Harry Piers: Museum Maker

Notes from Piers Accession Book:

Scientific name:  Half Block Model of Modern Spoon-bowed Fishing Schooner, "Elva Blanche"; port of registry, Lunenburg, N.S.  Scale 3/8 inch = 1 foot. Official No. of schooner, 126,116.  Registered tonnage, 79 tons.  Length over-all, 100 feet.  Registered length, 93 8/10 feet.  Length at load-water-line, about 79 ft. 6 ins.  Breadth, 25 0/10 feet.  Registered depth, 9 3/10 feet.  Greatest draught, aft, about 8 ft. 3 ins. Abram Ernst, managing owner of the "Elva Blanche" gives the following particulars of the vessel: - (Vid. his brother of 28 May 1917)

Locality and When Collected: Designed by Isiah H. Wagner; and built in 1908, by J. Ernst & Son, at Mahone Bay, Lun. Co., N.S.  Abram Ernst, managing owner of "Elva Blanche," Mahone Bay, N.S.

Collector (c.) Donor (d.):  Clarence A. Anderson (d.) 322 South St., Halifax, N.S. This model was given to Anderson about two years ago by a Lunenberg carpenter, Wagner, who had worked in the shipyard where the schooner was built.

Quantity:  1

Remarks:   J. Ernst & Son writes me that her "bow is what we call an Aberdeen bow."  I ... consider such a rocking bow to be what is termed a "spoon-bow."
What is now her home port?  Newfoundland
Name of man who actually designed her? Isaiah H. Wagner
In whose shipyard was she built? J. Ernst & Son, Mahone Bay
What is her best speed under favourable conditions? 12 knots an hour
How close will she sail to the wind? 5 points
Was she engaged in the bank fisheries, and, if so, for how many years? Yes, 3 years
Is she now in the carrying trade? Fishing in Newfoundland waters
Length of bowsprit, outboard: 24 feet
distance from knightheads (bow) to centre of foremast: 25 feet
Distance from knightheads (bow)mainmast: 64 feet error; should be 56 feet
Length of main boom: 62 feet
Length of main gaff:  34 feet
Height of foremast from deck to cap: 61 feet
Height of foremast from deck to foretopmast truck (if she carries a foretopmast):  81 ft. 6 ins.
Height of mainmast from deck to cap:  65 ft
Height of mainmast from deck to maintopmast truck:  92 feet
Is her bow what is called a "spoon-bow"? No
Dimensions of Model (scale 3/8 inch = 1 foot)
length of model, overall - 3 feet 1 1/2 ins.= 100 feet
length on load water-line - 29 3/4 ins. = 79 ft. 4 ins.
greatest beam = 24 ft. 4 ins.
greatest breadth at load water-line = 22 ft. 6 ins.
bulwarks (height) = 1 ft. 10 ins.
bulwarks (height) = 1 ft. 10 ins.
layers of wood used in making model average about = 1 ft. 6 ins. thick
greatest amount of shee(?)  = 3 ft. 0 ins.
greatest beam is 20 3/4 inches abaft the bow
ratio of length over-all to beam    = 4 times; ratio of load-water-line to breadth at load water-line =  3.52 times.

Date Accessioned: 22 May 1917

Reference: Harry Piers number 4507  Nova Scotia Museum Marine History Collection, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic