February
Abram Kean began fishing at age thirteen and within
ten years, he was commanding his own fishing
schooner. Over the next sixty years, he would set
records for sealing, become involved in politics,
and be considered by many as responsible for the
worst sealing disaster in Newfoundland's history
(1914). On 30 March of that year, Kean was the
skipper of the Stephano and his son, Westbury, was
in command of the Newfoundland. A crew of men was
sent from the younger Kean's ship to the Stephano in
order to receive directions to a patch of seals.
Despite the fact that a storm appeared to be
brewing, Abram told the men where to find the seals
and instructed them to return to their own ship when
they were done. The storm became significantly worse
but each captain assumed the men were safe on the
other's ship and, because neither ship was equipped
with a radio, no search party was sent out. With no
shelter, food, or protective clothing, the men spent
fifty-three hours stranded on the ice before being
spotted by the Bellaventure.
Of the 115 men and boys involved, 78 died of either exposure or drowning and 11 of the survivors were permanently disabled. A government inquiry found Abram Kean partially responsible but he was not punished and he continued to hunt until his retirement twenty-two years later.
