hussey-Weir
Created March 19, 2021/Updated April 27, 2022
by Gail Hussey-Weir
Created March 19, 2021/Updated April 27, 2022
In the first half of the 20th Century a number of companies were incorporated at various times to operate freighters and ferries in Conception Bay, usually with several operating at any one time down through the years. All that changed in 1955 with the coming of the Newfoundland Transportation Company. This new company was granted the exclusive franchise to operate the ferries on the Bell Island-Portugal Cove run. (Read more of this story in the Newfoundland Transportation Company section near the bottom of this page.) At some point, the Newfoundland Government took over the operation of the provincial ferry system, which now comes under the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure-Marine Services.
Meanwhile, with the advent of drive-on ferries, much of the freight that used to be delivered from St. John's around Cape St. Francis to Bell Island by small freighters began to be transported by trucks taking the ferry from Portugal Cove to Bell Island.
Below, in alphabetical order, are some of the known shipping companies that operated ferries and freighters in Conception Bay in the first half of the 1900s. No doubt there are others, and I will add those as I come across them. It is not clear if every operator of a ferry or freighter was required by law to form a company in order to do so, but several of those listed seem to have been formed at the time that they brought a new vessel into service. For example, the Euphrates Steamship Company seems to have been formed in 1910 solely for the purpose of operating the S.S. Euphrates. Several of the companies overlap in ownership. For example, the Bell Island Steamship Company, formed in 1903, and the Bell Island Transportation Company, formed in 1913 to operate the Beach Tramway, both seem to have been owned by the same three men, one of whom, George Neal of St. John's, was also named as being the agent for the Avalon Steamship Company. Also, the Angel Engineering and Steamship Company, that was said to be shipping freight to Bell Island from St. John's in 1904, was in partnership with the Progress Steamship Company in operating the ferry S.S. Progress in 1903. Angel Engineering was also involved with the planning and construction of the Beach Tramway, owned by the Bell Island Transportation Company. There is still much to be discovered about what companies were involved and who their owners were.
The dates given with each company are either their known dates of existence, or their approximate dates (indicated by "c." meaning "about," or question marks, meaning either dates that are unknown or uncertain).
Meanwhile, with the advent of drive-on ferries, much of the freight that used to be delivered from St. John's around Cape St. Francis to Bell Island by small freighters began to be transported by trucks taking the ferry from Portugal Cove to Bell Island.
Below, in alphabetical order, are some of the known shipping companies that operated ferries and freighters in Conception Bay in the first half of the 1900s. No doubt there are others, and I will add those as I come across them. It is not clear if every operator of a ferry or freighter was required by law to form a company in order to do so, but several of those listed seem to have been formed at the time that they brought a new vessel into service. For example, the Euphrates Steamship Company seems to have been formed in 1910 solely for the purpose of operating the S.S. Euphrates. Several of the companies overlap in ownership. For example, the Bell Island Steamship Company, formed in 1903, and the Bell Island Transportation Company, formed in 1913 to operate the Beach Tramway, both seem to have been owned by the same three men, one of whom, George Neal of St. John's, was also named as being the agent for the Avalon Steamship Company. Also, the Angel Engineering and Steamship Company, that was said to be shipping freight to Bell Island from St. John's in 1904, was in partnership with the Progress Steamship Company in operating the ferry S.S. Progress in 1903. Angel Engineering was also involved with the planning and construction of the Beach Tramway, owned by the Bell Island Transportation Company. There is still much to be discovered about what companies were involved and who their owners were.
The dates given with each company are either their known dates of existence, or their approximate dates (indicated by "c." meaning "about," or question marks, meaning either dates that are unknown or uncertain).
Angel Engineering & Steamship Company
c.1904-????
c.1904-????
The Daily News reported in 1904 that the Angel Engineering and Steamship Company was making regular weekly trips to Bell Island from St. John's with freight. The company was owned by the Honourable James Angel (1838-1918) of St. John's and then his son, Fred (Frederick W.) Angel who was an Engineer who had worked as Chief Engineer at Wabana Mines from c.1900-1904, and went on to become Director and Chief Engineer of the Angel Engineering and Supply Company in St. John's. From 1913 until his death in 1937, he was President of United Nail and Foundry Company in St. John's. While the full extent of his involvement in the Bell Island Transportation Company (see below) is not clear, it is known that he engineered and constructed the Beach Tramway, and that he promoted the company. Read more about Frederick W. Angel in section "A" of the "People" page on this website. Read more about the Beach Tramway on this website at https://www.historic-wabana.com/beach-tramway.html.
