The Forge

The original forge or blacksmith shop in Spaniard's Bay was built and operated by Mose Gosse, grandfather of the last blacksmith, Mose Gosse.
When the original owner retired the operation was taken over by his son Esau Gosse and later his sons Roland, Jack, Nathan and Mose. Later Mose became the sole owner and blacksmith and continued there until his retirement in 1967.
The forge was located at the intersection of Casey's Lane, Baker's Hill and the Conception Bay Highway on the east side. It was a single story building with south end being the main working area approximately 26 feet wide and 30 feet long. The north end was mostly a storage area and housed some speciality tools including a large manually operated drill press.
The floor of the main work area was made mostly of wood, probably juniper because it could withstand the rough usage. The remainder of the floor was gravel, which was not damaged from sparks, hot coals and metal.
The billows was separated from the work area by a wooden wall and chimney and air was blown into the hearth through a brick and concrete opening. The billows was operated manually until the late '40s when an electric blower was installed.
There was a narrow workbench underneath the north window. The blacksmith's anvil and tools were close to the earthen fire. There was a large wooden tub filled with seawater at the end of the hearth. This was used for rapid cooling and tempering of the hot metal.
Public entrance was through two large half doors, one on the west side and the other on the south side. The top half of the half doors was usually left open to give adequate light. Both doors opened outward and were fastened to the building with hooks. The owner's entrance was at the north end facing his home.
The blacksmith
Mr. Gosse was the only blacksmith I knew. He was one of few words but on occasion shared his thoughts and opinions with the forge visitors, and there were many. As a blacksmith he was in a class by himself - tough, strong, hard worker and would never shrink from a work challenge.
It appeared to me from my own observations and the words of many other that he could take on almost any work related project and do quality work.
Mr. Gosse's ability at handling horses was incomparable. We'll talk about that later.
The blacksmith's work dress included heavy denim bib overalls, leather boots and full-length fireproof canvas apron. Very seldom were gloves worn.
The work
The nature and volume of the blacksmith's work was in large part determined by the season. As winter ended and spring came the slides and other woods equipment were stored, most horses were put out to pasture and preparations were made for spring and summer.
Many people had vegetable gardens and the ground needed cultivation, fences and gates repaired, garden tools sharpened and repairs made.
The blacksmith, needless to say was kept busy.
Those who annually went to the Labrador coast to prosecute the cod fishery were busy too with their own preparations. Mr. Gosse was very much part of their work, making grapnels, boat hooks, engine house hinges, and a whole range of general iron work for the fishing season - no shortage of work, exceptionally busy time.
The blacksmith had other demands on his work as well. Local road boards needed tool sharpening and repairs to the equipment they used and from time to time the Department of Highways required Mr. Gosse's services. Local businesses needed specialty ironwork done on occasion.
The blacksmith fashioned brackets, U bolts, special bolts, etc. to be used for the construction of boxes for the trucking industry.
All of this added up to a very busy summer's work. Spring and summer brought out the horse box carts and drays and the necessity for a different type of work - wheel banding. Most of the repair work on the wooden wheels was done by the owner or a friend who was particularly good at it. Banding the wheels required special skills and equipment. Two inch round edged flat bar was used for the wheel band. After careful measurement the metal was placed on a large open fire and fashioned to the proper shape and checked for size. If all was right the band was then systematically heated until red hot, expanding the size, then placed on the wood circumference, adjusted accordingly and finally rapidly cooled with seawater. The contracted band then fitted snugly on the wheel and the job was complete.
Summer work at the forge was somewhat piecemeal and Mr. Gosse spent much of his time getting hundreds of horseshoes ready for a busy fall and winter. The new shoes came from Newfoundland Nail and Foundry Company at St. John's. The shoes came in small wooden barrels, pre-drilled but without cogs front or back. The blacksmith made front cogs from narrow strips of metal, back cogs from folding the open ends of the shoes and carefully sharpened them for use later when they would be moulded for proper fit.
