A Stroke in Time Read online

  Praise for

  A Stroke in Time

  __________________________________________

  “A compelling and entertaining story, one that I could not put down. A Stroke in Time beautifully weaves a tale of heartbreak and triumph in the context of Newfoundland and Labrador’s history . . . sealing, fishing, farming, and a day at the races. It gives a very authentic sense of how life must have been all those years ago.”

  Danny Williams

  Businessman, former Premier of

  Newfoundland and Labrador

  “Gerard Doran’s expertise in everything and anything to do with the Royal St. John’s Regatta, coupled with an innate ability to spin a fine yarn, makes A Stroke in Time a must-read.”

  Robin Short

  Sports Editor, the Telegram

  “A great account of a time in Outer Cove when rivalry between communities was rife and rowing superiority was the ultimate prize.”

  Bert Hickey

  Championship rower and rowing coach

  long-time lover of the St. John’s Regatta

  “Gerard Doran tells a remarkable story of triumph over adversity and the power of one community’s resolve in life and on the lake. This beautifully woven tale is so evocative, I felt as though I was a member of the fishing community of Outer Cove, experiencing their heartaches and triumphs right along with them. Makes me proud to be a Newfoundlander by choice!”

  Lynda Boyd

  Actor, Singer, and

  rower with Republic of Doyle female crew

  “I can’t imagine how any fan of sport or Newfoundland history wouldn’t adore this book. Doran has constructed a love letter to both.”

  Allan Hawco

  Writer, actor, producer

  “With A Stroke in Time, Doran breathes life into the iconic black-and-white photo of the 1901 Outer Cove winners of the St. John’s Regatta. Doran’s knowledge of and love for the Regatta and these rowing heroes is evident . . . and contagious.”

  Siobhan Duff

  Ten-time championship winner and

  Hall of Fame rower, Royal St. John’s Regatta

  “Doran pulls the reader into this tale of the legendary Outer Cove rowing crew. Conflict, compromise, and passion to be the best all collide in a magnificent climax at the St. John’s Regatta of 1901.”

  Alan Doyle

  Musician, actor, author

  A

  Stroke

  --------- in ---------

  TIME

  Gerard Doran

  Flanker Press Limited

  St. John’s

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Doran, Gerard, 1956-, author

  A stroke in time / Gerard Doran.

  Issued in print and electronic formats.

  ISBN 978-1-77117-459-6 (paperback).--ISBN 978-1-77117-460-2

  (html).--ISBN 978-1-77117-461-9 (kindle).--ISBN 978-1-77117-462-6

  (pdf)

  I. Title.

  PS8607.O724S77 2015 C813’.6 C2015-903978-9

  C2015-903979-7

  —————————————————————————————————————— ——————————

  © 2015 by Gerard Doran

  All Rights Reserved. No part of the work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical—without the written permission of the publisher. Any request for photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems of any part of this book shall be directed to Access Copyright, The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency, 1 Yonge Street, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M5E 1E5. This applies to classroom use as well.

  Printed in Canada

  Edited by Susan Rendell

  Cover Design by Graham Blair

  Flanker Press Ltd.

  PO Box 2522, Station C

  St. John’s, NL

  Canada

  Telephone: (709) 739-4477 Fax: (709) 739-4420 Toll-free: 1-866-739-4420

  www.flankerpress.com

  9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  We acknowledge the [financial] support of the Government of Canada. Nous reconnaissons l’appui [financier] du gouvernement du Canada. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country. Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. L’an dernier, le Conseil a investi 153 millions de dollars pour mettre de l’art dans la vie des Canadiennes et des Canadiens de tout le pays. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation for our publishing activities.

  For my parents, Michael and Mary Doran

  In 1977, the Outer Cove fishermen who won the 1901 championship race in the St. John’s Regatta were inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame:

  Walter “Watt” Power, Coxswain

  John Whelan, Number Six Oar, Stroke

  Daniel McCarthy, Number Five Oar

  Denis “Din” McCarthy, Number Four Oar

  Denis “Din” Croke, Number Three Oar

  John Nugent, Number Two Oar

  Martin Boland, Number One Oar

  The course record this crew set in the championship race of 1901—nine minutes, thirteen and four-fifths of a second, the famous 9:13—lasted for eighty years. Their record was finally broken in 1981 by the Smith Stockley crew.

  The members of the 1901 Outer Cove winning crew make up seven of the nine Newfoundlanders in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

  August 5, 1885

  He dreamed, and prayed, too, that next year he would race with a crew of men, that there’d be no more rowing with the younger fellas. So many times he had pictured himself going through the final drills before the start of the race he was about to watch, the championship race. He imagined himself sitting in front of the coxswain, drifting slowly toward the start line. The crowds would be hugging the shoreline like fog to tuckamore in April and he would be in the Myrtle, rowing with Hickey, Stack, Hanlon, and the Powers. No seat for him today, though. He stood next to Mr. Trapnell, pretending not to glance at the man’s stopwatch. His heart raced, his body trembled. His eyes switched quickly back and forth from the watch to the pond as the Myrtle surged past the Marquee wharf.