Source: Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1904, p. 17.
Source: Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1904, p. 17.
Avalon Steamship Company
1937-????
1937-????
The Avalon Steamship Co. was formed in the summer of 1937. They purchased the 100-ton M.V. Baronet in Halifax to be used in the thrice-weekly freight service from St. John's to Bell Island. George Neal Ltd. of St. John's were the agents. The Baronet was an oil-burner and replaced the coal-burning H.A. Walker. Source: Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1937, p. 65.
The H.A. Walker was one of two steamers in the Bell Island freighting service that "met their fate" in the ice floes in the winter of 1938:
"On February 17, 1938, the S.S. H.A. Walker became jammed in the ice two miles south of Cape St. Francis while on her way to St. John's from Carbonear. The Kyle made an unsuccessful attempt to free her. One of the crew had walked ashore and telephoned the owners, the Avalon Steamship Company, from the lighthouse, apprising them of the freighter's plight. She was commanded by Captain Llew. Carter and carried a crew of four. (In the previous year, the Walker was loaded and ready to sail from St. John's for Bell Island on February 3rd, but did not get around to Conception Bay until the 17th, and was then caught at the Island until March 11th.)
"The next news (in February 1938) about the ship was that she was on fire in the ice. Captain Carter and one crew member walked ashore to Cape St. Francis but the ice moved off the land and they could not return to the ship. She drifted towards the land near Pouch Cove and the other crew members abandoned her and walked ashore. She was seen to be on fire after being abandoned.
"The H.A. Walker was originally one of the Canadian Coastal Defence boats stationed at Halifax during the First World War. A sister ship, the Wop, also well-known locally, was stuck in the ice in Argentia Harbour with a load of herring she was bringing from the west side of Placentia Bay for North American Fisheries. This was not drift ice, which rarely makes its way into Placentia Bay. The intense cold that month had caused six inches of ice to form in Argentia Harbour. The Wop was cut out of the ice by S.S. Home but a week or so later, she sprang a leak at Merasheen, probably as a result of the squeeze, and sank."
Source: Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1938, pp. 69-70.
The H.A. Walker was one of two steamers in the Bell Island freighting service that "met their fate" in the ice floes in the winter of 1938:
"On February 17, 1938, the S.S. H.A. Walker became jammed in the ice two miles south of Cape St. Francis while on her way to St. John's from Carbonear. The Kyle made an unsuccessful attempt to free her. One of the crew had walked ashore and telephoned the owners, the Avalon Steamship Company, from the lighthouse, apprising them of the freighter's plight. She was commanded by Captain Llew. Carter and carried a crew of four. (In the previous year, the Walker was loaded and ready to sail from St. John's for Bell Island on February 3rd, but did not get around to Conception Bay until the 17th, and was then caught at the Island until March 11th.)
"The next news (in February 1938) about the ship was that she was on fire in the ice. Captain Carter and one crew member walked ashore to Cape St. Francis but the ice moved off the land and they could not return to the ship. She drifted towards the land near Pouch Cove and the other crew members abandoned her and walked ashore. She was seen to be on fire after being abandoned.
"The H.A. Walker was originally one of the Canadian Coastal Defence boats stationed at Halifax during the First World War. A sister ship, the Wop, also well-known locally, was stuck in the ice in Argentia Harbour with a load of herring she was bringing from the west side of Placentia Bay for North American Fisheries. This was not drift ice, which rarely makes its way into Placentia Bay. The intense cold that month had caused six inches of ice to form in Argentia Harbour. The Wop was cut out of the ice by S.S. Home but a week or so later, she sprang a leak at Merasheen, probably as a result of the squeeze, and sank."
Source: Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1938, pp. 69-70.
The Bell Island Steamship Company
1903-1955
1903-1955
The Bell Island Steamship Company was incorporated in 1903.