September and the construction season is slowing down, the Labrador fishermen will soon be home, gardening is almost over and children are back to school. Blacksmith work at the forge is showing signs of a busy fall and winter.
Late September and into October most horses were taken off the hills and out of private gardens in preparation for getting wood and doing the many odd jobs left undone during the summer.
Many horses were fitted with slippers (shoes without cogs) during their time out to pasture. This was done to prevent hoof injuries while they roamed the rocky hills.
The events described here were not unique to Spaniard's Bay and indeed were common in the surrounding communities. The parade of horses to the forge was something to behold. There were horses of all sizes, colours and temperament - small ponies, Clydesdales and everything in between - white, black, grey, chestnut, multicoloured. The line up was a first come basis with the occasional exception. Sometimes mares were looked after first thus preventing problems with other horses.
Most ponies and smaller horses didn't present a problem for the blacksmith. Some of the bigger horses did, especially retired race horses, those that were not generally well controlled by their owners - ornery ones, the wild, bad temperament, cantankerous and plain stubborn horses.
Shoeing horses was no mean task. They would be backed into the corner on the gravel floor; Mr. Gosse would fit the shoes, trim the hoof and finally nail the shoes on with special nails for that purpose.
Horses that weren't cooperative would get a slap of the rasp and a few choice words, a bit of practical horse psychology - he was a master at that.
Life threatening
Horses sometimes developed severe cases of mysterious mouth ulcers. Most local people called them lanterns. Mouth ulcers was a serious gum infection which was life threatening. It prevented the horse from eating properly, if at all. There weren't many vets available and removal of the ulcers was a job for the blacksmith, Mr. Gosse.
The procedure itself was not pleasant, either for the horse or those watching, though some 'manly' types said they didn't mind.
The procedure went like this. The horse was backed into the forge corner and the owner and a helper held the animal tightly taking away any leverage from kicking, etc. The animal's mouth was gagged wide open using a round hardwood. Mr. Gosse then used a red-hot iron bar and burned off the ulcers. The sound and odour from the burning flesh was not a nice experience. The burned area was then generously rubbed with fishery salt. This hardened the gums and hastened the healing process. The horse was then taken outside and given cold fresh water. The healing process normally took several weeks and the horse was ready for its usual activities.
The grooming of horses and care of harnesses varied from owner to owner. Some horses were plain scruffy. They were well fed, not especially well combed, other equipment not overly impressive - just good working horses, old 'plugs' they would say.
Mr. Al Chipman's horse Shine always got my attention. Shine was showroom class. There were others as well but in my view Shine gets first prize.
An institution
It is probably fair to say the forge was an institution of sorts, the 'common room' of Noder (northern) Cove. It was the blacksmith's workplace, a place where men gathered and discussed all kinds of things most of which were community related.
Here are some of the things talked about: matters related to horse grooming and health; who had the fastest horse, the best working horse; prices charged by local shops; general gossip around the community; which merchant was best to deal with re Labrador Fishery; what's happening at local courthouses; who's got the best connections for Road Board jobs; politics of the day - this was a major daily topic; arguments about anything; and the list goes on.
Boys sometimes managed to listen in to the conversations until the topics became too sensitive and the arguments too strong and the language stronger.
The blacksmith allowed boys to blow the billows occasionally. However when he relieved you of the duty you knew it was time to leave and maybe he would permit you to come back later. We accepted that.
By the late '50s and early '60s the need for forge and blacksmith services had all but disappeared and the forge hours of operation were diminished considerably.
Mr. Gosse closed the forge permanently in 1967. The building was later torn down and a rest park is in its place today. A sad day indeed and an important part of our heritage lost.
To the reader: I am interested in getting a photograph of the forge and especially one with horses outside. Please contact me if you know of any.

Wesley Gosse is chairman of the Spaniard's Bay Heritage Society. The above was taken from his compilation called Stories & Stuff. He can be reach by email at: wbg@persona.ca