170 years ago in early June, a voyage from Conception Bay to Petty Harbour lead to a tragedy and a tale that lives on to this day in the form of a poetic and haunting folk song — “Petty Harbour Bait Skiff”.

The Story in The Song

‘Petty Harbour Bait Skiff’ tells the story of a boat and its 7 man crew captained by French, that left Petty Harbour late one Saturday evening bound for Conception Bay. They were, as the title of the song suggests, delivering a supply of bait fish. The trip to Conception Bay was good. The weather was fine, but Newfoundland weather being Newfoundland weather, things couldn’t stay that way for long.

The return trip to Petty Harbour began under moonlit skies but bad weather was approaching and they could see it coming — bad weather omens played out before the men.

The crew spotted an early morning rainbow. Next, the light of dawn turned red enough that the waves on Petty Harbour Bay looked like flames. Finally, the sun had a ring around it.

The men knew things were getting dangerous.

They adjusted their sails but it wasn’t enough. Within sight of shore the skiff overturned and the crew were thrown into the ocean.

On shore the people of Petty Harbour could see the skiff. A rescue was mounted. A man named Jacob Chafe took his boat out into the storm but by the time he arrived he was only able to save one man (named as Menshon, Menchington or Menchenton depending on where the lyrics are reproduced). The remaining crew drowned.

According to the song it happened “all on the eighth of June.”

The Song and Background

‘Petty Harbour Bait Skiff’ was written by John Grace in 1852 — the same year as the disaster. It appeared in James Murphy’s Sealers Song Book in 1905 under the title ‘St. John’s Bait Skiff’. That’s the only reference under that title I’ve found, and even Murphy abandoned St. John’s for Petty Harbour seven years later when he published Old Songs of Newfoundland. It has since been published in Gerald S. Doyle’s song books and in many other places.

The St. John’s newspaper The Morning Courier reported on the events in their June 16, 1852 edition.

While the song says the disaster happened on June 8th. History records at least in the Book of Newfoundland, that the sinking may have actually occurred on June 7th, 1852. The Morning Courier says it happened on a Monday, in 1852 June 7th was a Monday. Other than that, the reports square nicely with the description in the song — so it’s a fairly accurate commemoration of tragic event, served with a haunting melody and a side-dish of local weather lore.

Final Query

When I dive into the past, I always end with as many questions as answers. I read that a brig Lima sank in Petty Harbour in 1852, killing 5 crew members. In some places the Petty Harbour Bait Skiff deaths are reported as only 5… Is that the bait skiff in the song or a different disaster altogether? — if you know, feel free to chime in in the comments.