44 SCRAPS OF LOCAL HISTORY. 



ment on the top of the steeple, when a Scotch blacksmith arose 

 and suggested that "We niak' a rooster and pit it an the tap so 

 that every time the win' blaes it can craw over the Kirk," which 

 they did. The Rev. Robt. Archibald, Mrs. J. B. Snowball's father, 

 came out from Scotland and took charge of the Kirk from 

 1832—43. 



Tiie failure of Cunard occurred in 1848. They built annually 

 eight to ten vessels in Chatham, and three or four in each of the 

 other places where they had branches ; employed ten or fifteen 

 clerks here, and four or five hundred men in ship building and 

 mills. They had a large cookhouses for two or three hundred men, 

 situated near where the old gasbouse stood on the south side of 

 Pleasant st. Cunard had also a large brick making establishment, 

 with pits and kilns, near there, towards Duke st. , where Wm. 

 Smith's and Michael Murray's houses now stand. 



Middle Island was at that time the depot for packing and ship- 

 ping gasnereaux for the West Indies. One of their old wharves 

 lately appeared (Oct. 4th, 1910), above water at a very low tide at 

 the South East corner of the Island. The fishing sheds, which 

 were on the North East coi'ner of the Island, were made of scant- 

 ling, boards and plank and were of sufficient size to hold 1000 

 barrels of gaspereaux at a time. These were contained in tanks 

 in the centre of the sheds, with a driveway for carts for convey- 

 ing the fish on each side . The fish were shovelled with wire 

 shovels from the cdrts into 'the tanks. This business was taken 

 over by the Cunards from A. D. Shirreff, who had previously 

 carried it on. The fish were caught by seines run out from 

 the North East and Sixith East corners of the Island, which when 

 full and the tide falling were drawn ashore by horses. Thous- 

 ands of barrels of these fish were sent by schooners directly to the 

 West Indies, the return cargoes being rum and molasses. 



1848. At this time the business was going on in full blast, just 

 as usual, when a rumor got wind, when the mail arrived, that the 

 Cunards had failed. After a short time Cunard came out, booted 

 and spurred, on a large horse, at full gallop to hi* office door, 

 where the postoffice now stands. He lived in what is now the 

 Bowser House. The news of the failure quickly got wind, and 

 peoi)le in thousands flocked into Water st., from the office to the 

 mill, labouring under tlie impression that they were all ruined, as 



