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Newfoundland bits & pieces A NARROW ESCAPE By HIRAM SILK Grand Falls Advertiser Oct 30, 1967 TC Note: refers to about the year 1870 Down through the years there have been many stories of our Newfoundland seamen, out on the ice in quest of the elusive seal only to get stranded and to meet a cruel death on the drifting icefloes. It is moat uncommon to hear of a young girl being in such a situation, and so it was with great interest I heard the following story from a former resident of Elliston in Trinity Bay: On a spring day, many years ago an adventurous teenager by the name of Adelaide Baker decided to go out on the ice in search of a seal. Her father, Wm. Baker, wasn't too well, indeed he had been in failing health all that winter and so the addition of a seal to the family larder, would be most welcome. After she had been on the ice for a half hour or so, the wind shifted and began to blow offshore. Very quickly the ice began to move away from the land taking the helpless young girl farther and farther from the shores of her settlement. Fortunately for Adelaide she was seen by some people on shore, and, they lost no time getting to the girl's father and telling him of her predictament. As we have already mentioned William Baker wasn't in good health at the time - but seeing the great danger his daughter was in, and being a seaman, he knew only too well, the terrible death that awaited his child if he did not get to her. The ailing man seemed to have gained a superhuman strength - arriving on the shore just as the last pan of ice was moving off, he managed to leap on the ice. Then by jumping from pan to pan, or as they say - the 'outside', 'copying' from pan to pan, he finally reached the spot where, his now frightened and helpless daughter was morooned. They were both in great danger as the ice drifting, and the distance from the ice and shore was too great for anything but a boat to attempt to cross. The drifting ice soon swept the father and daughter out of sight, and so not knowing in what direction the two had gone, those in shore were unable to rescue them by boat. Soon it was dark, and certain death faced Adelaide and her father...but fortunately for them the wind abated and the weather turned mild and so they managed to get through their first night on the tossing pan of ice. Back at Elliston they were given up for lost - two more in the long list of victims of the cruel sea. The day following the first night on the ice, Adelaide and her father were picked up by the sealing vessel the Dart, under Captain Coleman. And so three days after Adelaide Baker and her father were swept away from their home, they landed again at Elliston none the worst, for their perilous adventure. Unfortunately I didn't think to ask my informant whether Adelaide even ventured on the ice again looking for seals. TC Note: William Baker (1826-) married 1851 to Elizabeth Cole. Daughter Adelaide (1855-) married 1880 to George Crew (1853-). This is the same William Baker who lived on the Neck and who adopted our Great Grandfather, Richard (Dicky Bunyan) Cole, son of his wife's brother, Thomas Cole.
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