Welcome


A Famous Rum Runner...

Nellie J. Banks

One of Prince Edward Island's more notorious rum runners, the Nellie J. Banks eluded authorities until August 9, 1938, and was the last rum runner seized off Atlantic Canada.

The reason for adding this story and pictures to Murray Harbour's site is because the famous NELLIE J. BANKS came to rest in a funeral pyre on Murray Harbour shore in 1953. In 1943, she was called the Leona G. Maguire then and named after the Captains daughter.

leona mcguirerThe Nellie J. Banks, shown here anchored at Murray Harbour in the early 40's, then known as the Leona G. Maguire
leona mcguirerThe Nellie J. Banks, with a dirty sail.

Number of Decks = 1
Number of masts = 2
Type = Schooner
Length = 57 feet
Width = 18 feet
Depth = 7 feet
Tonnage = 35

Prince Edward Island was the first province in Canada to accept strict measures against alcohol. In 1901 P.E.I. brought in prohibition which made it illegal to manufacture, sell or have in procession of any alcohol. Doctors were allowed to prescribe small amounts of alcohol for patients who were in need of it. Kings county voted ninety-five percent majority in favour of prohibition.

During the time of prohibition rum running was considered to some as a very necessary part of life. The strict restrictions placed on alcohol forced many to seek the services of smugglers. Harsh fines and impounding of ships and cargo were the consequences of anyone found smuggling alcohol to or from the province but this did little to deter the smugglers. The most famous of these were the Dicks brothers, Ed and John from Georgetown, who both captained the notorious rum running schooner; the Nellie .J. Banks.

The infamous Dalvay by the sea" North shore, PEI was sold around the 1930's to the infamous prohibition rum-runner, Captain Edward Dicks. Dicks was looking for a 'legitimate' business to cover his illicit activities off the north shore of PEI. Dicks had the idea to turn Dalvay into a hotel for upscale clientele. Unfortunately, he spent so much money upgrading to Dalvay to hotel status that there was little money left for marketing to prospective guests. Dalvay was then remanded to one of Capt. Dicks' Creditors, George DeBlois.

The Nellie .J. Banks was for twelve years the main carrier of alcohol to and from the province. The schooners crew consisted of several members from Newfoundland and Georgetown. Police patrolled the water with their boat; the Ulna, seeking out any signs of smugglers. The Nellie .J. Banks was owned by Ed Dicks and Ray Clark before Ed's brother John, who captained the Nellie .J. Banks from 1928 until 1930. It was not until 1948 that people on Prince Edward Island could purchase alcohol legally. The Temperance Act was passed and allowed the public consumption of alcoholic beverages as refreshments, but under strict regulations. Restrictions remained strict until 1961 when the Temperance Act was reviewed and renamed the Liquor Control Act.

Excerpts from the book "THE NELLIE J. BANKS" written by Geoff and Dorothy Robinson... Tyne Valley, PEI

In the 1930's, the NELLIE J. BANKS was an annual visitor to the northern shore of Prince Edward Island, putting in her first appearance by the end of May. The fishermen expected her and they kept a close on the horizon for the little schooner. Fragments of a local ditty have survived telling of the excitement when the so called "whiskey boat" had been sighted.

It was the twenty fourth of May The sky was bright and clear A shout went up from man to man "The NELLIE BANKS is here" Credit: Clinton Morrison Senr.

At that time there was a prohibition all across Canada. Alcoholic beverages could be obtained legally only through a doctor's prescription and then but small amounts. The cargo of the liquor aboard the vessel was indeed a marketable commodity once it was on land, but an imaginary line encircling the Island three miles from shore was the boundary inside which smuggling vessels entered at their peril. Providing the NELLIE J. BANKS did not invade these forbidden waters she was perfectly safe from interference until Canada suddenly and without warning changed the rules of the game in 1938. On Aug 6 1938, the boundry changed to 12 miles and the Captain which was Lillington was not aware of this. At 0722 hours the ULNA hoisted the international Signal "OL" which means "Stop"; the whistle sounded 3 times and it was sung out "Heave to in the King's Name". A blank shot was fired and the schooner hove to. The Nellie Banks was towed to Charlottetown and it was the last time she was confiscated.

The end of the line... came after two near disasters. One in 1941 carrying a load of dynamite from Cape Tormentine, NB for the ferry service as it was too dangerous for them to take on board. She was called Leona G. Maguire then. On this trip to Wood Islands terminal she ran into Indian Rocks and damaged her hull.She made it to the terminal and sank right there. Divers from Borden,PEI got the dynamite off the ship and set her afloat again. She made her last trip from Georgetown, PEI and near collided with a corvette coming in the opposite direction, her luck still held even though there was only 20 feet seperated them.

