George's Pond (on Signal Hill)
Moraelyn
was up by Cabot Tower this evening, and when I was coming back down the
hill, it seemed like there was something either churning or bubbling in
the middle of the pond. It wasn't windy, because the rest of the pond
was still, and you could see the ripples spreading outwards from the
bubbling right to the edge of the pond. There were a few gulls in the
middle, maybe 4 or 5, but they didn't seem to be making the ripples.
I couldn't seem to find anything specific about the pond on the web,
just the few entires on NF Tourism sites and the like. any info would
be helpful, I'm just curious what people know about it. Thanks.
Ryan
vicky
called that place dead mans pond ......... I thought there was some kind of
under currant or some kind of drop or something like that in that pond
DH
right going up) the one on the left going up is Georges Pond
"vicky" <v.pho...@gamail.com> wrote in message
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KL
they dump it into George's Pond. Enjoy!
"Moraelyn" <mora...@gmail.com> wrote in message
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lita07
harbour somehow and so if anyone drowned in it they would check the harbour
for the body or something. If it is true maybe that might expain the
bubbling somehow?
Funny how stories change over time.
"KL" <m...@place.com> wrote in message news:HwJjg.23473$Mn5.17628@pd7tw3no...
webwasppr...@gmail.com
street by the salt pile that has a giant oak and tar plug in the hole
from the 1800's. I will post some stuff about it when I find it.
baile...@hotmail.com
reason some people call it 'bottomless'
Jen
I thought that it's the pond on the right side going up the hill. I
heard two different stories about this pond; I don't know how true they
are, maybe someone can clarify them. Story one is people were either
hung off the cliff to die and then the rope would be cut and the
body/bodies would fall down into the pond or they were placed a barrel
and rolled over the cliff and left to drown in the pond. And story two
is that there is a very strong undertow that "sucks" people below
the water; and of course they drown. Oh, and there was a third story
too now that I'm thinking about it... that it is a bottomless pond; I
guess that if it does indeed channel into the harbour then that would
be the likely culprit for that spin. Any truth to these stories?
-Jen
baile...@hotmail.com
Jen
-Jen
Robyn Barron
heard that one winter a young couple went skating and while she was putting
on her skates her boyfriend went out on the ice right to the middle the ice
broke he fell in and she went and tried to save him and then they both got
dragged down by the world pool that is apparently in the middle...and they
were never found because it is bottomless and they went out to sea!!!THE
END!!LOL....guess we will never know...thats the one on the right on your
way up...the much smaller one!!!
"Moraelyn" <mora...@gmail.com> wrote in message
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Brad P
some sort of casem (spelling?) to the harbour, wouldn't the pond drain?
"Robyn Barron" <tig...@nf.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:dxUjg.334$Zk3....@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
Monterificus
water system.
as for deadman's pond, I recall that after hangings at the court house,
the bodies would be placed on public display atop gibbett hill - so
named for the pickled / tarred bodies placed atop it.... aand then
after a sufficient time on display as general deterrent to criminal
activity, the gibbet / body would be thrown into the pond.
maybe there is a proper write up of this in Dale Jarvis' book.....
Michelle
was a link to the ocean all the water would run out. I think it is just
very very deep so it appears to go to the ocean.
"Brad P" <brad...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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Carter
> I think that whole bottomless, link to the harbour is a myth. If there was
> some sort of casem (spelling?) to the harbour, wouldn't the pond drain?
Yep!
Carter
Jen
Any thoughts about the other stories?
-Jen
baile...@hotmail.com
relation to sea level wouldn't it? if it was able to keep an
equilibriam, it wouldn't drain would it?
ouch, too much thinking...
Uncle Mose
above sea level. Therefore if it were connected to the sea the water in
the pond would seek the level at which the sea is. Thus leaving a big
hole up on signal hill with the water in the bottom at sea level.Quite
simple
I have heard that the pond on the left going up was a disposal site
for the bodies of those who were hung for their crimes. It as to have a
bottom if not you would be able to see out the other side and it would
not hold water. :-)
Tall are the tales that fishermen tell when summer work is done.
UM
Glenn Quagmire
neither would your bathtub! LOL!
"Uncle Mose" <Dead...@gmail.com> wrote in message
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Jen
stories? The one were people were either hung off the cliff to die and
then the rope would be cut and the
body/bodies would fall down into the pond or they were placed a barrel
that there is a very strong undertow that "sucks" people below the
water; and of course they drown.
-Jen
Shannon Patrick Sullivan
> Can anyone tell me anything about George's Pond up on Signal Hill? I
> was up by Cabot Tower this evening, and when I was coming back down the
> hill, it seemed like there was something either churning or bubbling in
> the middle of the pond.
George's Pond was the original water reservoir for the city of St John's.
I don't know what remains of the old system, but that might be what was
causing the activity you saw.
As for Dead Man's Pond, if I recall correctly, a man did lose his life
there trying to save two boys from drowning in the mid-1800s. A monument
to his bravery now stands on the grounds of Government House.
Shannon
--
| Shannon Patrick Sullivan \-/ sha...@mun.ca |
|--------\ Available June 2006 from Creative Book Publishing /--------|
| "The Dying Days: A Novel" (ISBN 1897174047) |
\______________________ www.shannonsullivan.com ____________________/
Stone
down... they were nailed into closed barrels and sunk in Georges Pond.
