ADD: Bank Fishermen (Packet Named the Peerless)

Subject: RE: ADD: Bank Fishermen (Packet Named the Peerless
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Jan 10 - 08:09 PM

Good job, Bruce. I e-mailed the lyrics to the requester today, but the e-mail address was dead. I wish I had noticed this four years ago when you posted the lyrics.

-Joe-

Subject: Lyr Add: BANK FISHERMEN
From: Peace
Date: 24 Aug 06 - 12:48 AM

BINGO--found it with a Google of peerless, Gloucester, dutchman

It is from www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD1/15-04.htm

BANK FISHERMEN

Came all you hardy fishermen and listen unto me
While I relate the hardships that are suffered on the sea
By those who toil to earn their bread upon the stormy deep
And risk their lives in dories a family for to keep.

It was on the eleventh of April from Gloucester we set sail.
Bor'es [Boreas] from her lofty heights it blew a pleasant gale.
Before the wind, we run along with every stitch all new.
She carried six Yankee dories and a bonny Gloucester crew.

We made the Bay of Islands on the west of Newfoundland.
Her name it was the Peerless with a Dutchman in command.
We took on board a trip of bait and shook out every form,
And for the banks we run along before a southwest storm.

We arrived on the banks in the afternoon, shook out our starboard fall,
And quickly our dories lowered for to set out our trawl,
When suddenly a storm did rise. The foaming seas did churn,
And twelve fine hardy fishermen no more will they return.

Our captain cruised about all day in hopes to take them up,
But no sign of the missing men. For home we then bore on.
Their dories in the gale capsized. They sank to rise no more.
Those twelve fine hardy fishermen belong to Gloucester's shore.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Packet Named the Peerless
From:
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 12:34 PM

Thank you all for your efforts. This was a song my uncle from Newfoundland would sing. It relates to cod fishermen on the Grand Banks. All hands were lost in a squall.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Packet Named the Peerless
From: GUEST,Barry Finn
Date: 04 Sep 00 - 11:29 PM

Hi Joe, have you got any time fame or what type of fishing industry they were ingauged in, with dories could be sealers or fisherman but it doesn't sound like whaler's with dories in a Packet & I've checked the Commisioner's report on whalers out of New England from 1784-1876 & found no Peerless there & found nothing on the little bit I have on sealers either. Coming out of Gloucester for any of the Banks ( the most important being the Grand Banks 7 then George's with the smaller Brown's, Western, Green, St. Pierre's & a ocean others including the Flemish Cap made famous by the recent movie The Perfect Storm about the recebnt loss of the Andrea Gale) it's more likely they were fisherman & Gloucester has lost more men & ships to those waters than some countries can claimed to have lost in wars. I also looked though some of Huntington, Creighton & Doerflinger, all who covered some of the Northeast's fishing trades & didn't come up lucky there either. It sounds like an interesting song, hope more comes of it. Barry

Subject: thread.cmf?threadid=24933
From:
Date: 04 Sep 00 - 09:58 AM

I've recalled some additional words to some extent: "they sent out the six dories and squall comes up and all hands are lost".. I appreciate the help that you have provided and hope that you can help me with this old song.

Subject: Packet Named the Peerless
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 03:34 AM

We got this request from [e-mail] in another thread. Can anybody help? Sounds like an interesting song.
-Joe Offer-

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A packet named the Peerless
with a dutchman in command
left the shores of glouster
for the banks off newfoundland
they struck the banks that afternoon
and schook out their starboard fall...