J.B. Martin, the largest general merchant on Bell Island at the time, was the co-founder in 1903, along with George Neal (wholesale merchant of St. John's) of the Bell Island Steamship Company, which served the travelling public and kept the Island supplied with freight from St. John's until 1955. Their first ferry was the steam tug Progress. The Mary was also bought to carry freight around Cape St. Francis. Their last ferry, the most popular of all, was the MANECO, Bell Island's first car ferry, which was specially built in 1931 to carry six motor cars. Captain J.C. Colbourne became part of the company after its inauguration. He was superintendent of Dominion Pier at the time; he acted as ships' husband for the steamers at Bell Island. The name MANECO was made up from the first two letters of the owners' names: Martin, Neal and Colbourne.
There is no mention of the Bell Island Steamship Company or its owner or employees in the 1904 Directory for Bell Island, or the 1908 St. John's Directory.
In February 1908, the S.S. Mary was flying the "new house flag" of the Bell Island Steamship Company - a white flag with a large red bell in the center.
In the 1913, 1915 and 1919 Directory for Bell Island, J.B. Martin is listed as "agent for Bell Island Steamship Company."
The Bell Island Steamship Company absorbed the Euphrates Steamship Company in 1918.
The Bell Island Steamship Company was not listed in either the 1949 or the 1952 telephone directory, however, the Bell Island Transportation Company (see below) was in those directories. These two companies were owned by the same men and seem to have been intertwined.
The demise of the Bell Island Steamship Company was documented in three editorials in the Daily News in December 1955 when the Newfoundland Transportation Company was granted an exclusive franchise to operated the ferries on the Tickle. Read more about that below under "Newfoundland Transportation Company."
(Source: Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1937, p. 67.)
J.B. Martin, the largest general merchant on Bell Island at the time, was the co-founder in 1903, along with George Neal (wholesale merchant of St. John's) of the Bell Island Steamship Company, which served the travelling public and kept the Island supplied with freight from St. John's until 1955. Their first ferry was the steam tug Progress. The Mary was also bought to carry freight around Cape St. Francis. Their last ferry, the most popular of all, was the MANECO, Bell Island's first car ferry, which was specially built in 1931 to carry six motor cars. Captain J.C. Colbourne became part of the company after its inauguration. He was superintendent of Dominion Pier at the time; he acted as ships' husband for the steamers at Bell Island. The name MANECO was made up from the first two letters of the owners' names: Martin, Neal and Colbourne.
There is no mention of the Bell Island Steamship Company or its owner or employees in the 1904 Directory for Bell Island, or the 1908 St. John's Directory.
In February 1908, the S.S. Mary was flying the "new house flag" of the Bell Island Steamship Company - a white flag with a large red bell in the center.
In the 1913, 1915 and 1919 Directory for Bell Island, J.B. Martin is listed as "agent for Bell Island Steamship Company."
The Bell Island Steamship Company absorbed the Euphrates Steamship Company in 1918.
The Bell Island Steamship Company was not listed in either the 1949 or the 1952 telephone directory, however, the Bell Island Transportation Company (see below) was in those directories. These two companies were owned by the same men and seem to have been intertwined.
The demise of the Bell Island Steamship Company was documented in three editorials in the Daily News in December 1955 when the Newfoundland Transportation Company was granted an exclusive franchise to operated the ferries on the Tickle. Read more about that below under "Newfoundland Transportation Company."
(Source: Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1937, p. 67.)
The Bell Island Transportation Company
1913-1955?
1913-1955?
The Bell Island Transportation Company was incorporated in 1913 to operate the Beach Tramway.
Ownership:
J.B. Martin, businessman at the Front, George Neal, Businessman of St. John's, and Captain Colbourne, each had shares in the MANECO and called themselves the Bell Island Transportation Company. They also owned the tram system that operated on the Beach Hill. (Source: Sydney Bown, personal interview, June 14, 1991.)
The first mention I have found of the Bell Island Transportation Company was on April 2, 1913, when a Bill known as "A Bill Relating to Construction of Tramways on Bell Island" was introduced in the House of Assembly. It gave the Bell Island Transportation Company a franchise for 50 years to operate a tramway across the Island. The Government voted $1000 annually toward the upkeep of a wharf, which was then being built, and an annual subsidy of $100 for carrying the mail over the hill. The sum of the wharf was the amount it had cost the Government per year over the previous ten years for the upkeep of the public wharf. The rates to be charged on the Tramway were set for five years at $1.25 per ton for freight, and 10c each way for passengers. All machinery for its operation was to be imported duty free. The wharf was expected to cost $14,000.