On 6/14/06 11:43 AM, in article
1150294406.4...@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com, "Monterificus"
Jen
stories. Here is what I found;
One of the more popular stories told about Signal Hill involves the
past presence of a gibbet. The story goes that sometime after 1750 a
gibbet was placed on the promontory now known as Gibbet Hill. From
this gibbet were to be displayed the tar-coated bodies of executed
criminals. The tar helped preserve the bodies while they hung on
display as a warning to other criminal-minded individuals. When the
rotted remains of those unfortunate souls were removed from the gibbet
they were put into barrels, weighed down with rocks, and rolled over a
cliff into Deadman's Pond below.
The stories about the pond itself are provocative. The belief that it
is bottomless has been around for quite some time and may owe its
origins to treasure legends in the area. Like the one about a pirate
who was murdered by his Captain to ensure a ghostly guardian for their
buried pirate treasure:
Oh I am the ghost of Deadman's Pond, / And I cannot rest until,
Someone finds the gold / Of the pirate bold
That's hidden on Signal Hill.
- E.T. Furlong, 1939
The pond has also been the site of several drownings. Once known as
Parsons Pond its present name is said to have been inspired by the
death in 1869, of two young girls and the son of Sir Frederick Carter.
On December 26, Fred Jr. lost his life while trying to save the lives
of two girls who had fallen through the ice while skating. All three
perished. A monument to Fred's heroic efforts sits on the grounds of
Government House in St. John's.
http://pemc.tripod.com/gothic/tours1b.htm
-Jen
Karen
stories about hanged criminals' bodies put into barrels and rolled into
Deadman's Pond. They are official federal tourism signs so I assume those
stories are true.
-Karen
"Jen" <wals...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1150304255.2...@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com...
Jen
around Signal Hill... fourteen years or more I suspect. I'll have to
go up one of these days and take a look. Thanks.
-Jen
Carter
> Carter,
>
> Any thoughts about the other stories?
I think the gibbet story and the one you posted from Gothic Lane
each have a ring of truth.
The problem is that these stories, having been around for a long
time, get embellished with each telling to the extent that is all
but impossible to tell fact from fiction anymore.
I used to enjoy the weekly ghost stories in the old Sunday
Herald. No doubt some of them had some fact involved but how
much we will probably never know. Actually I don't think I
really want to know, it would spoil the romanticism in such stories.
Carter
Carter
> Not necessarily, it would depend on where the height of the pond is in
> relation to sea level wouldn't it? if it was able to keep an
> equilibriam, it wouldn't drain would it?
That's true. I don't know the exact height of the pond surface
above sea level but me eyes tells me that it's a good bit above
sea level. If the pond is deep enough to have a connection to
the harbour then it's surface would be at the same level as the
harbour because water naturally seeks it's own level.
> ouch, too much thinking...
Naw, simple high school physics.
Carter
chadwo...@gmail.com
the outflow from the pond. I don't think they're connected and assumed the
water would seek it's own level as well, but I just considered the other
possibility.
"Carter" <per.ardua@adastra> wrote in message
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Carter
> If you walk to the top of Gibbet Hill there are signs there telling the
> stories about hanged criminals' bodies put into barrels and rolled into
> Deadman's Pond. They are official federal tourism signs so I assume those
> stories are true.
LOL! If everyone believes everything the federal government says
is true it's no wonder the Liberals were in power for so long.
I think the tourism signs you refer to are fundamentally
explaining what the local folklore is. It may be true or not. I
like to believe that it is true, but then I'm an incurable romantic.
Carter
Ed Russell
this NG once or twice a week and normally I am horrified at what I read.
Total useless back and forth and name calling by a few immature fools. This
thread was informative, thoughtful and quite fun. I had lived in St. John's
for 5 years and have been to Signal Hill many times. To be honest I never
thought twice about those ponds. Now I will if I ever get back to St.
John's. It is fantastic to keep this type of folklore and legend alive. It
should never die, it can never be replaced. It is a part of our heritage.
Since most of the stories are often never written down the only way to keep
them going is to tell them. Keep it up folks please KEEP IT UP!!!!
Ed
"Shannon Patrick Sullivan" <sha...@mun.ca> wrote in message
news:e6pct0$n4t$1...@coranto.ucs.mun.ca...
Shannon Patrick Sullivan
> It is fantastic to keep this type of folklore and legend alive. It
> should never die, it can never be replaced. It is a part of our heritage.
> Since most of the stories are often never written down the only way to keep
> them going is to tell them. Keep it up folks please KEEP IT UP!!!!
I agree wholeheartedly, Ed. It's also why everyone should give local
efforts such as the St John's Haunted Hike a chance -- they offer
fantastic glimpses into the rich history of the city, in ways you usually
don't get from typical academic tracts.
Indeed, I had a lot of fun taking advantage of the heritage and mystique
of St John's when I decided to set my novel, "The Dying Days" (available
in stores next week, if you'll forgive the shameless plug!) in locations
throughout the city... including, yes, Signal Hill.
baile...@hotmail.com
and had chills, said it was awesome and would definately go again!!
I have a relative also who lives in what she has been told is a haunted
house, and some pretty strange things have occurred there :D
Sorry, a little OT heh
Any beer is good beer long as its bud!
Especially for intruders / thieves.news:1150308028.2...@f6g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
KalanTheMinecrafter
Carter
> All I know is that there is no bottom found on Georges Pond. I drove by it today and I asked Siri about Georges Pond, She said "There is no bottom found on Georges Pond.
Carter
