HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1976-06-24, Page 30#010414400 40 Vit$44400411Er 14904 11A0,
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Did you ever wonder why, in
your reading or your travels, you
find the name "Hayfield" so
often? There is Bayfield.
Ontario: Bayfield, New Brun-
swick; Bayfield, Nova ScOtia:
Etayfield Twp., P.E.1.; Bayfield .
WistosiSin; Bayfield River and
Bayfield Sound. And, going
farther afield, we find in
Dunedin; New. Zealand a Bayfield
High School. Bayfield Motel and
Bayfield St. There were also
survey ships on Lake Huron by
that name and a U.S. ship called
•he Bayfield" which was
n service during World War 11,
aiming four battle stars.
For the background of all this.
we go to. Norfolk County,
England. where a very ancient
family. the Bayfields of Bayfield
Halllived. In 1795 a son born into
'hat family wa.s named Henry.
ho at eleven years of age en-
tered the navy as a super-
numerary volunteer on the 80 gun
Pompee'•. Six hours after
•l' ng foot on deck he saw ,action
tif Portsmouth as the Napoleonic
W ars were in progress. They
defeated the French privateer.
Next. he went to the "Queen"
flagship of the great Collingwood.
and then to the "Duchess of
Bedford". He was wounded in the
forehead when that vessel was in
severe action and beat off. un-
supported. two powcrful Spanish
fehecas. For his noteworthy
conduct. he received his first -
itis. volunteers rating.
In his first two years afloat. he
in numerous conflicts with
I
tench privateers. His next ship
.1. the H.M.S.-Beagle" (called
hr Golden Beagle" because she
.iptured so many prizcs•)
During this time. he was
t eceiving his primary technical
education aboard ship and, since
he had arkeen mind and a love for
reading' and for mathematics he
w as Joy to the young educated
officers responsible for him.
In 1809. he accompanied the
Waleheren expedition, became a
nud.hioman. a • then reioined
his former commander in 1811
serving on /the -Wanderer" and
seeing action in the areas around
Spain, Portugal. the West Indies
and North America.
Atage20 he was promoted to
lieutenant. While the ship was at
QUebec, he met Captain Owen
R.N... who was engaged
making a survey of Lake Ontario
for the Admiralty. That was a
fateful meeting for Young
Bayfield as Owen was so im-
pressed by the neatness and
accuracy of the notes and work in
Lieut. Bilyfield's notebooks, that
he requisitioned the young man's
services. Thus Bayfield was
ordered to accompany Owen
farther on inland to Kingston —
and was very unhappy about it as
he loved the sea and felt that he
would be "buriedalpe" inland.
But, orders were orders and he
had to go. One year later. when
Owen returned to England in
1817. Bayfield. age 22, was ap-
pointed admiralty surveyor in
charge — and proceeded with the
charting of the Great Lakes for
nearly nine years.
Latter ay hydrographers
marvel atAthe extraordinary
accuracy and, the magnitude of
his work for .he .had only small,
two -masted sailing craf-
u"Toughton and Ramsden" nn
Lakes Erie and Huron) and
unqualified assistants to carry on
a running survey of an unmarked
coast and, in many cases. of
shores that were practically
unexplored. But the secret of his
successful accomplishments
was. untiring zeal. strict and
conscientious adherence to the
work in hand. passton for detail.
execptional powers of ob-
servation. and a natural talent
for a career that had been forced
upon him.
On Lakes Erte and Huron. he
had two six -oared boats with the
sailing vessels. and a young
midshipman. P.E. Collins. as his
sole assistant. They worked
summer and winter; living in
earnmc with his French
was brilliant surveyor
voyageurs *Wier working on the
ice. Since he recommended the
area by this (now Bayfield)River
to Baron de Tuyll for his town, we
can well imagine that this was
one of his camps and that he did a
bit of tramping through the bush
in this area.
It is unfortOnate that so far no
access is to be had many journal
or reports of his work on these
upper lakes but there is his worn
notebook. brown and water -
stained. its pages covered with
neat and delightfully old-
fashioned script and the cover
bearing the title. "Survey of
Lakes of Canada 1816 - 1825, in-
clusive", and the flyleaf signed
"H.W. Bayfield. H.M. S. Star,
May. 1816". It contains notes and
instructions andexplanations of
surveying. Geometrical and
Astronomical problems. sketches
• of flags to be flown by the survey
ships. and the precautions to be
used in handling the limited and
irreplaceable instruments. Also.
there are observations on the
water elevations, natural
history(i.e. wood duck. wood-
pecker. etc.) and short cuts to
obstruse mathematical problems
- likely his own methods. It seems
as though he was aware that all
that he did. physically and
mentally. were not only fax his
day and generation but for the
use of posterity. He left little to
chance and nothing to memory.
His notes said the Lake
Superior is about 600 feet above
the Atlantic and 22 feet above
Lake Huron. The records a
century later gave Lake Superior
602.22 feet above mean sea wevel
and 21.28 feet above Lake Huron!
How surprisingly accurate he
was. yet he had so few in-
struments and worked under
such adverse conditions.
Materials for the erection of
survey marks. beacons. signals
etcwere not provided by the
Admiralty—so Bayfield and his
party had pretty much to "live off
the land". The notes say each
boat must every morning supply
herself with a dozen light per:
ches( trimmed saplings or
roughly - cut poles), some strips
of bark and as many stones to
moor them to so that, should she
be obliged to anchor off the shore
to take the angles. her station
may be marked by one of tliese.
and so marked that it may be
seen two miles at least.
A ''running survey" is a system
of points on shore and positions
on the water. the latter marked
by moored boats. connected each
to the other by angular
measurements, transite or
theodolites being used by the
shore observers and sextants in
the boats. As each series of
angular measurements was
completed. the boats would "up
anchor" and move on to other
pre -arranged stations and the
shore markers would be
recovered and shifted ac -
(continued on page 9A)
am HATS OFF -
TO
VILLAGE OF BAYFIELD
1876 — 1976
From everyone at
Newcombe Pharmacy
Your Rexall Drug Store
21 VICTORIA ST., CLINTON 482-9511
Proud to serve Bayfield,
Clinton and area since 1950
We are proud to carry the
name of Bayfield to the four
corners of the World.
PrOud to be a part of Bayfield's
prosperous future
One of our Ketch's which crossed Ithe Atlantic single handed ,and,now is
participating in the Plymouth England to Newport R.I. race.