When the above Act was passed, it was called An Act for the Encouragement of the Construction of Tramways at Bell Island." This Act granted to the Bell Island Transportation Company, Ltd., the exclusive right for fifty years to install and operate on Bell Island, including power or other tramways, elevators, skips or other devices; not to interfere, however, with the right of the Dominion Iron and Steel Co. or the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Co. or other mine owners to install and operate any tramways, &c., necessary for their business of mining. The Company was granted land at the Beach for wharf, &c., and for twenty years a sum of $1000 per annum for use of public wharf and a guarantee for twenty years of five percent, on paid up capital. The Company was further given power to light Bell Island by electricity and to make necessary erections, and all machinery, &c., was admitted duty free.
The Bell Island Transportation Company was not mentioned in the Bell Island Directories for 1913 or 1915.
The 1919 Directory for Bell Island is the first time the Bell Island Transportation Company was listed; W. [Walter] Squire was the Manager. No other individuals are listed as working with the company.
In 1930, the Bell Island Transportation Company introduced a system of delivering freight by truck. (Source: Bown)
The Bell Island Transportation Company was listed in the 1949 telephone directory as Transportation Company, Wharf: 254R, and Office: 254W. The Beach Tramway had ceased operation in 1948.
The Bell Island Transportation Company was listed in the 1952 telephone directory with the same phone numbers as 1949.
The Bell Island Transportation Company and the Bell Island Steamship Company were owned by the same men and seem to have been intertwined. The demise of the Bell Island Steamship Company was documented in three editorials in the Daily News in December 1955 when the Newfoundland Transportation Company was granted an exclusive franchise to operated the ferries on the Tickle. It seems likely that the Bell Island Transportation Company also ceased operating at that time.
Read more about that demise below under "Newfoundland Transportation Company."
Sources: Yearbook & Almanac of Newfoundland, 1914; Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1913, p. 41.
Ownership:
J.B. Martin, businessman at the Front, George Neal, Businessman of St. John's, and Captain Colbourne, each had shares in the MANECO and called themselves the Bell Island Transportation Company. They also owned the tram system that operated on the Beach Hill. (Source: Sydney Bown, personal interview, June 14, 1991.)
The first mention I have found of the Bell Island Transportation Company was on April 2, 1913, when a Bill known as "A Bill Relating to Construction of Tramways on Bell Island" was introduced in the House of Assembly. It gave the Bell Island Transportation Company a franchise for 50 years to operate a tramway across the Island. The Government voted $1000 annually toward the upkeep of a wharf, which was then being built, and an annual subsidy of $100 for carrying the mail over the hill. The sum of the wharf was the amount it had cost the Government per year over the previous ten years for the upkeep of the public wharf. The rates to be charged on the Tramway were set for five years at $1.25 per ton for freight, and 10c each way for passengers. All machinery for its operation was to be imported duty free. The wharf was expected to cost $14,000.
When the above Act was passed, it was called An Act for the Encouragement of the Construction of Tramways at Bell Island." This Act granted to the Bell Island Transportation Company, Ltd., the exclusive right for fifty years to install and operate on Bell Island, including power or other tramways, elevators, skips or other devices; not to interfere, however, with the right of the Dominion Iron and Steel Co. or the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Co. or other mine owners to install and operate any tramways, &c., necessary for their business of mining. The Company was granted land at the Beach for wharf, &c., and for twenty years a sum of $1000 per annum for use of public wharf and a guarantee for twenty years of five percent, on paid up capital. The Company was further given power to light Bell Island by electricity and to make necessary erections, and all machinery, &c., was admitted duty free.
The Bell Island Transportation Company was not mentioned in the Bell Island Directories for 1913 or 1915.
The 1919 Directory for Bell Island is the first time the Bell Island Transportation Company was listed; W. [Walter] Squire was the Manager. No other individuals are listed as working with the company.
