THE SAFE HARBOUR WHALE FACTORY

Safe Harbour was the location of one of 16 whale processing facilities that operated in Newfoundland and Labrador. Whaling was referred to as a fishery, and the buildings in which the whales were processed were called whale factories. The factory at Safe Harbour was built on Dyke’s Point in 1904 by Job Bros.of St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Although constructed just 7 years after the first whale had been taken, the Safe Harbour factory only operated for 3 years (1904-6) due primarily to the rapid depletion of stocks. The Safe Harbour Whaling Co. Ltd. was a subsidiary of the Atlantic Whaling Co. Ltd. which also operated the Trinity station in 1904. Two vessels, Hump and Fin, were built in Norway. The former supplied Safe Harbour during the first season (52 whales). Both vessels caught just 61 and 33 whales respectively in 1905 and like many companies, the Atlantic WCL was forced into liquidation. With no purchasers, the company was restructured (with another bankrupt operation. Mic Mac Whaling Co. Ltd., Dublin Cove) as the Phoenix Whaling Co. Ltd. In 1906 the Fin whaled first from Dublin Cove on the southwest coast before proceeding to Safe Harbour (21 whales) to harvest stocks as they continued their northward migration. Safe Harbour operations ceased at the end of the season. Thereafter, the company used only Dublin Cove and Trinity (1905- 14) - - Chester Sanger Professor Emeritus MUN

The whale killing vessels were crewed almost exclusively by experienced whalers sent out from Norway. The Safe Harbour people worked mainly in the plant, under the supervision of the Norwegians. Apparently it was common practice in the whaling to pay the Newfoundlandersfar less than their Norwegian counterparts, however, many of the local people earned a living at the whale factory.

Whaling was big business and important news in those days and the St. John’s newspaper, Evening Herald, gave it their full attention.  The table below appeared in the Evening Herald on November 29, 1904, detailing the whale catches for several communities.

Construction of the company’s other station at Safe Harbour also began in the spring, the schooner Bob’s arriving in St. John’s on 27 June after having taken central Newfoundland lumber to the factory which was “nearly completed and a new steam whaler is shortly expected from Norway.” The catcher Hump arrived in St. John’s on15 July from Christiania via Galway. Hunting began on 19 August, two whales of unidentified species being killed on the first day. Whales continue to be “very plentiful in Bonavista Bay,” with Hump averaging one per day. The catch rose to “over 30" by mid-October. An unspecified quantity of oil was loaded on Ellen Lloyd for shipment to Europe and Hump returned to St. John’s prior to winter lay-up at Safe Harbour. - - - -

Modern Shore Whaling in Newfoundland: The Peak Season, 1904. (page 149) by Anthony B. Dickinson and Chesley W. Sanger

The whaling vessels cruised extensively in our local waters in search of their prey. When a whale was killed, it was secured to the side of the ship, towed into the harbour and winched up on the slip at Dyke’s Point where the factory was located. The whale was then flensed (stripped of its blubber) by men wielding sharp knives with long, sturdy handles. The blubber was boiled in iron vats and the whale oil extracted, graded, and stored in barrels, ready to be shipped to market. The oil was in big demand on world markets, having a wide variety of uses as diversified as lamp oil and perfume.

Whale bone was also in big demand back in those days. The bone was used to make many things, from hair combs to corset stays. In 1904, when whales were plentiful, the plant at Safe Harbour shipped out more than 100 tons of whale bone.

circa 1905

The whaling fishery at Safe Harbour lasted only few years. In the year 1904 there were 59 whales caught. These were nearly all Fins, but a few Humpbacks and Blue whales were also landed. The following year seems to have been an exceptionally unproductive one, leaving many participants with the impression that the end of the whaling industry was not far off. In1907 there were no catches recorded at Safe Harbour, and the plant, like many others, was shut down around this time. The machinery was dismantled and removed, bringing an end to the whaling activities at Safe Harbour.

Today, all that remains of the whale factory are the concrete foundations on which machinery was mounted, and some of the concrete floor. No doubt there are still many bones buried in the earth at the site. Some 20 years ago a visiting diver is said to have brought a lot of whale bones from the bottom of the harbour, and perhaps there are many more lying in the deep water at Dyke’s Point.

Visitors to Safe Harbour will have to use their imagination to understand what it must have been like to live on Dyke’s Point in those days. The sickly, oily smell of the boiling blubber, and the clamour of the machinery was part of daily life during the whaling season. The sight of a huge whale being winched up on the slip might have brought thoughts of a big pay cheque in the days when whales were sought only for killing. Today almost no one celebrates the death of a whale. Today people rejoice at the mere sight of these magnificent animals. Here, in the Safe Harbour area, our whale population has recovered and is no longer hunted and threatened with extension. Our local waters offer excellent opportunities to watch these graceful but powerful, peace-loving creatures. Through the tourist industry, the whales are once again contributing to our economy in a new and sustainable way that celebrates life instead of death.

Visitors to our area can see the whales “up close” aboard the 36 foot Cape Islander Tourist Boat. See our Links for more information.

Much of the whaling history of Newfoundland and Labrador, along with many statistics, can be found in a book by Anthony B. Dickinson and Chesley W. Sanger entitled: Norwegian Whaling in Newfoundland.