  “Eight minutes, thirty seconds.” Trapnell spoke through clenched teeth that gripped his cold pipe. He’d been so intent on the speed of the shell he’d forgotten to puff to keep the tobacco lit. “Ross’s barn, nine minutes, five seconds.” He raised the stopwatch. John no longer had to sneak a look at it. “It’s going to be a new course record, I think.”

  Watt Power upped the stroke rate. The boat charged ahead even faster. Trapnell hit the stop button on his watch. “Perfection. Perfection. Three cheers for those fine rowers!” He tossed his hat into the evening sun. “Nine minutes and twenty seconds.” Many more hats flew into the air.

  John ran toward the finish line, trying to find her, wanting to share his elation. The champions, the Outer Cove crew, splashed each other as the crowd roared from the bank. He stopped searching for a moment and looked at the crew from the cove in the Myrtle. Then he turned, and there was Kate.

  Chapter

  1

  John Whelan carefully piled the last of the fish aboard his long cart. The dried and salted cod had been placed tail to head, head to tail, over and over, layer upon layer, maximizing the load. Any heavier and Prince would struggle to haul it
along the five miles of dirt road from Outer Cove to St. John’s.

  He tied the oilskin tarp down over the fish—almost ten quintals, he had—and stuck Prince’s bulky feed bag in the only open space left in the cart. Maybe this year he would get a good price. The fish were big, and there had been little humidity when they were spread out on the flakes to dry. Less water in the salt fish meant a better price. The fish were lighter, and would last longer without spoiling. This was especially good for the markets in Brazil and Europe. The quality of the fish would not be affected by the long journey in the holds of the vessels.

  The bumpy cart ride to St. John’s would take about two hours. Then he would be at least another two hours at the docks, waiting in line with dozens upon dozens of other fishermen from around the shore. When all his business was taken care of and the ride home completed, it would certainly be evening. He went back into his house and told Kate he was on his way.

  As he turned the horse and cart off Barnes Road onto the Lower Road, Tommy Slater, dressed in hand-me-down screeds, peered through a gap in the paling fence.

  “Are you going to get a good price on your fish in St. John’s, Mr. Whelan?” Tommy said. “That’s a big load on the long cart.”

  “How do you know I’m even going to St. John’s?”

  Tommy wasn’t finished asking questions. He raced up the hill, gaining the next opening in the fence and poking his head through it to try to get John’s attention as Prince, straining, pulled the heavy load up the hill. As much as John wanted to, there was no stopping today to chat with Tommy. Getting up over Slater’s Hill was hard enough with an empty cart behind Prince.

  “Will you get a good price for your fish, Mr. Whelan? They says you’re the best in the cove at making salt fish. Only Jim Kavanagh in Logy Bay can make fish like you.”

  There he goes again, thought John. That boy knows everything. The other boys in the cove liked to roam around the woods and swim in the Big River when they were not working or going to school, but not Tommy. He liked to spend his time with the grown-ups, and he was right inquisitive. Lonely, perhaps. The other children didn’t come from a household of such misfortune.

  “It’s a warm day for September, Tommy. If I was you, I’d go for a swim.”

  “Yes, Mr. Whelan, I was thinking I’d do that. Later on, I’ll go over to the river with the b’ys.”

  “That’s right, my son. Don’t go alone.”

  Nostrils flaring, flanks heaving and speckled with foam, Prince reached the crest of the hill without breaking stride. Beads of sweat had gathered around his muzzle. The short, steep ascent up Slater’s Hill, difficult as it was, beat the other way out of the cove, that wicked, endless climb up over the Rocky Hills.

  “See you tomorrow, Mr. Whelan.” Tommy stopped and waved to John. He had run out of fence.

  “See you tomorrow, Tommy,” John shouted back.

  How had Tommy and his mother survived so long in that tiny house without a husband and a father? The loss of the Greenland sealing steamer had made many women widows and many children orphans. The Slaters were barely getting by on a government pittance, with their few hens and the cow and a small garden. Even a small garden was a lot of work, and Mrs. Slater was a small, thin, pale woman. John shook his head. The Slaters had no relatives in the cove. Her husband had been the last Slater on Slater’s Hill. Tommy was only eight, and it would be another four or five years before he was old enough to go fishing. Then he would be of some use to his mother, but only if he could endure the long days on the water and in the stages, working with the men.

  Such thoughts weighed heavily on John’s mind. He pushed his thoughts ahead, to the bustling harbour of St. John’s, the sleeveenery of the cullers, and the aggression of the buyers. There was so much wheeling and dealing when it came to pricing the fish. The shore fish, especially in the fall, brought the best price. Naturally—it had had the best opportunity to cure.

  He was past Bally Haly, now. The darkening horizon meant rain was almost certain. He wouldn’t risk the steep descent of Kenna’s Hill with the full load on his cart. The hill would become a slick trail if there was a cloudburst. The winding path through the meadows at Ross’s farm seemed like the sensible detour. It also meant a chance to look at the pond, if for no other reason than to see that it was still there.