In 1930, the Bell Island Transportation Company introduced a system of delivering freight by truck. (Source: Bown)
The Bell Island Transportation Company was listed in the 1949 telephone directory as Transportation Company, Wharf: 254R, and Office: 254W. The Beach Tramway had ceased operation in 1948.
The Bell Island Transportation Company was listed in the 1952 telephone directory with the same phone numbers as 1949.
The Bell Island Transportation Company and the Bell Island Steamship Company were owned by the same men and seem to have been intertwined. The demise of the Bell Island Steamship Company was documented in three editorials in the Daily News in December 1955 when the Newfoundland Transportation Company was granted an exclusive franchise to operated the ferries on the Tickle. It seems likely that the Bell Island Transportation Company also ceased operating at that time.
Read more about that demise below under "Newfoundland Transportation Company."
Sources: Yearbook & Almanac of Newfoundland, 1914; Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1913, p. 41.
The Euphrates Steamship Company
1910-1918
1910-1918
The Euphrates Steamship Company seems to have been incorporated in 1910 when the steamer Euphrates was purchased by a St. John's company, of which Frank McNamara was the managing director, to ply between St. John's and ports in Conception Bay. The Bell Island Steamship Company absorbed the Euphrates Steamship Company in 1918.
Source: Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1910, p. 31, and 1918, p. 55.
Source: Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1910, p. 31, and 1918, p. 55.
The Newfoundland Transportation Company
1953-????
1953-????
The Newfoundland Transportation Company was incorporated in 1953 to take over the franchise for the Bell Island-Portugal Cove Ferry service. In the first half of the 20th Century a number of companies were incorporated at various times to operate freighters and ferries in Conception Bay, usually with several operating at any one time down through the years. All this changed in 1955 with the coming of the Newfoundland Transportation Company.
In October 1955, the Newfoundland Transportation Company appeared before the Public Utilities Commission to argue their case that they needed an exclusive franchise to operate the Bell Island ferry service in order to provide the best service possible. At the time, the Bell Island Steamship Company had been operating on the Tickle since 1903, and were in their 25th year operating the Maneco in that service. (As well, the Terra Nova Transportation Company were operating the Kipawo on the run.) The Newfoundland Transportation Company, owned by what the solicitor for the Bell Island Steamship Company termed "a Mainland promoter," would be putting this half-century old local company out of business.
On November 24, 1955, C.F. McLellan was guest speaker at the 5th anniversary dinner meeting of the Bell Island Kiwanis Club. He told the members the story of his part in setting up the new ferry service on the Tickle, beginning with his being approached by Premier J.R. Smallwood three years earlier to make an investigation into the service and to make recommendations for improving it. He spoke of his future plans to improve the service, stating that after the M.V. Elmer Jones, his company's ferry that had just started operating on the run in October, had had four seasons' experience on the Tickle, it was his company's intention to build a new boat that would embody the various improvements that might be considered necessary after experiencing all types of weather. At the time of this speech to the Kiwanis Club, his company had not yet received the franchise he was seeking. He promised that if he did receive it, the ferry rates would be reduced. He had also met with the Town Council to discuss the matter of special trips with hospital patients: if a local resident were without the financial means to get to hospital (in St. John's) in any emergency, his company would transport them free of charge. He made it clear that the operators of the new service regarded themselves as servants and not masters of the travelling public, and he pressed that every attention would be given to suggestions made by the public to improve the service.
