#690 Newfie: The Living Life Bouys
Fun Fact #690 Newfie “The Living LifeBouys” On December 10th, 1919, The SS Ethie was caught in a severe snowstorm off the coast of Cow Head, Newfoundland (Canada). Running low on coal, carrying (now) damaged lifeboats, and beginning to lose steering control Captain Edward English decided to beach the ship before it crashed into the infamous Whaleback reef nearby –but hit a sunken sandbar instead. Seeing the trouble from his home, local fisherman Reuben Becker with his dog swam a line to the ship allowing people to follow it in the water to safety. Together they operated as a team, with Mr. Becker treating people onshore while his dog continued to pull groups of people from the water –including an 18-month baby in a mail carrier’s bag– saving 92 lives in total (and an undocumented number of Livestock). The following morning, Becker’s Dog became famous and the breed is today as “The Newfoundland Dog” even though the breed itself long predated the incident. Today Newfies ...
