RAILWAY COASTAL MUSEUM
NEWSLETTER
MAY 2013
MUSEUM NEWS
Hello Everyone,
May has turned out to be a very busy month here at
the Railway Coastal Museum. We are packed with
school tours, tours for Scouts and Girl Guides, and
birthday parties along with some other special events.
We are very happy to see new faces come through the
museum as the weather gets warmer and people
venture out to see the newness that spring brings to
St. John’s. There are also new things happening in the
RCM as we finish our renovations, which will allow
us to host great receptions and events including sit
down dinners. It is a great new chapter for the
museum.
This is also our last month of Little Toot Tuesdays
and we are sad to see it end, all the children were
great and always brought out the smiles of everyone
in the RCM. If you haven’t brought your little one
down, you are missing out. It runs from 1:00 to 3:00
pm every Tuesday this month.
Hope to see you soon,
The RCM Staff
A Dog of Mystery: Wisher and the
S.S. Ethie
Volume 48 – May 2013
On December 11, 1919, after a full night of
trying to fight through a blizzard, the S.S. Ethie
decided to run aground to save the passengers
and crew from a terrible shipwreck. The ship
got caught on the rocks and the passengers
did not know how they would get to land. How
they made it to shore is where the mystery lies.
S.S. ETHIE, AS PAINTED BY ROBIN
COOK
One of the Railway Coastal Museum’s
highlights for anyone young or young at
heart is our puppet shows. One of the most
loved puppets is a black Newfoundlander
dog named Wisher. He is always a helpful
character and, like many of the puppets, he
is named after a real dog with a history tied
to the coastal boats. Who was the real
Wisher and what was his role in the history
of Newfoundland?
This all starts with a sensational story of a
coastal boat wreck off the Martin’s Point. On
December 10, 1919, the S.S. Ethie set sail
from Cow’s Head fully laden with
passengers and cargo. Unfortunately for
everyone onboard the worst blizzard ever
recorded in the area hit that night and by
morning the lifeboats were destroyed and
everything was covered in a thick coating of
Railway Coastal Museum | 495 Water St., St. John’s, Newfoundland | phone 709-724-5929 | www.railwaycoastalmuseum.ca
RAILWAY COASTAL MUSEUM
NEWSLETTER
MAY 2013
ice. Captain Edward English had to make the
hard decision to beach the ship.
The Ethie almost made it to shore but got
caught on the rocks. The crew and men on the
shore rigged a bosun’s chair to pull the
passengers and crew to shore, including an 18
month old girl that was brought ashore in a mail
bag.
Now this is where the story took on a life of its
own and where Wisher enters the scene. On
December 17th the Morning Post, Evening
Advocate, and Evening Herald all reported the
wreck, highlighting the heroism of the crew and
Captain English. No dog in these stories, but
the Western Star ran a story the same day
telling of a dog sent to get the rope used to
bring everyone to shore.
Now this is the story that caught everyone’s
attention, a dog hero. By December 24 th, the
Evening Advocate ran a story with the headline
“A Newfoundland Dog Rescues Crew” and by
December 31st, the Western Star identified the
dog as one owned by Reuben Decker, a man
who had helped with the rescue. This dog’s
name was Wisher.
WISHER, THE DOG OWNED BY
REUBEN DECKER
.
The amazing story of the dog that saved a
whole boat of people made it out of
Newfoundland and was picked up in
Philadelphia! The story moved the audience
but was there any truth to the details?
Journalist, Cassie Brown, revisited the story in
1964 and interviewed Reuben Decker, the man
whose dog supposedly was the ‘hero dog.’
MARTIN’S POINT, NL. WHERE THE
S.S. ETHIE SHIPWRECKED.
Railway Coastal Museum | 495 Water St., St. John’s, Newfoundland | phone 709-724-5929 | www.railwaycoastalmuseum.ca
H 2012
RAILWAY COASTAL MUSEUM
NEWSLETTER
MAY 2013
Decker said that he did own a dog named
Wisher and they both were on the beach
during the rescue but his dog did not have
any part in it. In fact, Decker said, his dog
was afraid of water.
Looking at the official reports also give
insight into this mystery as the directors of
the Reid Newfoundland Company, the
Mercantile Marine Services, and Governor
Harris did not mention a dog as part of the
events surrounding the wreck of the Ethie.
COLLAR GIVEN TO WISHER IN
1920
A Decorated Hero?
The public of Philidelphia became
enthralled with the story of the ‘hero dog’
who saved the people on the S.S. Ethie
because of the news story picked up by
the Philadelphia Ledger.
They were so moved that the public
donated money to engrave a silver collar
sent to Reuben Decker and Wisher for
their heroics during the crisis.
This collar was later found in a bar on
Wrangell Island, Alaska! The owner, Dottie
Olson, was given it by a neighbor who was
cleaning out their attic.
As for the logs that were kept on the ship,
the Chief Officer John Gullage, who wrote
the log, credits the Captain and crew and
mentions that Reuben Decker helped with
the rescue but does not mention his dog
Wisher. Even Captain English does not go
into details about the event. He simply
states “Shipwrecked” in his “Account of
Crew.”
Although the crew and official reports do
not mention Wisher, he became
immortalized in 1920 by E. J. Pratt in his
poem “Carlo.” The poem tells a heroic
story of the dog and stirs the emotions of
the readers to a point where they cannot
help but believe a dog saved the day. This
is the way that Wisher lives on, through
storytelling, serving as an example of a
‘little guy’ who became a hero.
Even though there is a lot of evidence to
the contrary, it is the story of a dog that
swam out to retrieve a rope and saved a
shipwrecked boat that survives as part of
the folklore of the Newfoundland Coastal
Boats.
Railway Coastal Museum | 495 Water St., St. John’s, Newfoundland | phone 709-724-5929 | www.railwaycoastalmuseum.ca
RAILWAY COASTAL MUSEUM
NEWSLETTER
MAY 2013
GIFT SHOP
May Feature
Take a step back in time with
this beautiful 1920s reproduction
necklace. The beautiful Olivine
Czech glass drop beads are
accented by brass caps,
settings, and connectors.
This piece is a statement
necklace with a vintage flair. For
only $30, this necklace could be
a great addition to your
collection.
FOR THE KIDS!
www.railwaycoastalmusem.ca
Jump on Board the
Dinosaur Train!
Buddy the T-Rex is one of the newest
additions to the RCM gift shop. He
talks and sings not only with you but
also with his Dinosaur Train friends!
He has over 40 sounds and phrases and
reacts to the movements of the person
playing with him.
Only $23.00 for a great toy and endless
fun!