On December 1, 1955, the Public Utilities Commission handed down their decision, awarding the exclusive franchise to the Newfoundland Transportation Company, owners of the ferry Elmer Jones, effective on January 1, 1956, at which time the ferry Maneco would be taken off the service. No reason was given in the release by the Commission as to why the owners of the Maneco were not invited to continue the service they had been providing since 1903. The editors of the Daily News took exception of this decision when, two days later, they printed an editorial that called it "a travesty on equity and commonsense. We regard as a grave injustice a ruling which has the effect of passing sentence of death on a company which has been operating a ferry on the same service for nearly 50 years. We deplore the destruction of competition on a route which is important enough in the size of the traffic offering to support a competitive service and has done so for many years." The editorial went on to "demand" that the Public Utilities Commission "state in clear and unequivocal language by what process of reasoning it has arrived at a decision to grant to an operator with little experience in the particular service the right to a monopoly, a right that can only be granted at the cost of eliminating a company which has given long and faithful service on the same route." When the Public Utilities Commission chairman responded to the newspaper's demand by saying he had "no comment," the Daily News, on December 9, 1955, published another extensive editorial in which it laid out the facts of the case as they saw them, and once again admonished the Commission's decision: "We believe that it violates fundamental rights. We believe it establishes a precedent so dangerous that it should not be allowed to stand." The Daily News published a third editorial on the subject on December 24, 1955 which they titled "Maneco's Farewell." The Bell Island Steamship Company had announced that the ferry Maneco would be withdrawn from the Portugal Cove-Bell Island service that day after nearly 25 years of active duty. The editorial spoke glowingly of the Maneco's years on the Tickle. It spoke of "the shocking decision of the Public Utilities Commission to give an exclusive franchise to the owners of an untried vessel [the Elmer Jones] which seems quite incapable of braving weather that the Maneco took in her stride." The editorial lamented that, "since no protest has come from the people of Bell Island, it must be assumed that they are quite content with the service they will get after the withdrawal of the Maneco, there is nothing more to be said on this point."
Note: At this time, the Elmer Jones was being referred to as the Frederick Carter. For whatever reason, that name did not stick, and she remained the Elmer Jones throughout the remainder of her career.
The article on "Ferries" in the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, V. II, pp. 43-49) noted that:
The Federal Government had become financially involved [in the Bell Island ferry service] in 1959 when the Department of Transportation agreed to build the M.V. John Guy and lease it to the Newfoundland Transportation Company. The privately-owned service would be subsidized by the Canadian Transportation Commission with terms to be negotiated at the end of each fiscal year, but with no continuing commitment.
Sources: The Daily News, Oct. 6, 1955, p. 3; Nov. 26, 1955, p. 7; Dec. 2, 1955, pp. 3 & 5; Dec. 3, 1955, p. 4; Dec. 9, 1955, p. 4; Dec. 24, 1955, p. 4; Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, V. II, pp. 43-49.
In October 1955, the Newfoundland Transportation Company appeared before the Public Utilities Commission to argue their case that they needed an exclusive franchise to operate the Bell Island ferry service in order to provide the best service possible. At the time, the Bell Island Steamship Company had been operating on the Tickle since 1903, and were in their 25th year operating the Maneco in that service. (As well, the Terra Nova Transportation Company were operating the Kipawo on the run.) The Newfoundland Transportation Company, owned by what the solicitor for the Bell Island Steamship Company termed "a Mainland promoter," would be putting this half-century old local company out of business.
On November 24, 1955, C.F. McLellan was guest speaker at the 5th anniversary dinner meeting of the Bell Island Kiwanis Club. He told the members the story of his part in setting up the new ferry service on the Tickle, beginning with his being approached by Premier J.R. Smallwood three years earlier to make an investigation into the service and to make recommendations for improving it. He spoke of his future plans to improve the service, stating that after the M.V. Elmer Jones, his company's ferry that had just started operating on the run in October, had had four seasons' experience on the Tickle, it was his company's intention to build a new boat that would embody the various improvements that might be considered necessary after experiencing all types of weather. At the time of this speech to the Kiwanis Club, his company had not yet received the franchise he was seeking. He promised that if he did receive it, the ferry rates would be reduced. He had also met with the Town Council to discuss the matter of special trips with hospital patients: if a local resident were without the financial means to get to hospital (in St. John's) in any emergency, his company would transport them free of charge. He made it clear that the operators of the new service regarded themselves as servants and not masters of the travelling public, and he pressed that every attention would be given to suggestions made by the public to improve the service.
