By Devonna Edwards, Columnist
The advent of competitive rowing had its beginning in Halifax in the 1800s when incoming ships needed harbour pilots to guide their vessels safely into the harbour. The harbour pilots at that time all used oars to direct their boats and when an incoming ship arrived on the horizon they vigorously paddled out to the ship, because the first boat to reach the incoming ship got the job of piloting the ship into the harbour and subsequently the pay that goes with it. Once they reached the incoming ship, the pilots climbed aboard and steered it into Halifax Harbour.
Rowing became such a popular sport that races were held frequently on the Northwest Arm, the Halifax Harbour, and the Bedford Basin in the 1800s and early 1900s with thousands of eager spectators.
The Smith-Nickerson “fishermen” rowing crew were all fishermen who were the greatest four-oared crew ever created in Canada. The crew were Warren Smith, Obe Smith, Caleb Nickerson and John (Jack) Nickerson, with William Fleming as a spare man. Their trainer was Jerry Holland. The four young fishermen were all born in Sambro, and it was said they learned to row a boat not long after they started to walk.
In 1876 they accomplished many feats, such as defeating the Saint John Paris crew who were the victors of the world title in Paris. After winning a race at the Centennial Regatta in Halifax they went on to race in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S.A. for the four-oared Championship of the World. In 1876 Philadelphia hosted the first International Regatta in the country. The rowers competed on the Schuylkill River with heavy wooden sculls.
The Fishermen crew of Halifax were in competition against the English crew of London. It was a beautiful day, and an estimated 30,000 people lined the riverbanks to watch the rowing. George Wright, well known Halifax businessman, who sailed to his death on the Titanic in 1912, attended the U.S. Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia at that time and probably watched his hometown rowers. He was an active member of the Royal N.S. Yacht Squadron and owned a couple of yachts, he also won many sailing cups. At first the Englishmen were in the lead, but the flying Fishermen soon breached the gap and pulled ahead with the English crew frantically trying to gain speed. The race was three miles long with a turn in the center and at that point the Fishermen lost speed and as a result both the boats were even. The English crew rowed down on the Halifax crew, who were forced to row in the English crew course to avoid a collision. With oars clicking against each other, the English crew raised their hands to indicate a foul. As the Fishermen crew paused for an official ruling the English crew didn’t wait but suddenly started to paddle and shot in the lead. The referee ordered the race to continue, the Fishermen crew vigorously increased their strokes, and their boat flew through the water, their four oars slicing the water with powerful strokes. They soon caught up to the English crew who were trying desperately to race ahead but the Fishermen crew passed them and at 41 strokes to the minute crossed the finish line in 18 minutes, 52 seconds from the start. Following the race the Championship was taken from the Fishermen and given to the Englishmen. The spectators loudly cried that the decision was unfair, and that the Halifax crew had done everything in their power to avoid a collision and should have won first place.
Although the Fishermen protested, the English crew was awarded the first place and given the prize of $2,500. The Halifax Fishermen crew were awarded the second prize of $1,000 but refused the money stating they won first prize fairly. The Fishermen were greeted back in Halifax with a hero’s welcome, crowds of people gathered along streets decorated with flags, cheering the rowing crew. The people of Halifax wanted to show the crew that they were the real winners.
Robbed of Title
In 1935, Fred Plaisted who was 85 years old and Dean of American Oarsman, wrote a letter to Tom Connors (a well-known sports man) which vindicated the Halifax Fishermen Crew of a racing foul at the Centennial Regatta in 1876. Fred was the sole survivor of the crew which had represented other nations in the rowing events and an eyewitness of the so-called “foul.”
He recalled the incident, “I was taking a spin on the river every day, over the same course rowed at the Centennial Regatta where the Halifax Fishermen crew were treated unfairly and were robbed of victory. I was a member of the American crew as a bow oarsman, and I saw the final between the English crew and the Halifax Fishermen. I was at the turn. The Fishermen crew turned first and were fouled by the English crew. They straightened out for the home stretch and the Fishermen crew, with their long sweep, went away and fairly won the race. The English crew claimed a foul and this claim was allowed by referee Bill Curtis, but the English crew were the real offender. They were clearly out rowed, and I think the decision was shabby and unsportsmanlike.”
The four rowers eventually went their separate ways and put the Philadelphia fiasco behind them. Warren Smith was the first of the rowing crew to die. He was lost at sea at the age of 28 in 1883. On Aug. 27, 1883, Warren sailed out of Terrence Bay on his schooner “The W.A. Smith” with his crew to go fishing off the fishing banks. He disappeared along with his boat and crew, probably caught up in a violent storm known as “The Great Gale of August 29, 1883”.
Obed Smith and his brother Mark drowned off Halifax Harbour after his schooner was run down by the steamer “Nova Scotian” on Oct. 1, 1893. In later years John (Jack) Nickerson became a policeman for the city of Halifax and died on May 16, 1918, at his home, he was 68 years old. Caleb Nickerson, the last survivor died at his home in Pennant on July 1, 1921.
Wally Snow, a former resident of Fairview, now living in Alberta, is a great-grand son of Caleb Nickerson. Wally would like to have a photo of his great grandfather’s medal that he received in the Philadelphia World Championship of 1876 to show his grandchildren. If any descendant of the Fishermen Rowing crew can provide this, please email archives@fairviewhistoricalsociety.ca
