Dartmouth Patriot, 29 June 1901 Edition
 
 

No. 9

In this the concluding article of the series on McNab's Island I will give a very brief description of some of the wrecks which have taken place on the island.

Before doing so I wish to add a few words to my sketch of the cholera in paper No. 6. The cholera victims were buried not on Big Thrum Cap island, as stated, but on Little Thrum Cap Island. Those who had died on the passage to Halifax were interred near Ive's Point Battery, then just building. The tents were pitched on Harrigan's Point. The first victims were buried in different places on the island, probably because the authorities did not expect so great a mortality. But as victim followed victim two long trenches were dug on the point not far from the water's edge. Here a great number were interred, but fearing that the nearness of the decomposing bodies would again create sickness it was decided to bury the rest of the victims where their presence could not do any harm. Accordingly the bodies were transferred from the hospital tents to Little Thrum Cap Island by boats.

The bodies of the victims buried at Perrin's or Harrigan's Point having been insufficiently covered with earth by the contractor it was found necessary later on to haul ground to the top of trenches, hence the mounds referred to in paper No. 6. Dr. Slayter's body had been interred near the others on the Point, but apart from them. His grave and the two mounds were surrounded by rails, but both rails have disappeared. Dr. Slayter's body was afterwards taken to the city for internment.

Having made clear the points which were obscure through the preceding papers I will give a brief sketch of a few of the many wrecks which have taken place at Thrum Cap.

I have in paper No. 8 given in detail the narrative of the wreck of "La Tribune," on Thrum Cap. I neglected to state that the shoal on which she struck still bears the name "Tribune shoal." On Saturday afternoon, April 29, 1815, a wreck occurred which was very similar in its details to that of "La Tribune" with the exception of the great loss of life of the first wreck. The transport ship "Stag" from Bermuda, having on board a large number of soldiers, struck on Thrum Cap, lost her rudder, sprung a leak, drifted over to Herring Cove and went ashore, where she became a total wreck.

Later wrecks on Thrum Cap were those of the Brigt. Mirrella, Schr. Jessie M. Hammon[d], a small Jeddore vessel, Steamer Cordus, another vessel coming from P.E.I., Schr. Ollivette and lastly brig Irma. Other wrecks have occurred on Thrum Cap, but I wish to get a full list before writing about them at length.

The Brigt. Mirella was wrecked about 20 years ago, while coming from the West Indies. Her name board is on the fish stage of William Henneberry, Devil's Island.

Schooner Jessie M. Hammond, was, I understand, a Lunenburg vessel. In the early 80's she was coming from the West Indies and in a fog struck on Thrum Cap. Her cargo was molasses. She became a total wreck.

The small Jeddore vessel mentioned was owned by the Baker bros. About 20 years ago she was coming in with the result of the summer's work of the brothers, when she struck Thrum Cap. One of the brothers was drowned by the upsetting of a boat. The others were saved.

The steamer Cordus used to ply between New York, Newfoundland and Halifax. I have heard that at one time she had been a southern gunboat. One Sunday morning about 18 or 19 years ago she left Halifax for Newfoundland with a full cargo and quite a number of passengers. A thick fog prevailed. When going out she struck Thrum Cap where she became a total wreck.

The vessel from P.E.I. was wrecked about 40 years ago. She struck Thrum Cap in a blinding snow storm. Two of her crew were lost.

Schr. Ollivette was a new vessel belonging to Lunenburg. She had a load of molasses. While on her way from the West Indies she ran on Thrum Cap shoal. The crew were saved by the lifeboat crew from Devil's Island. A day or two after the wreck James DeYoung and his son, of Eastern Passage were drowned while trying to reach the vessel. The Ollivette was wrecked in the spring of 1898.

Brig Irma was wrecked on almost the same place a few months later. The crew was taken off with great difficulty by the Devil's Island life boat crew.

The Reaper, a small vessel bound to Sheet Harbour from Halifax struck on a shoal between the Red Buoy and Ives Point. She had a number of passengers on board. These had with them their provisions, etc., for the winter. Everything was lost. The wreck occurred about 3 years ago.

A number of wrecks have taken place on Meagher's Beach and the immediate vicinity. The old name for Meagher's Beach was Dead Man's shoal, showing plainly that wrecks must have taken place a century and a half ago on that Beach.

On the boat house at Meagher's Beach is a board which stretches across the whole breadth of the building. On the board in large letters is the name "Tordem Skjold." On asking to what the name belonged we find that a barque of which this is one of the quarter name boards, was lost on Meagher's Beach one fine night about 30 years ago. She of course was a Norwegian barque, an attempt to pronounce the name shows that. She was bound in with ballast, but having got too near the shore before tacking, she did not come around as the wind was taken from her sails by the lighthouse. She ran ashore, and the crew saved themselves without difficulty.

Later than the occurrence of the wreck just mentioned was that of a brigantine which sank in the channel between the channel between the Beach and the opposite mainland. She was loaded with scrap iron.

I have written much more about the Island than I intended to write at first. My next two papers will give some information about Devil's Island.