Anyone familiar with Bell Island, and has traveled the Tickle during the spring is all too aware that ice can some times interrupt the Ferry service. Some years the ice can isolated the Island for weeks, some years only days, and occasionally there is no ice at all. During one particularly long ice blockade during the 1950’s, a local miner wrote the following song. It appeared in the newspaper and was quite familiar to Bell Islanders.

The John Guy in ice.

Bell Island Ice Blockade

By a No. 4. Slope Employee

Come sit down I’ll sing you a ditty
‘Bout the time we were hemmed in by ice
Our troubles began with potatoes
Which could only be had for a price.

Rumour soon spread we were stranded
News bulletins said every day
So DOSCO engaged the icebreaker
And assistance was soon under way.

Motor vehicles and tractors were idle
Business in general was slow
Theaters received no new movies
And people had no place to go.

Here’s luck to the Saurel and Trepassy
For brining us food and supplies
Also the good helicopter
That went buzzing around in the sky.

Sick people were flown to the City
Baby bonus came two weeks late
Mainlandsmen walked ‘cross the Tickle
And said that the walking was great.

One hundred cars I had counted
Maybe one hundred nineteen
They were all in line on the main road
To be rationed with red gasoline.

But when they reched the gas station
I know that their feelings were hurt
Instead of getting a tank full
They were allowed only two dollars worth.

Now that our troubles were over
No more ice in the Bay do we see
Ore boats are coming and going
And tummies are full as can be.

So this is the end of my ditty
‘Bout the time we were hemmed in by ice
Our troubles began with potatoes
Which could only be had for a price.

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