Cape Breton's Magazine

I went aboard the boat the next day. There was no wind the next day, and I went down to see if my boat was all right--she was tied to the government wharf. (A southeas? ter...) That's just about one of the worst ones on this shore. It's the worst, I guess, you can get here. It was a snow? storm. I found out through the day. I was up there then, once I found out she was a- shore. It was an awful sea on. As soon as people heard about it, they started coming. There wasn't too much of anything to see-- only pieces of dories and pieces of stuff that was broke off of her, you know, that had got torn off. But there was no way you could get aboard of her--you couldn't get aboard of her that day at all. (She wasn't right in to the shore, was she?) No, she wasn't, she was off a little piece, not too far. You could throw a stone to her, but you couldn't get to her. You couldn't even walk out to the edge, because the sea was coming in, mountains of sea then. Pieces of dories, and pieces of wood com? ing out of her from different places of her--down in the hatches. And the styro? foam that was coming ashore, that was in? sulation that was down the fish hatches. She was a stern dragger. She had been into Louisbourg, so I hear, and she had got fu? el- -that was a couple of days before she went ashore. She had left for back out to the fishing grounds. And I guess they heard that the storm had started, and she was supposed to be on her way back in. And they figure she was supposed to be heading for Louisbourg really--either Louisbourg or Mulgrave--and here's where she landed. I got the charts off of her, and one of the charts was marked out for Fourchu Har? bour. Now, if that had been marked before they left out there, or was that marked from some other time? She might have fig? ured it was the shortest place to come in. Although it's one of the worst harbours, you know, in a gale of wind like that. And she could have tried to come in here. It was set for automatic pilot, in the wheelhouse. But the sea could have put that thing over on auto, for all I know. But I know the lever was set for automatic. So they could have figured it was going to take them so many hours to come in, and set her on automatic pilot, and I guess it was closer than what they figured it. Then she had the wind behind her, too, helping her along. So they could have run an extra 10 miles faster and fetched up here. (When you were on the shore, were you a- ware of the crew?) No. Well, we had a pret? ty good idea about the creWj without there was somebody down inside alive. But the sea that was on, there was no way that any? body' d survive coming out of her, because they'd just get beat to pieces as soon as they left the boat, they'd get beat up-- there's no way that they'd come ashore a- live. It was just about impossible. There could have been somebody alive inside. (But you weren't hearing anything?) No. Well you wouldn't, there was too much of a WHERE TOMORROW'S STYLES ARE FEATURED TODAY Jacobson's Ladies' Vfear Hudson's Bay jackets and coats Hudson's Bay blankets Pure imported suits from Scotland Imported cashmere coats Eskimo-made jackets 330 Charlotte Street Sydney WE EXCHANGE AT CURRENT BANK RATES Jacobson's Tweed & Hickory Tartan skirts and kilts (including C.B. & N.S. tartans) Icelandic coats and sweaters Peter Scott lamb's wool and Shetland sweaters Imported pure wool skirts, sweaters and pants 332 Charlotte Street Sydney (6)