Nova Scotia stretches 500 kilometres on a southwest-northeast axis from Cape Sable to Cape North, the shape of the province is often compared to that native delicacy, the lobster, with Cape Breton Island representing the outstretched claws, preparing to nip unsuspecting Newfoundland across the Cabot Strait.
The coastline of the uplands region is deeply indented, forming many good harbours, some of which are considered outstanding. Hundreds of islands dot the landscape along the entire Atlantic coast, most notably at St. Margarets Bay and Mahone Bay. Reefs and shoals abound, accounting for the many lighthouses erected along this coast. In many ways the Atlantic uplands coast epitomizes the North Atlantic coastline with its bare granite sheets plunging headlong into the raging surf to produce an awesome cataclysm between land and sea. When people think of Nova Scotia, they usually envisage the rocky granite shores of the uplands. Halifax Old Town Clock Tales
Tales Told Under the Old Town Clock is presented in the hope that it will prove acceptable to the many people who have been listeners to the series of tales broadcast over CHNS, Halifax, every Sunday at 12:45, and who have requested copies of the various tales told before the microphone relative to the history of our City and Province and the Atlantic Ocean, with which our past activities are so much associated.
No attempt has been made to present these tales in regular story-book form, but rather to keep the radio atmosphere. The actual radio continuity is printed exactly as it was used on the air during the past twelve months.
The material for these radio talks was obtained from various sources. The historical facts from numerous history books and publicity material and historical pages read from time to time. Individuals too numerous to mention have contributed by expressions of their interest and by suggestions of subjects for talks, and in some cases actually telling he facts as they know them and these facts were simply put into broadcast form by the narrator of the tales. Special thanks are due previous writers on Nova Scotian history and wherever their writings are known as the source of information such mention is made in the script of the talk concerned.
The co-operation of Bob Chambers, the Halifax Herald’s popular illustrator, and Arthur Kane of the Maritime Photo Engravers is especially appreciated, they have contributed much toward the composition of this book. My thanks are also due to Bert Wetmore and Berton Robinson who have co-operated in collecting information from time to time, for some of the Tales Told Under the Old town Clock.
William C. Borrett - -Station Director, Radio Station CHNS, Halifax, Nova Scotia
During the past twelve months, a series of talks have been broadcast over Radio Station CHNS every Sunday under the title of Tales Told Under the Old Town Clock. These talks were all based on fact, and covered a wide variety of subjects dealing with past events in the history of Nova Scotia, which have earned for the province the title of “Canada’s most storied province”.
Many listeners have written to the narrator of these tales asking for copies of the talks broadcast during the past twelve months, hence this book of twenty-five tales selected from the radio scripts as presented before the microphone.
Preparing these weekly talks have been a most interesting task, and many facts have been discovered which at first seem incredible, but are substantiated by the records of history.