In the early part of 1943, an old sea Captain named Roberts took her and lived aboard from then on, usually in Murray Harbour,PEI. As he began to show signs of age, so did the boat, and in 1947 she was permanently tied up in Murray Harbour,PEI.

Around 1950, Maquire decided to pull the schooner out of the water and rebuild her. John MacDonald was selected as the right man to do this, but once she was pulled up near his home in Murray Harbour,PEI the money did not come fast enough to effect the necessary repairs, and things went from bad to worse. Finally, she became an eyesore, a pitifully lonely sight on the edge of the water. The land on which she was proped up was sold, and the new owner, Joe Bell, convinced William Harris that he had permission from Captain Maquire to set her on fire. One night in 1953, they went with oily rags, newspapers and matches to put her out of her misery. They stood back from the heat as the flames from the burning timbers consumed her dry bones. They had no inkling that a wealth of Prince Edward Island history was disappearing in front of them. The big timbers that Howard Allen had so tenderly laid out in his shipyard took more than a night to burn.

The NELLIE J. BANKS: Was built by Alfred Banks from Nova Scotia in 1910 and launched Oct. 21 1910 from the shipyard of Howard Allen and Company of Allendale. A trim little fishing schooner, the NELLIE J. BANKS, which was built by them for the Halifax Commission agent Alfred M. Banks.

The vessel is discribed as an exceedly pretty boat and was constructed with the special object of speed as she is intended for the fresh fishing industry. She was a strongly built craft of the lastest model then and was designed by Freeman Pyzant of Lockeport, NS. She is of the semi knockabout type, neatly rigged, having the usual short foremast and carring two top masts. She looked more like a yacht than a fishing schooner, having a very graceful sheer.

Mavis Gallant originates from Hamilton Ont. Her parents are Islanders with a rich family history. Mavis' grandmother Ellen Clark MacNeill was adopted by Pierce and Rachael MacNeill of Cavendish. In the journals of Lucy Maud Montgomery, Lucy writes that Ellen was the inspiration for Anne of Green Gables. Mavis' uncle Ray Clark (Ellens' brother) was owner of the Nellie J. Banks.




customs_vessel
Customs Vessel Margaret, at full steam; adverary of the rum runners.

The Nellie J. Banks
There's rum in the hold of the Nellie J. Banks,
Prince Edward Island bound;
Late on a night when the moon shines bright,
You can find her off Georgetown.

She left St. Pierre on the tenth of May,
Prince Edward Island bound;
For the winter's done and there's very little rum,
In the harbours and the towns.
And the fishermen watch for the dirty sail,
As they trawl on Tracadie Bay;
And they give a great shout when they finally figure out,
Nellie Banks is on her way.

There's rum in the hold of the Nellie J. Banks,
Prince Edward Island bound;
Late on a night when the moon shines bright,
You can find her off Georgetown.

There's Captain Lillington at the helm,
He comes from Newfoundland;
With a bottle of brandy always on the deck,
And an extra case on hand.
He's drunk but he holds a leeward stance,
As he sails the schooner true;
And the government cutters simply fall astern,
When he shows what the Banks can do.

There's rum in the hold of the Nellie J. Banks,
Prince Edward Island bound;
Late on a night when the moon shines bright,
You can find her off Georgetown.

Well, the government cutters hug the shore,
With a glass upon Rum Row;
For they know the Nellie Banks is out upon the bay,
And a runner is sure to show.
And Lillington keeps her four miles out,
Though the boundary it is three;
But late at night when the cutter's out of sight,
She slips into a lee.

There's rum in the hold of the Nellie J. Banks,
Prince Edward Island bound;
Late on a night when the moon shines bright,
You can find her off Georgetown.

On an August night in the pale moonlight,
With the Banks off Short Point shore;
A shot rang out and a voice began to shout,
"Heave to, or we'll fire more!"
And the morning light saw a terrible sight,
As the Banks was towed away;
No more will the Nellie J. Banks run rum,
No more will the fishermen say:

There's rum in the hold of the Nellie J. Banks,
Prince Edward Island bound;
Late on a night when the moon shines bright,
You can find her off Georgetown.

Yes, there's rum in the hold of the Nellie J. Banks,
We saw her sail today;
You'll find her on the nights when the moon don't shine,
Three miles off Tracadie Bay.

Lennie Gallant; PEI Singer/Songwriter, Recorded by Connemara (Near And Distant Shores, 1995)

Note: One of Prince Edward Island's more notorious rum runners, the Nellie J. Banks eluded authorities until August 9, 1938, and was the last rum runner seized off Atlantic Canada.

Footnote: The property that Joe Bell owned was sold to A. Byron Burns in 1954 and he built a cottage for him and his family. It was sold around 1984 and it changed hands a few time since then. Eventually, in 1999 and to this present day, the property was bought back by A. Byron Burns's daughter Suzanne(webmaster of this website) and her spouse.