Rum-running in the early part of the 20th century, although a lucrative pursuit, was also an illegal one.
Marshall Bourinot of Arichat was a revenue man charged with enforcing the law in regards to smuggled goods. The job of the Revenue Men, however, did not end with successful seizures.
Collecting the goods, guarding, and transporting it usually presented numerous logistical difficulties. Since these illegal activities were usually played out in remote areas, vessels and manpower needed to be engaged to move the contraband from the secluded coves.
On one particular occasion, in the early hours of the morning, the schooner Joseph Patrick began offloading its prohibited cargo into dories and fishing boats. Just before daylight, Bourinot and his partner made their way down to the cove where the goods were being transferred, however, in sneaking across a field, they were detected and a shot was fired warning the smugglers of the approaching officers.
By the time they arrived at the cove all the smugglers had escaped but one, and he was placed under arrest. There were kegs of rum, as well as cases of whiskey, gin, and pure alcohol. The patrol ship Louisbourg, under the command of Captain Jack Fraser, arrived, collected the banned substances, and relocated it to North Sydney where it was warehoused. This was one of the largest seizures on the Cape Breton coast.
In 1915, in a blinding snowstorm, the Emma Belliveau, bound for Newfoundland with a cargo of molasses, came ashore at Cap La Ronde. She was skippered by Albert Nicholl of Carbonnere, Newfoundland. Three died in the mishap and the ship was salvaged by the Foundation Company of Halifax, but spent the winter lodged on the shoal that had been her nemesis.
Captain Nicholl stayed on, married Eva Mae Babin, and lived in Arichat. He went on to captain freighters that plied the route between Isle Madame, Point Tupper, Mulgrave, and Canso.
On a New Year’s Eve just after the First World War, the steamship Bras d’Or made her maiden voyage to the port of Arichat. Docking at the Malzard Wharf, she was greeted by a large group of curious onlookers all of whom were mightily impressed by the cabins, staterooms, and general beauty of the new craft.
The Bras d’Or was of wooden construction, likely built by the MacLean Shipyard of Mahone Bay, Lunenburg County for the J.A. Young Steamship Company of Sydney. She was designed to carry passengers and freight and was put into service in the Bras d’Or Lake, St. Peter’s, Isle Madame, and North Cape Breton route.
The Master of the Bras d’Or was Captain Dan MacDonald; a highly regarded seaman of his time. Unfortunately, after only several years of service, the Bras d’Or caught fire and burned off Cap La Ronde while on a run from Sydney to ports in northern Cape Breton. The crew made it safely to shore in a lifeboat, landing at the farm of John Murray.
Besides the ship itself, a new automobile owned by Dr. Leo LeBlanc of Chéticamp was lost.