The Bell Boatyard was a boatbuilding facility which operated as part of

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and T ...

's laboratories in

Baddeck, Nova Scotia Baddeck () is a village in northeastern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated in the centre of Cape Breton, approximately 6 km east of where the Baddeck River empties into Bras d'Or Lake. Local governance is provided by the rural municipality ...

from 1885 to 1928. The boatyard built experimental craft, lifeboats and yachts during the first part of the twentieth century. The Bell yard was notable for its dual focus on both experimental and traditional boats and for its employment of large numbers of female boatbuilders.

Creation

The laboratories and boatyard were located on the large estate that Dr. Bell acquired in 1885. Dr. Bell bought a large portion of a peninsula that jets out into the Baddeck Bay and named the estate

Beinn Bhreagh ( ) is the name of the former estate of Alexander Graham Bell, in Victoria County, Nova Scotia. It refers to a peninsula jutting into Cape Breton Island's scenic Bras d'Or Lake approximately southeast of the village of Baddeck, forming the s ...

. The 600-acre estate was originally built as a summer residence, but was later used year-round by the Bell family. From the beginning the estate including laboratory facilities and a boathouse which grew in size to match Bell's interests and later wartime needs. The laboratories located on Beinn Bhreagh were used for various experiments Dr. Bell created. These included his tetrahedral kites, sheep farming, manned aerial flights and development of hydrofoils. The laboratories employed carpenter, plumbers, engineers, boatbuilders and unskilled labourers. At its peak it employed 40 people working on air and water craft, both experimental and traditional.

1909–1914

During the years after the flight of the Silver Dart and up to the start of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Bell used his laboratories to develop hydrofoils. Dr. Bell and, long-time collaborator, Casey Baldwin started their first major designs of hydrofoils in 1911 after viewing Enrico Forlanini's

hydrofoil A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains s ...

while on a world tour in Italy in 1910. In order to build the experiments labelled ''HD 1'', ''HD 2'', ''HD 3'', and ''HD 4'', (HD standing for Hydrodrome) Dr. Bell and Casey used the laboratories and staff to construct the various pieces needed. As work progressed on the hydrofoils the main focus was for them to become submarine chasers. Before a full working prototype could be completed

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

broke out. As a citizen of the neutral

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, Dr. Bell did not want to risk breaking his country's neutrality law. So he switched the boatyard's focus from developing the military applicable HD vessels to building life boats for the Canadian Navy.

World War I

Women workers at Dr Alexander Graham Bell's laboratory Beinn Bhreagh

The Bells often employed local women from Baddeck and other places. The main focus throughout the war was a program ran from the estate by Mabel Bell's former secretary Gretchen Schmitt. The Bells converted one of the houses on their estate into a residence for the women from out of town. During the war the Bell Boatyard consisted of a large open shed that was used as the primary shed to build the lifeboats. During this time the boatyard was managed by a Sydney native by the name of Walter Pinaud. The boat yard also produced the 55' yawl ''Elsie'' designed by naval architect George Owen and built by Walter Pinaud. ''Elsie'' was built as a gift for the Bells daughter Elsie Bell Grosvenor and her husband Gilbert Grosvenor.

1919–1922

After the war, Dr. Bell and Casey Baldwin tried unsuccessfully to sell the HD4 to the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and the

British Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

. Although both navies declined to buy or build the ''HD4'', they were successful in achieving the water speed record of 70.86 mph which stood for a decade. After the ''HD4'' and the life boat program the boatyard focused more on yachts but continued experimentation with high-speed vessels.

1922–1928

After the death of Dr. Bell in 1922, Casey Baldwin inherited many of the laboratory facilities and boatyard. He built a number of custom boats. These included a 30 foot high-speed boat using the hydrodrome design ordered by the British racer Marion Carstairs, intended to achieve 115 mph. Carstairs planned to compete for the Harmsworth Cup but withdrew and the boat was completed with a more economical engine delivering 57 mph. One of the last boats made at the yard was ''Tolka'', a 36-foot motor vessel ordered by Baldwin's brother-in-law John Lash for the Muskokas in Ontario. Completed in 1928, it included a dual-control system that was unique for the era.Rick McGraw, "Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) the Boat Builder", ''Classic Boat'' Spring 2012, Issue 113, p. 24
/ref> After production at the boatyard ceased, a large building on the site was used to store boats of the Fairchild family descendants of Mable and Dr. Bell's. That same building was eventually sold and moved on the ice during the winter to its new home. It is still (2013) in use as a barn on a farm in Middle River, on the

Cabot Trail The Cabot Trail is a scenic highway on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a loop around the northern tip of the island, passing along and through the Cape Breton Highlands and the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. It is named ...

Creation

1909–1914

World War I

1919–1922

1922–1928

See also

References

Further reading