Page 12 - Capt. Walter Boudreau's Story: Louisbourg Rescue, 1943, & The Sinking of the Angelus

ISSUE : Issue 64

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1993/8/1

So there were several men were asking about praying see a couple of those boys you know, mak ing the sign of the cross .... There was no talking, loud praying or anything, but they were praying all right, and I was, too. In fact, I offered to become church at that time if th' in the boat. You So there I did THE TWENTY-THIRD OF MAY brought the last dawn for six of the men. It broke cold and gray with a high sea running and half a gale.... Captain Jensen said grimly, "Row for the sea anchor men, your lives depend on this." We dropped the food, sprang to the oars and tried to make headway into the seas, while Frenchy in the bow strained his eyes ahead into the gathering dusk for the lost spars. Once we rose on the crest of a huge sea and he saw the spars riding on the next wave to windward. We strained every muscle. One thing I remember plainly while we were straining at the oars. A gull or petrel of some type came so close alongside that I might have struck him with the oar I was wielding. His wings spread, he seemed in the face of the wind to run on the water. I shall remember the bird's webbed feet running up the steep side of the sea, his wings spread motionless. To me the casual and complacent look in his eye seemed an insult. FISH HAVEN Halibut & Cod Fillets Solomon Gundy Smoked Fish Snow Crabs • Mussels Clams • Lobster Atlantic Salmon IFITSWIMS GRILL IT! R R 2, Baddeck BOE 1 BO • PHONE (902) 295-2882 • a deacon of the e Lord would get me out. I prom? ised him I would become a deacon, or a bishop, or anything. Just get me out of here. I didn't keep the promise. So we had a grad? ually improving situation. (As 295-2234 'Vmg-i FAMILY RESTAURANT Welcomes you to • DOWNTOWN BADDECK • Serving Chinese and Canadian Dishes Lunch Specials Daily • FULLY LICENSED • Take Out Available • OPEN 7 AM to 11 PM? Tour Buses Welcome (reserve in advance) Affordable Prices BACKHOE & TRUCKING Barra Construction Ltd. f Fill Sand Gravel Stone FREE ESTIMATES • Snow Removal • Water Lines • Well Digging • Basement Drainage • Licensed Installation of Sewage Systems & Fuel Tanks • Frankie jel. 295-2754 P- O. Box 516 MacDonald MOBILE 295-7568 Baddeck BOE 1 BO far as the weather.) Yeah. We're down to maybe four or three men, something like that. And I remember two of them died. Two of the Newfoundland? ers died very quickly, one after the other. In the boat. They just seemed to go to sleep. And one of them was Sandy, the son of the mate. The mate was holding him, trying to keep him warm--Sandy died in his arms, his son. And he wouldn't...holding him and just wouldn't let go of the boy. Because when these people would die we had to put them over the side. We couldn't have the boat floating with dead bodies all over the place. So the mate didn't want to release his son and he held onto him until the next day. Now, by this time, the cook was at one end of the boat, (the mate) was at the other holding his son, and I was somewhere sit? ting around. And we went over to the mate and said, "You know, you have to let Sandy go." And he cried, and we put him over the side. So that (left) the mate, the cook, and myself. Now, the boat was poorly stocked. It had some very inappropriate stuff. You don't want corned beef if you're dying of thirst. Had a few (cans) of those things. It didn't have any fishing equipment, no lights. It did have flares. But not a "HOME OF QUALITY GOODS" BELLMUSUEM MAY, JUNE & OCTOBER 9 - 5 • JULY, AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 9 - 9 Unique Selection of Gifts & Handcrafts (local & Nova Scotian) Scottish Tartan & Chinaware Business 295-2915 Plus a wide variety of gifts, souvenirs and film Residence 295-2534 l' Canadian Parks Environnement Service canadien BADDECK, N. S. ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK No Admission Charge 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Year Round 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. July 1 to Sept. 30 Open 7 Days a Week BELL THE MAN * BELL THE EXPERIMENTER * HYDROFOIL HALL Beautiful, Intelligent ar)d Peaceful 75 km. west of Sydney on Route 105 Children Can Build & Fly a Bell Kite Special Evening Presentations Inquire 295-2069 for Times Canada Baddeck: on Highway 105 and the Cabot Trail

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