First Sailing
When my ‘Uncle’ Ernie (Ernest Watson Ascah 1911-2000- actually my Dad’s first cousin) passed away, one of my sad duties was to go through his personal belongings and prepare his house for sale with the help of the Royal Trust. Among his keepsake items were a couple dozen “certificates of discharge” issued to each seaman on boats registered in Canadian waters. A complete scan of Ernie’s certificates is contained in the PDF file below.
One other form (below) is a “Certificate of Efficiency as Lifeboatman” which he was given in May 1936. In his certificate of efficiency as lifeboatman his eye colour (blue), hair colour (light brown), complexion (fresh) and distinguishing marks and tattoos (none) were included.
Each certificate captures Ernie’s journeys from before World War II (1931 to 1939) and after the War (1946-1948).
The certificates, issued by the Marine and Fisheries department of the Dominion of Canada, capture vital data about the route taken by these cruise ships, origins and destinations, Ernie’s position, Ernie’s “character,” and the name of the vessel. A spreadsheet above captures these myriad facts and provides a glimpse into the early adult life of Ernie Ascah on the boats.
Ernie began his sailing career as an Assistant Deck Steward on the S.S. New Northland with a trip originating from Quebec City cruising the St. Lawrence to Newfoundland and back to Quebec City.
According to Eric Wiberg’s website which provides details about nautical history, the ship weighed 3,445 tons and was operated by the Clarke Steamship Company. According to Kevin Griffin, the ship had 142 first-class passengers, 76 third-class passengers, and a crew of 58. Griffin notes “the accommodation has been very carefully designed for the St Lawrence service in which the vessel will be engaged. Nearly the whole of the upper deck is devoted to first class passengers in cabins which leave very little to be desired in respect of either comfort or artistic beauty.” From its initial launch in 1927 the ship made runs between Miami and Nassau. After 1930, the ship sailed mainly in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and over to Newfoundland, which was then a dominion of the British empire.
For more information about the Clarke family go to https://shippingtandy.com/features/clarke-steamship-co-ltd/
S.S. New Northland arriving at Palm Beach on 10 January 1927. Source: http://clarkesteamship.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/chapter-4.pdf
Ernie made a total of 14 voyages on the S.S. Northland through the Great Depression. Stability of employment shows that there was still demand for cruising the St. Lawrence. Cruises were a means to escape economic woes and could be accommodated with shorter cruises and second-class or third-class cabins. In 1932 and 1933, cruises no longer went to the Caribbean but foreign destinations resumed in 1934.
Reading through the certificates several interesting details surface. First, the date of birth for Ernie recorded on the certificates bizarrely varied from 1912, 1913, 1915 and the correct year of birth which was 1911. How these dates were arrived at is anyone’s guess. Perhaps Ernie wanted to present himself as younger than he actually was or perhaps Clarke has internal age policies for various positions on the boat.
During his second voyage Ernie sailed from Halifax leaving at the end of 1931 and sailing to the British West Indies (Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago) and to Cuba before returning to Halifax in mid-March. In that and subsequent voyages he acted as a ‘bath steward.” A bath steward (often referred to as a cabin steward or room steward) is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and tidiness of guest cabins. This included tasks like making beds, cleaning bathrooms, replacing towels, and providing other services like ice and toiletries. They also ensured the cabin was comfortable and well-maintained throughout the cruise.
In subsequent voyages, Ernie was designated as a “cabin steward,” which suggests a higher rank.
In terms of wages on these steamships, according to Google Gemini AI
In the 1930s, a cabin steward’s compensation on a Canadian cruise ship would have been significantly lower than modern salaries. While specific figures are difficult to pinpoint without detailed historical records, a cabin steward’s wages would have been a very small fraction of the salaries of top earners like the captain, potentially in the range of a few dollars a week, plus room and board.
Other details to be gleaned from the discharge papers included place of birth which was variously stated as Canada, Gaspe, Peninsula.
In 1937, the form was changed to include grades for character- ability and character-conduct. Ernie was always graded as “very good” for both traits.
In his last voyage before enlisting in the Black Watch in Montreal (see A Soldier’s Journal), he travelled on a new ship called the S.S. Northstar, another vessel under the Clarke banner. He was an Assistant Steward at that time, and he was discharged on 8 September 1939 two days before the Parliament of Canada declared war on Germany. Soon after, on 30 November, Ernie married Florence Cousins.
S.S. Northstar Source: https://thecruisepeople.wordpress.com/tag/tss-north-star/
After the War
Upon his return in 1945 after convalescing briefly in Peninsula, Ernie rejoined Clarke Steamship aboard the M.V. Jean Brillant, a considerably smaller vessel than the New Northland. According to Eric Wiberg’s website, the M.V. Brillant was built in 1935 and weighed 640 tons, initially sailing the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland. In 1942 its route was shifted to run between Nassau and Miami.
M.V. Jean Brillant Source: https://ericwiberg.com/2014/07/mv-jean-brillant-from-canada-served-miami-nassau-in-wwii-and-after
Ernie had to travel to Miami to board the ship on 12 October 1945 returning to Miami on 22 April 1946. He then travelled on the ship back as Chief Steward to Quebec City the day of his discharge where he docked on 4 May 1946.
His next voyage was on the Magdelan a much smaller ship with 180 horsepower.
Magdalen
According to SailStrait, the ship was launched in 1942 with her initial schedule providing twice weekly sailings from Pictou, Nova Scotia to the Magdalen Islands off the Gaspe coast. In 1945 the Lovat Steam Ship Company was acquired by the Magdalen Islands Transportation Company, a subsidiary of the Clarke Steamship Company and her registry port was changed to Montreal. The ship was sold for $150,000 to the new company and the vessel’s name was changed to S.S. Magdalen.” Ernie, as Chief Steward, was on the Magdalen once from May to October 1946.
At the end of 1946, Ernie was on another boat, the S.S. North Shore (2750 horsepower), another of the Clarke steamship family. According to Kevin Griffin, the North Shore was a converted corvette with weekly express sailing to Quebec’s North Shore.
S.S. North Shore Source: https://clarkesteamship.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/chapter-9-from-old-ships-to-new-and-vagabond-cruises/
The trip’s origin was Nassau, Bermuda with a final destination of Palm Beach Florida.
During 1947, Ernie ventured on yet another ship the M.V. North Gaspe a small ship driven by a 1200 hp motor and travelling the “home trade” from Quebec City along the north shore of the St. Lawrence. He had two tours that year one from April to July and from August to October.
In 1948, he boarded the S.S. Cliffside in Montreal travelling in “foreign waters” in July and returning to Halifax at February of 1949. I have not been able to find any information or pictures of the Cliffside. It was registered in Montreal.
By this time, Ernie had been working for the Clarke Steamship Company for nearly 15 years. Doubtless he decided to remain in Montreal and settle down with his wife Florence finding work in another field. In 1952, he and Florence bought a home in Ville. St. Laurent (275 Tait) where he lived for nearly five decades. He joined the steel industry and worked at Marshall Steel as a salesman up and down the north shore for two and a half decades.
AscahGenealogy.com 
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