New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-21
A QUAINT FISHING TOWN
ST PIERRE AN OUTPOST OF FRAME
THE BAIT WAR WITH NEW
FOUNDLAND.

Pierre Martinique but all know how 1t disap-
peared in the twinkIing of eye, overwhelmed
by the rain of molten fire elected by Mont Pelee
The Miouelon capital will never vanish in the
same way. 1t is buded upon the solid rock Grim
and gaunt and sterile. its naked basalt ribs show
plainly through it's miserable clothing Of sell So
scanty this that the have to be biasted IN
many instances out of the rock itself Struggling
over the slope of the islet which Is only
five miles long by three wide. is the town ITSELF
The centre of the French codfshing industry on
the Grand Banks. Though separated from the
motherand by three thousand miles OF water the
place is as essentially and distinctly French as It 1t
were really part of la patrie.
This was conclusively proven by their celebration
of the fete day of the republic July IA. the ami
yersary of fall of the Bastie, which occurred
on our visit Two warships were in port to do
honor to 1.-THE flagship Isly, black and grmy, and
the cruiser D Estrees, cleaning white. and just
from Martinique if by way of contrast The
third of the squadron, the corvette Manche, Is
away patrolIing the French Shore" of Newfound-
land with the British squadron where these two
will follow when the round of affairs is at an eno
From early morning the preparations for the days
festivities were being actively enterprised The
town and shipping gay with flags, ana the
citizens donned their smartest garb. Their plct-
uresque dress becomes them WELL the bright SKIRTS
snowy blouses and Breton caps Of the women con-
trastjng with the flaming sashes and shirts and fiat
crowned berettas of the men. while the clink Of
the sabots adds new note to the babel. Some
seventy fishing schooners, each Haunting the trl-
color and many bannerets, occupied the inner mar
Dor while half as many large barks, also en-
ploy ed in the fisheries share the open roadstead
with the warships the barber being Impossible to
shpping drawing over fourteen feet of water owing
to a reef which blocks the fairway Ten miles OH
the shore of Newfoundland shows clear in~the sun
light and in the offing the trim cruiser OF tnat
colony passes to and fro, keeping up Her 'isLdht
watch upon the bait smugglers
Brave though the picture is. there is false note
in the reioicings. The Pierros are troubled over
fishery complications and the celebration was
tinged with anxiety. 1t is unusual to md one
hundred vessels in St Pierre at the height of the
fishing season, and hears much of bait and
irnprecations against the Newfoundlanders one
soon comes to learn that there is war between the
Pierrois and them the less desperate because
# IS not waged with lethal weapons. The French
men require bait for their fishing and cannot get
1t in quantity and fresh. except in the Newfound-
land harbors But the Newfoundland Government,
alive to the unwisdom of supplying formidable
competitor with the utensils Of his trade, forbids
the EXPORT of bait to the French and maintains
cruisers and coast guards to enforce this law Inc
Bait act it is called. has been so successful
that it has seriously affected the French fishing
and greatly diminished the prosperity Of st. Pierre
Various expedients have been tried to counterfeit,
but without avail, and the situation this year is
worse than ever. The French fleet has made poor
catches and lack Of bait gives little prospect of
better fares for the rest of the Hence the
large gathering of vessels and the host of swarthy
grizzIed fishermen who throng the narrow streets
of the little town.
But the Pierrois a ht-hearted people, and
as the day passes the spirit of enjoyment is de-
cidedly more manifest. AT noon the flagship hres
a full salute, the gendarmes parade and the ca
thedral bells peal out. There are music at the
square, races in the harbor, a reception at the
Governors and picnics everywhere. The six horses
the place boasts, with the carriages appurtenant
thereto, are pressed into service and transport
their owners and guests to some of the most
favored spots that they may pass the afternoon at
the further ends of the islet. For st. Pierre is
hot town after nightfal on July H. Judging
from the antics Of the crowd would almost
think that they taking the Bastile all over
again. The normal population IS about five thou
sand. but it is doubled by the crews of the war
ships and the fishing vessels this occasion, and
all these being men, and boisterous with enthusi-
and cheap brandy. it requires effort Of the
imagination to picture the street scenes. The
cafes wide open and the civic ordinance re-
curing them have lights OUT at 10 p is
honored in the breach than in the observance,
this night at least. Excitable and famboyant
the French at all times. this occasion works
the Pierros almost to frenzy. and bearded men
kissing and embracing another. and
weeping maudln tears of friendship an
When St. Pierre resumes its normal peace and
sanity is most interesting little town 10 study
It is unique; it has no counterpart in the world
itself here in the midst of the North Atlantic by
oi6er Mqedn and
glade , but they have only few hundred settlers
solely because it possesses harbor; otherwise it
is more sterile than they. The town is built of
naked boards visible everywhere else. All this
big as a goose5erry bush on the islet Even the
frewood is obtained from the Newfoundland coast
Bfg R5op fs il ta and STACKED
tf shFf the n
convenience as by depriving them of bait.
The houses are trim and neat, and the surround |
ings as dainty as is comfortable with such
dows opening doorlke, on the street, and almost ali
of brilliant greenery the window sills The
streets have sidewalks and are unpaved, but |
done outside the city. The hotels are really inns |
Old fashioned and comfortab BILE with candles as the
has recently been introduced. The cookery is |
it not difficult for the visitor to satisfy the S 9e
mands of hunger and thirst, especially the latter
St. Pierre is difficult TO reach that it rarely
attracts visitors, though IL some regular corimun
it would attract many. its very niIaint
ness. No custom house officers rife your luggage |
queries, no suspicious detectives dog your foot
steps and you are safe from ali inquiry unless YOU
Newfoundland Government. in which case Won Won |
woqd Perro make your stay as short possible
TO their antipathy. But to all visitors they are
weather is cool and agreeable. but the storms |
which sweep over the island in winter make n a
place to be summed then.
Its main industry, as already explained is the |
eofis 4e on the Grand Banks around which it is
thousands of French fishermen besides About five |
hundred go to the French Shore OF Newfound
iarld every summer and fish there. being literally
onused to do so, in order that France may retain |
her her hold on that coast But the real fishery is on
from Brittany every spring to these lodges direct
the cac The ober to supplies and land
centred at St Pierre itself and carried on nv craff
across from Bordeaux in steamers and , BROUGHT
E E among the fshing fleet This Bank fishing