Description Pictou To Panama

Sherwood's Flashback: To the ocean hikers

They called themselves, "The Ocean Hikers", with the canvas of their 16 foot boat proclaiming: "Pictou N.S. to Panama Canal", but before the trip ended, short of the Panama Canal, the men from Pictou were telling newspaper reporters that it was "Pictou, Nova Scotia to Panama or the Styx." In addition, they were also giving reporters highlights of their adventures on the water. 

In the beginning, the trip was planned by three men: Captain T.W. Scott, J. Campbell and James Maloney. But Maloney quit the adventure at Biddlefield, Maine, "because of the hardships of the trip." The other two must have picked up a third man, for the pictures of themselves and their sloop they were selling showed the "Hikers' as Capt. T.W. Scott, J.T. Day and J. Campbell. There wasn't too much publicity given the "Ocean Hikers" in Nova Scotia, and although the project was "Pictou, N.S. to the Panama Canal", the actual start was made from Halifax. After the travelers reached Boston, they began to let their imaginations and their tongues run riot with the reporters in the "Boston States". On September 2nd, 1921, the Boston Herald reported that the "Ocean Hikers" were racing from Pictou to Panama for a prize of $8000. But the report  did not state who was putting up the $8000. 

The craft the Pictou men used for their ocean adventure was a 16 foot sloop-rigged cockleshell overall, with 8 feet 6 inches on the keel and a 4 foot 10 inch beam. The Boston Herald reported "that this was the smallest craft ever to officially leave Canadian waters". Captain Scott was 39 years old and hailed from Canso. James Campbell was 29 and a native of Pictou. The age of James Maloney, who was one of the original trio was not given.

The real adventure stories begin when the "Ocean Hikers" reach Boston, for the Boston Herald of September 2, 1921, reported that the Pictou boat was the sole survivor of 7 other craft that had left Pictou in the race to Panama for a prize of $8000, of which $1000 was to be shared between the eight boats. But by the time the Pictou men reached Gloucester, the newspapers were reporting that only three boats were the original starters, and the prize money was suddenly being reported as totalling $79,000. (The Advocate commenting on this at the time noted, "We knew that Captain Scott had a great imagination, but this was fanciful." 

In the interviews given the American papers by the "Ocean Hikers" it was reported that "after passing the Bay of Fundy, the Pictou boat was the only one surviving, and that they had suffered a series of upsets in unexpected squalls in which they lost all their possessions, spending thirteen continuous hours in the water before being able to right their craft and continue their journey. 

By the time the "Ocean Hikers" reached New York, the stories told by the three men of the Pictou boat was reaching the tall tales category.

In Boston and New York men called on the Mayors of those cities and presented their credentials. Then, nothing more was heard from them until Mayor J.W. Priest of Pictou, received a telegram from Captain Tom Scott, requesting that the mayor send a telegram confirming that the three Pictou men were the actual owners of the "Pictou To Panama" craft, ad they wanted to sell the boat, but had to have ownership confirmed. In the meantime the trio were selling pictures of themselves and their craft in order to pay their way. The reason stated for selling the boat, and not continuing on to Panama was; in sailing up the Delaware River the boat had struck an obstacle and was damaged. 

The mayor must have sent the telegram requested for on November 4th, 1921, Captain Scott came home to Canso and James Campbell to Pictou. What became of J.T. Day was not recorded. Apparently the adventure craft was sold, even with the single "Good Luck Penny" that had been placed aboard when the Adventurers left Pictou.

-by Roland H. Sherwood (D. Litt.) Historical Writer In 1996: 75 Years Ago-1921 The Ocean Hikers are home: Scott at Canso and Jimmie Campbell in Pictou. The accident which put them out of commission occured in the Delaware River, off Wilmington. Their boar struck a sunken obstruction. It is too bad that after braving the rocky shores of Nova Scotia and Main, trouble had to come on mud flats in a quiet river.