  As he left the meadow, he halted Prince just before they entered the Cottage Farm road. He looked out at the rippling waters of Quidi Vidi. A steady breeze drifted over the pond and up the bank toward him, lifting Prince’s mane. So many times he’d rowed in the wind. If only he could have had one calm day, one calm evening in a championship race. He didn’t mind that he had never broken a course record. He held no grudges against the wind or the pond. It must have been in God’s plan when the land was carved out that there would be people here, that they would have this lovely stretch of fresh water on the other side of the sea for their boat races. He studied the lightly ruffled pond, and was moved by memories of past victories. Were his rowing days past? Perhaps, but each race had stayed with him.

  He drove on. The rain clouds raced north, and he was spared the drenching. The merging of the roads at the King’s Pinch corralled the fishermen from the nearby coves and bays as they steered their loads toward the waterfront. A caravan of long carts, box carts, horses, ponies, and men jammed the rutted street with their cargoes of salt fish.

  As he and Prince travelled up King’s Bridge Road, John gazed upon the wealth that cod had created in the capital. Beech trees, still rich with summer foliage, towered high in the warm afternoon sun. The stately mansions of the merchants loomed over him, separated from the street by wrought-iron fences. Prince wouldn’t want those fences around his enclosure. John snapped the reins and the horse pulled them up over the rise at Forest Avenue.

  He had heard of the term “monopoly.” Examples of monopolies were very evident in St. John’s. All trade to and from the island was controlled by a core of merchant families. The fish, the food, the sealing industry—even the nails used to build homes, barns, and stages—were in the hands of these merchants. If it took an extra dime to make things better for the merchants, the fishermen either paid that dime on their purchases or were given less for their fish. What could you do? You needed to deal with the merchant. There was no other way. A biblical quote drifted across his mind: “A merchant shall hardly keep himself from doing wrong.”

  He kept a close eye on the ragged children gallivanting back and forth across Duckworth Street, some with shoes, others barefoot, feet full of muck. They shouted at the men and teased the horses and ponies striding along on tired legs. They should be in school, he thought. Perhaps they were hard tickets playing hooky. He thought of Tommy Slater, safe in the little house on Slater’s Hill or out roaming the good clean country.

  Now he and Prince were moving past the long corridor of Cochrane Street, where coal dust dulled the painted clapboard on the middle-class homes of accountants, sea captains, clerks, and barristers. Five Tommy Slaters with gaunt faces leaned against the parked hearse in front of Carnell’s. Where would their next meal come from? He frowned and looked ahead. A few more minutes to the culler at the docks.

  Tommy Slater pushed his way through the tree branches which were beginning to crowd the trail behind Coady’s that led to the Big River. He was dripping with sweat from the afternoon sun. Was this what they called Indian summer? The crooked path, partially hidden beneath the overgrown brush, didn’t slow his pace. His feet knew every dip and curve, even when the trail grew steeper on its way down to the valley. He felt his heart start to race as he got close to where the trees met the riverbank. With each step the sound of the cascading river grew louder. He stopped and pushed the alder twigs aside, and gazed down at the water plunging over Whelan’s Falls into the pool. His stomach felt queasy, his head light. Slowly, he began to slide, edging himself down the rocky ledge to the river. The nois
e of the water increased, but the beating of his heart seemed louder than the rapids racing over the jagged granite. He was so warm. Maybe he would jump in with all his clothes on. He hesitated, then kicked off his boots. His shirt was undone except for two buttons at the bottom. He opened the shirt all the way, and tore it off. The rising mist from the water cooled him.

  The sound of snapping branches travelled down the basin. Tommy looked up the river and across it. There were silhouettes of boys moving through the gnarly spruce. Their distant voices were muffled by the roar of the river. Tommy looked down into the black, foaming water. It wasn’t deep, just over his head, so the b’ys said.

  “I think I sees someone on the diving rock.” The voices were closer now, and he could make out what they were saying. “Maybe it’s Slater down there.” That was Dave Houston talking.

  “You’re fooling. He wouldn’t try that all by himself. Sure, he’s afraid of the water,” said Mick Burke.

  “C’mon, b’ys, let’s go see who it is.”

  Tommy knew that voice. It was Butch Devereaux. He grabbed his boots and shirt, and fled.

  Ahead of him, the waterfront seemed to be a cluster of barrels, boats, and bartering men. A fisherman never had the advantage at the trading dock. It made him feel small just to look at it, smaller still when he entered it as a peddler of fish. He just hoped for a fair price.

  Murray and Sons was where he would pull up with his load today. It was the first day that the fall fish were being graded and sold. No one knew which merchant would offer the top price; the price for the season was set after the first day of selling. Pricing was complicated, perhaps deceptive. At least he would get money for his fish and then he could buy what he liked. In the outports, the merchants always had the upper hand in the dealing. There, they traded food and dry goods for fish. No money changed hands. No one knew what a sack of flour cost or what a quintal of fish was worth. It was a barter system, full of holes, twists, turns, and falsehoods.