On December 1, 1955, the Public Utilities Commission handed down their decision, awarding the exclusive franchise to the Newfoundland Transportation Company, owners of the ferry Elmer Jones, effective on January 1, 1956, at which time the ferry Maneco would be taken off the service. No reason was given in the release by the Commission as to why the owners of the Maneco were not invited to continue the service they had been providing since 1903. The editors of the Daily News took exception of this decision when, two days later, they printed an editorial that called it "a travesty on equity and commonsense. We regard as a grave injustice a ruling which has the effect of passing sentence of death on a company which has been operating a ferry on the same service for nearly 50 years. We deplore the destruction of competition on a route which is important enough in the size of the traffic offering to support a competitive service and has done so for many years." The editorial went on to "demand" that the Public Utilities Commission "state in clear and unequivocal language by what process of reasoning it has arrived at a decision to grant to an operator with little experience in the particular service the right to a monopoly, a right that can only be granted at the cost of eliminating a company which has given long and faithful service on the same route." When the Public Utilities Commission chairman responded to the newspaper's demand by saying he had "no comment," the Daily News, on December 9, 1955, published another extensive editorial in which it laid out the facts of the case as they saw them, and once again admonished the Commission's decision: "We believe that it violates fundamental rights. We believe it establishes a precedent so dangerous that it should not be allowed to stand." The Daily News published a third editorial on the subject on December 24, 1955 which they titled "Maneco's Farewell." The Bell Island Steamship Company had announced that the ferry Maneco would be withdrawn from the Portugal Cove-Bell Island service that day after nearly 25 years of active duty. The editorial spoke glowingly of the Maneco's years on the Tickle. It spoke of "the shocking decision of the Public Utilities Commission to give an exclusive franchise to the owners of an untried vessel [the Elmer Jones] which seems quite incapable of braving weather that the Maneco took in her stride." The editorial lamented that, "since no protest has come from the people of Bell Island, it must be assumed that they are quite content with the service they will get after the withdrawal of the Maneco, there is nothing more to be said on this point."
Note: At this time, the Elmer Jones was being referred to as the Frederick Carter. For whatever reason, that name did not stick, and she remained the Elmer Jones throughout the remainder of her career.
The article on "Ferries" in the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, V. II, pp. 43-49) noted that:
The Federal Government had become financially involved [in the Bell Island ferry service] in 1959 when the Department of Transportation agreed to build the M.V. John Guy and lease it to the Newfoundland Transportation Company. The privately-owned service would be subsidized by the Canadian Transportation Commission with terms to be negotiated at the end of each fiscal year, but with no continuing commitment.
Sources: The Daily News, Oct. 6, 1955, p. 3; Nov. 26, 1955, p. 7; Dec. 2, 1955, pp. 3 & 5; Dec. 3, 1955, p. 4; Dec. 9, 1955, p. 4; Dec. 24, 1955, p. 4; Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, V. II, pp. 43-49.
The Progress Steamship Company
1903-1904(?)
1903-1904(?)
This company, owned by Robert Chambers, manager of the Scotia Company, and William Grammer, Manager of the Dominion Company, seems to have been formed for the purpose of operating the S.S. Progress on the Tickle along with Angel Engineering and Steamship Company, owned by the Honourable James Angel of St. John's, whose son, Frederick William Angel, was Chief Engineer of DISCO, c.1900 to c.1904. The Progress was a steam tug that began servicing the Tickle on July 30, 1903. Shortly after the Bell Island Steamship Company was incorporated in 1903, that company acquired the Progress and it was their first of a line of ferries down through the mining years until 1955. I am assuming that the Progress Steamship Company ceased operation once the Progress changed hands.
Sources: Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1903, p. 16, and 1937, p. 67; and Addison Bown, "Bell Island Ferries of Former Years," Daily News, Aug. 31, 1960.
Sources: Addison Bown, "Newspaper History of Bell Island," 1903, p. 16, and 1937, p. 67; and Addison Bown, "Bell Island Ferries of Former Years," Daily News, Aug. 31, 1960.
Terra Nova Transportation Company
c.1946?-????
c.1946?-????
At the end of World War II, the Kipawo was purchased by the Terra Nova Transportation Company, which was owned by Crosbie & Company, Ltd. of St. John's. She was then placed on the Bell Island-Portugal Cove service in competition with the MANECO. That vessel was withdrawn from service at the end of 1955 when the Newfoundland Transportation Company was granted an exclusive franchise to operate the Bell Island ferry service and brought in the Elmer Jones. That company purchased the Kipawo in September 1955 to serve as a "stand-by" vessel for the Elmer Jones.
Source: Daily News, Sept. 16, 1955.
Source: Daily News, Sept. 16, 1955.