By spring, during the three weeks of outfitting the colonial vessels, 

 nearly 5000 fishermen were gathered at Saint-Pierre. Most of them re- 

 turned frequently, for the Saint-Pierre vessels made, on the average, six 

 trips during the fishing season. Also, there was always at Saint-Pierre a 

 great many convalescents, and lost sailors coming from here and there on 

 the bank in their drifting dories, who were waiting for their vessels to 

 return, a wait sometimes of 15 days or more. Here also were the shore 

 workers brought from France, mostly young men 15 to 18 years old. All 

 this floating population was happy to find, at the end of the day, a home 

 wide open for them which offered, besides various games, journals from 

 home and writing materials, all without charge. 



This "Family House" at Saint-Pierre, directed by a priest, played an 

 important role in organizing the work of aiding the fishermen. It was the 

 center of an ardent crusade against alcoholism, with the concurrence of 

 the commanders and doctors of the vessels of the Naval Station. 



Alcohol was, at that time, a terrible scourge on the banks. It was con- 

 sidered, by the captains as well as the fishermen, an indispensable cure-all 

 for cold, the fatigue of back-breaking labor, low morale, as well as for all 

 kinds of disease. On board, besides two quarts of wine and unlimited cider, 

 each man received a minimum of 6 servings of rum, a total of about a pint 

 per man absorbed daily. Some inveterate alcoholics would accumulate two 

 or three days rations and drink it all in a few hours! At Saint-Pierre it 

 was even worse, and deaths, with or without drowning in the harbor, after 

 incredible drinking sprees, were considered commonplace. 



A statistic determined by Workers of the Sea established the quantity of 

 alcohol which was landed at Saint-Pierre during the fishing season of 1906, 

 without including the alcohol destined for the colony itself and for the colo- 

 nial vessels, and taking count that vessels outfitted in France had their own 

 liquor supplies already aboard. Omitting wine, cider, and beer, they found 

 a total of 160, 000 liters of alcohol and strong alcoholic beverages, in casks, 

 bottles, and cases! "A veritable volcano, capable of blowing up a city, " 

 concluded the author of this frightening statistic. 



The success of the "Family House", where were distributed excellent 

 health drinks, led to an important decrease in the consumption of alcohol 



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