The sun., 1900-12-30
LyyE IN BLEAK LABRADOR.
ways Of the Fishermen who Live There
tho Year Around.
From the Chicago Record.


The conditions OF the "livyeres." or per
| manent residents on the Labrador coast
Is every year "A cause Of anxiety to the Col
! onial Government, because in the event OF thu
| failure of the codfshery relief has To be pro-
vided for them. the region producing moth
/ Ing and there being no stores or depots
! where food can be procured. while an ice
barrier shuts II of from the outside world foi
! half the year Almost every year steamer
! has to be sent along the coast. its hold niled
| with stores, from which the most needy are
! supplied. and II is a task calling for the most
careful at tention and judgment thoroughly
to investigate these cases and apportion the
allowances properly
Labrador is a peninsula of 100000 square
miles, an area equal to the British Isles. while
its population consists of but 5000 souls. OF
whom about 3 800 are white and |. 500 EsQui-
mauS, Labrador forms parts OF the mainland
OF Canada its southern limit being the strait
of Belle Isle. while its northern boundary
is the Hudson Strait But as il is freauented
only by the Newfoundland people II has been
under the jurisdiction of that colony for
nearly ninety years The land seems ac-
curst: IT is bare of greenery and living things;
n desolate. black WILDERNESS of forbiddinR
rocks and stunted forest growth. as II II had
been thrown up in some past age by volcanic
eruption and the premature cooling caused
innumcrable cracks in the crust the coast
is scanned with hundreds Of harbors. and
studded with islands by the thousands These
latter have been chosen. wherever suitable.
as defcnces behind which TO locate little
set tement. the shelter thus afforded being
of inestimablc value when the wintry gales
blow and the relentless ice-pack sweeps along
the shore. destroying everything in its path
But this doubles the danger Of navigating
the region
There are over one hundred fixed settle
ments from Battle to Main, each having a
resident population OF five to twenty-five
families Inc people are termed "livyeres :
lhvchcres' 10 distinguish them from the mass
ot the Newfoundland fishermen, who only
frequent the coast during the summer fishing
season and are termed "hoaters" II is doubt
inl IT the world has the counterpart OF this
year the inhabitants OF the eastern coast of
Newfoundland to the number of 2j,00O people
men, women and children start for ,abra-
dor 10 engage in the cOdishery. They load
their schooners with their household goods,
provisions and salt uor fish curingl and make
their way to the harbOrS where they intend
To- fish, and there they remain until September
or October. when they return to their homes
During this period the "livyere" enjoys
comparative comfort. for he can rely with
certainty on enough food to keep body and
soul together. IL l. when the "nOaters- start
Tor home that his misery begins lie is al
WAYS a fisherman. but of the poorest order
lie takes >crviCewith some well-to-do "foatcr"
VINO provides him with fishing outfit. boat,
hooks and lines. and his catch he exchange.
equal those OF klondike. For his fish he
receives only about :. "A quintal of Ii2 pounds
while Tor thrd-rate Hour he pays ss a barrel,
soar nolas~"s 80 cents a gallon and mu-ty
tea 80 cents q pound. These form his staple
articles OF diet. together with cod. herring
and shell fish. Meat in any form, butter
milk. cheese and such like he never sees
from the cradle 10 the grave Nor does he
coin aud all hi, transactions are conducted
by the principle OF barter. a Quintal OF fish
forming the standard of value. As regards
clothing the "livyere" and his family cont rive
To get long with perhaps less than any other
civilized beings, and that. too. In the face of
a thermometer that for eight months in the
year never rises above zero.
he further north one goes the more ap-
palltns becomes the condition of the coast ,
folk. and II Dante could have imagined an
inferno of ice the circumstances here ex-
isiing would have afforded him all the reuui-
site material for thrillInS picture of ever
IN the little harbors were the rude homes
of the "llvyeres In many places the fronts |
Of the structures were upheld by posts. while
ingress and egress were by means OF ladders.
Iimbers securely stepped In heaps Of great
rocks were tightly .wedsed against the houses
to prevent their being Overthrown by the
gales. while anon the roofs would be lashed
down with heavy ropes. which We're TO pre-
y"nt some bois,eroYs gust from uplifting the
gambolled about and stared In amaze at the |
stranser who landed for closer Inspection |
OF the place, and hordes Of hungry dogs |
shifted AT his heels. ready TO sample his calves
at the slightest provocation Dirt, Nth, |
misery. poverty these were stamped across |
the face of every settlement We visited
The coast has no civil administration: |
there are no laws, no police, no officials what
ever. During the summer months the Gus
toms collector who works along the shore |
in his revenue cruiser has powers as "a Magis-
trate and decides the disputes which are /
of fishermen located there. but for the bal |
thority There is not road on the whole |
coast. nor u bridge. nor public work Of |
any kind For the eight months of winter
there Is no mail except few letters, which !!
are forwarded 10y way of Quebec along the
north shore Of the River st Lawrence couri-
ers taking them from point TO point. but
bor During this period the livyeres travel
about by means of dogs and sledges, but
their only Journeys are in quest OF game.
which IL "htalnable in the form Of rabbits.
bears and birds
, There is little or no dishonesty among
'hem, because they have. so little to steal. J
plan Of misery because If one has a pound |
Of -four II is divided among his most needy |
neighbor, The pitiless severity of winter
he children espeeaiy being % ;e%ser snsseptSie SiSp TO-
and other diseases induced |
ly their herding together and their wretched |
4od lniil hye years ago the condition
u things IN thls respect was very much |
worse than il i now
About that time the English people were
,ro1ied ,r E ,lnd 10 ,"n'e OF the misery endured
ok during their soiourn on LabradoI. and
! branch Of the Mission 10 Deep Sea Fisher
mission was originally established TO work
,mong the North Sea fishermen, and when
Is well-orcaniled philanthropy made itself
'vident on Labrador it was an incalculable