Sealing Trip of the S. S. Greenland 1891, The

DESCRIPTION: "All ye who love old Newfoundland And her Sons who plow the sea... I will sing to you A song about the Greenland And her hardy sailing crew." The singer praises Captain Henry Dawe, describes the efficient steamer, and tells of a good seal hunt
AUTHOR: unknown (said to be by "one of her crew")
EARLIEST DATE: 1891 (Harbour Grace Standard)
KEYWORDS: hunting ship
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Ryan/Small-HaulinRopeAndGaff, pp. 35-36, "The Sealing Trip of the S. S. Greenland 1891" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: James Murphy, editor, _Songs Sung by Old-TIme Sealers of Many Years Ago_, James Murphy Publishing, 1925 (PDF available from Memorial University of Newfoundland web site), p. 8, "The Sealing Trip of the S.S. 'Greenland," 1891" (1 text)
John Feltham, _Sealing Steamers_, Harry Cuff Publications, 1995, pp. 66-68, "(no title)" (1 text)
Levi George Chafe, _Chafe's Sealing Book: A History of the Newfoundland Sealfishery from the Earliest Available Records Down To and Including the Voyage of 1923_, third edition, Trade Printers and Publishers, Ltd., 1923 (PDF scan available from Memorial University of Newfoundland), p. 46, "The Sealing Trip of the S. S. Greenland, 1891" (1 text)
Roud #V44609
NOTES [266 words]: I suspect the Van of this song is actually the Vanguard, for which see "Arrival of 'Aurora,' 'Diana,' 'Virginia Lake,' and 'Vanguard,' Loaded."
The Greenland of this song is the same as the ship of "The Greenland Disaster (I)," etc., but this is obviously a different event. For background on the ship, see "The Greenland Disaster (I)."
There were two Captains Henry Dawe, one of Bay Roberts, one of Port de Grave. The one from Bay Roberts, who went to the ice almost every year from 1879 to 1910, commanded the Greenland from 1890 to 1895. In 1891, he brought home an impressive 25,907 seals (see Levi George Chafe, Chafe's Sealing Book: A History of the Newfoundland Sealfishery from the Earliest Available Records Down To and Including the Voyage of 1923, third edition, Trade Printers and Publishers, Ltd., 1923 (PDF scan available from Memorial University of Newfoundland), p. 90) -- almost twice the total in the song and the second-highest total the Greenland ever took, although not the highest total for a ship in 1891. For more on him, see "The Sealer's Song (II)."
The claim of 14,000 seals may have been a memory of 1890, when the ship took 14,236 seals (Chafe, p. 100). Chafe, p. 60, confirms that the sealing fleet sailed on March 10 in that year. The same page indirectly supports the song's claim that the Greenland was based in Harbour Grace, since she is not on the list of ships that sailed from St. John's or environs.
For Henry Dawe, see also "Arrival of the 'Grand Lake' and 'Virginia Lake' With Bumper Trips," "I Am a Newfoundlander," and "The Bully Crew." - RBW
Last updated in version 5.0
File: RySm035

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography