Navigating the Lower Saint Lawrence in the 19th Century.
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Quebec Mercury, Tuesday, June 23, 1829. | ||
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| It has seldom happened to us to report a more horrible disaster than that which we this day copy from the Old Gazette, of the discovery of a number of human bodies and skeletons on the Island of Anticosti, with articles affording sufficient evidence to prove that the sufferers were the crew and passengers of the ship Granicus, which sailed hence on the 29th October last, for Cork, and of which no previous tidings had been received. We hope this dreadful event will call the attention of the Legislature, to the necessity of making a provision for the maintenance of an adequate establishment on that dangerous coast for the relief of those who may be wrecked upon it. The unfortunate persons whose remains have been now discovered, would in all probability have been preserved to the world had not the house which they reached been abandoned, and destitute of provisions. | ||
| MOST MELANCHOLY SHIPWRECK AND LOSS OF LIVES. | ||
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Letters were received on Saturday from Mr. Dawson, agent to
Lloyd's at the Magdalen Islands, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
addressed to Mr. Finlay, the agent here, from which and from
information given by Desjardins, the captain of the schooner, who
arrived here and saw the parties on the Island, we have collected
the following particulars. About the middle of May, a number of men belonging to the Magdalen Islands, who had associated themselves in a sailing voyage, were overtaken by a storm off the northeast end of Anticosti, and the ice drifting, forced them to take shelter, choosing the place where they knew that Godin kept one of the provision posts. In landing they observed a boat on shore which was not damaged. They proceeded to the house, and on entering, were struck with horror at the sight of a number of dead bodies and a quantities of bones and putrid flesh. Upon further examination, they conceived that they could discern the bodies of 12 or 13 individuals; 2 grown females, 3 children, and 7 or 8 men. The last survivor appeared to be a man who had died of famine and cold in his hammock, and from his appearance was above a common sailor (his name was B. Harrington, as will be seen below), the men began to gather the chest, clothes and other articles in the house, and buried the remains of the bodies and a large box of cleanly picked bones which lay in a corner of the room. On the fire there was a pot in which flesh had been boiled and a part remained in its bottom. They afterwards went to a small outhouse where they were surprised to find 5 more bodies, suspended by a rope thrown across some beams. The entrails had been removed, and little more than the skeletons remained; the flesh having apparently been cut off. These they left unburied, and sailed, taking the boat for the Magdalen Islands. Extract from Mr. Dawson's letter, dated 3rd June. "The Frenchmen buried the bodies, and brought away what property they found, which they have divided, as they do all other such property among the crew, they account for £52 sterling, in sovereigns, 2 quadrants, some watches and gold rings, the boat, a quantity of books, and cloths. The boat has no name on her, and the man who has the books has taken them out in his vessel to the wreck, so that I have discovered no clue to find the name of the vessel. By two newspapers I saw show she was from your place, as they are the Quebec Gazettes, the last date was the 23rd October; the boat appears to be carvel built. The following are a few of the marks on the articles I have seen. A table cloth AB, a lady's pocket AB, a pair of stockings IBF, 2 silver tea spoons JS; there were several boys and girl's dresses, apparently from the age of 3 to 4 years, some ladies' silk and poplin gowns, also nett and lace crapes." "Another deserted ship* has been in the ice near this place all winter, and the inhabitants stripped her of rigging and everything they could move as provisions." Extract from Mr. Dawson's letter, dated 4th June: "Since writing you yesterday, I have seen a finger ring brought from the scene of death at Anticosti, with the following inscription inside 'Married J.S. to A.S., 16 April, 1822' and a paper has been discovered that accompanied the sovereigns I mentioned, with the following label pencilled on it: "Sir, you will find 48 sovereigns in a belt in my hammock, send them home to Mary Harrington, Barrack Street, Cove, as they are the property of her son. | ||
| (Signed) R. Harrignton." | ||
From all the known circumstances of this wreck, there can be little doubt that the vessel was the bark Granicus, Captain Martin, which sailed hence for Cork on the 29th October, about the same time as the John Howard for the same port, which, with the Shamrock and the Felix Souligny, are still unaccounted for. Mr. Godin, who was stationed at the post, where these unfortunate person have perished, came up to Quebec in October last, and did not return. The following articles are in possession of P.F. Colbeck, Esquire, Justice of the Peace, and sub-Collector of the Magdalen Islands, and in safe custody until called for. "Wedding ring as stated in the above extract; portrait of a boy, a girl and an infant in a gilt frame of about 12 inches square; 4 silver spoons, marked J.S.; sovereigns, dollars and change about £55, and a number of the articles." * This vessel is no doubt the Erie, which was stranded on the Manicouagan shoals last fall, drifted from there this spring, and was seen in May by a number of vessels arrived here. | ||
| Quebec Gazette June 29th, 1829. | ||
| THE WRECK OF THE GRANICUS. | ||
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The further particulars of this wreck are taken from Halifax
papers received this morning. There cannot be a doubt that it
was the Granicus. The lady whose ring has been found, is a Mrs.
Sterling, formerly of Edinburgh, whose husband is now in Quebec.
We have been informed by a ship-broker that he learned on the
morning the Granicus sailed, that Captain Martin had been
fortunate and obtained 14 passengers. The crew probably
consisted of 20 men and boys, so that but a half of the persons
on board are accounted for. It is understood that letters
received from St. George's Bay sometime ago mentioned that a bark
abandoned by those on board, had been thrown ashore there in the
course of the winter. Marks on a part of the property. A shirt, P. Vaughan; 1 do William Nash No 8 Sept. 17. 1827; a finger ring engraved inside "Married J.S. to A.S. 16th April 1822" On a blank leaf in Hunt's American Coasting Pilot, was written; "J. Stickney, Esquire." "J. S. Campbell, Esquire, Quebec," on another leaf of the same book, was written, "ship Granicus, Cook," on the African coast pilot and two other nautical books, appears "Robert Martin, Barnmouth, by Ayton, near Berwick, N.B." below two lines of the poetry in the Seaman's Daily Assistant "Willis." Copy of Affidavit. To all whom it may concern, be it known that Jacques Bourgeois, Joseph Boudroit, Joseph Bourgeois, and John Chesson, all of the shallop Victory, of the Magdalen Islands, having personally appeared before me, P.F. Colbeck, Esquire, one of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace, for the District of Gaspé, state on oath, that on Tuesday the 12th May, instant, they landed on the north side of the Island of Anticosti, about 6 leagues from the east point, and visited a fur station there where they had previously known, that they found the door of the house shut and tied inside with a rope, that on forcing the door, they perceived the carcases of 4 human being with the heads, legs and arms cut off, and the bowels extracted, hanging by the thighs in the room, and two others on the floor cut up in the same manner, that they found a human body in a hammock, who appeared to have died there, the body was habited like a sailor; that there were two trunks in the room with human flesh in them cut up in small pieces, there was also a pot with human flesh in it, round the house pieces of human flesh and bodies stewed about, there was no appearance of bread, flour, or animal food in the house. Two brands of fire were in the fire place and ashes; in the house were two axes and an adze, on the shore was a jolly boat but the name was defaced. From the clothing, there appeared to have been both women and children of the party. The Frenchmen interred the bodies. In testimony whereof, they have hereunto set their hands and seals, this 29th day of May, 1829, at Magdalen Island. - Witnesses, George Irving, J.T. Monecy, Joseph Bourgeois, Jacob Bourgeois, John Chesson, Joseph Boudroit. | ||
| Quebec Gazette, July 6, 1829. | ||
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It appears by Halifax papers that part of the articles taken
from the house where the crew of the Granicus died, have been
carried to Cheticamp, (Cape Breton), St Pierre (Miquelon) and
other places. To Cheticamp, books with the name of Richard
Monaghan were taken. The ship Francis Mary, Grandy, hence for Cork, was driven from her anchors at Kamouraska, during the easterly gale on Monday last. She was got off by throwing overboard a considerable quantity of deals and staves, without, as we understand, further injury than the loss of her rudder. Surveyors, with a new rudder, proceeded to her on Saturday evening, in the Waterloo. | ||
| Quebec Mercury, Tuesday, August 18, 1829. | ||
Captain Gabriel Gabouri, of the schooner Elize, has lately returned from Anticosti, and states, in addition to the particulars already published of the horrible state in which the bodies of the unfortunate sufferers, from the wreck, supposed to be of the Granicus, were found; that Mr. La Roque, a partner in the Northeast Company, at the post of Mingan, showed him a long boat which he said had been brought to Mingan by the Indians. He landed with his whole crew at the post in Belle Bay, Anticosti, on the 16th July, and found in one of the houses, nearly half a bushel of pieces of bone, about six inches in length, and scraps of flesh; that a hole was dug in the floor where they had made their fire. It appears that they were in two parties; one party in the building above referred to, the other in a small building about ten feet square, in which there was an oven; they found seven heads in the oven, one with red hair. On the 18th July, they found buried in the earth, a box painted black, covered on the top with a yellow cloth. On taking it up, they found it filled with bones, entrails, and pieces of flesh, that the stench was so great they speedily re-interred it. There was a quantity of clothing, boots, &c., a woman's dress, and eight or ten children's dresses; that in some of the clothes they found cut, apparently made with a knife; that in one pair of trousers which he stretched upon the grass, he counted ten knife cuts between the middle of the thigh and the waistband; he adds that he "thinks from the marks he saw, the murders of all had been perpetrated the same day". Michel Godin, who was at the post in 1828, left there 15 cords of wood in a shed, there was about two cords remaining, the rest had been burnt. On one of the pieces in the house the following letters were written: | ||
| S. M. T. H. I. F. S. March, 27 & 28. | ||
| What is above related, the captain saw himself, but he also reports, on the authority of four masters of schooners belonging to the Magdalen Islands, whom he saw at Belle Bay and on whose veracity he could rely, that the bodies had been buried by the people of the Magdalen Islands, who also buried the corpse found in the hammock, under the head of which was a bottle of tisanne, (a drink made of roots or plants). These captains also reported that the ship was wrecked between the southeast and east point of Anticosti. A vessel from Miquelon went there and was fully loaded from the wreck, taking also five tents made of the sails of the vessels. The ship's bell was found hung upon a branch of a tree in the woods. These people brought a quantity of coffee and a trunk from the vessel. Mr. Gabouri adds, that after having heard the report of the captain, he examined some of the sailors separately, who concurred in the same account. | ||
| Quebec Gazette, 20th August, 1829. | ||
Wreck of the Granicus on Anticosti. The return of the vessel which took down the provisions to the post where the crew of this vessel perished last winter has furnished some further particulars of the distressing circumstance, founded on information acquired by fishermen belonging to the Magdalen Islands, who had been there in the spring and had returned to the ground, and were again there between the 16th and 24th ultimo, as well as on a letter written by Mr. Godin's brother after examining the spot. The following is the information, &c. The Granicus was wrecked about 15 miles from Godin's post and house; the bottom of the vessel which has been burned was visited, and the remains of two persons either drowned on the vessel's being thrown ashore or who perished in passing to & from to the house, were found. Staves, pine timber, &c. are still strewn about the shore; the long-boat, partly filled with deals, was taken this spring by Indians to Mingan, from the vicinity of the wreck. It appears that about the middle of April, nearly a month before the persons from whom the former information we had was received, some Frenchmen from the Island of Miquelon had stripped the wreck of everything valuable and had then set fire to it to obtain the iron work, which they took off with them with the rigging. It is not known whether these Miquelons ever come to the house or knew of the death of the crew. It is not possible to ascertain what number of persons perished in the house, but 17 to 20 is probably near the truth. The remaining number (nearly as many) having been drowned, or perished either in going to the wreck, or in searching for the neighbouring posts, which being at 70 miles distance, would not probably be reached without snowshoes and provisions, and a habit of living in the woods of this country in winter. There was no indication about the house that provisions of any kind had been landed from the wreck. It is possible that some were; although the position of the wreck, while the water was not frozen about it, would be unfavourable, and when it was, the depth of snow and the distance would render it scarcely practicable. It is likely that the crew, who were wrecked about the 20th November, would early feel the total want of anything to sustain life; that hunger would, as usual, produce madness, or that some dispute as to whom would suffer for the others, would produce disturbance; and it is in this way that the numerous stains of blood, even on the roof of the rooms, is accounted for as the result of wounds given by violent blows. The cuisin, the clothes corroborate the view taken ... which some of these unhappy people lost their lives, but no idea whatever can be entertained that their deaths were perpetuated by strange hands. Such violence would have to recur probably each time when the body of the person last killed was examined, if sickness did not providentially supply another. It appears pretty certain, however, that living on human flesh, and economizing it with care, as the manner in which the bones were cut and picked very clearly indicated, a number of persons continued to live as late as March 27 and 28, as appears by the following letters cut on a part of the house, which were not cut when Godin, the keeper of the post, left it last fall, some days before the wreck occurred, viz: | ||
| "S. M. T. H. I. F. S. March 27 & 28" | ||
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It is known that Harrington, whose body was found in the
hammock, could write, and from the initial of his name appearing
and the two letters S, representing the initials of Mrs. Sterling
and one of her children, it is probably this number of persons
existed at that date. The fact is made almost certain by the
circumstance that Godin left 15 cords of fire wood ready cut near
the house, which, as well as part of the outbuilding, and the
timber and cradle for a small vessel near the beach, were
consumed, as well as by the sound state of Harrington's body when
found on the 12th May. The occurrences of the wreck when reflected upon are really harrowing to the mind, and must show how eminently useful stations with provisions on such a desolate coast are. We are glad to learn that the Colonial Government has sent down an ample stock of provision for the different posts, and that every means, by the erection of flags, &c. have been taken to preclude the possibility of so melancholy and tragic a loss of lives. | ||
| Quebec Gazette, 24th May, 1830. | ||
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Gamache, the keeper of the post near Jupiter River, on the
Island of Anticosti, whose family was reported to have been
murdered last fall, and of which report no certain contradiction
had yet appeared, arrived today, having left his family in good
health on Wednesday. The report probably originated in the
stories circulated about the melancholy fate of the crew of the
Granicus. The rigging and some materials of the Bonito, wrecked last fall on Anticosti, have been brought up by Gamache to Quebec. Intelligence of the loss of the Bonito was received last fall. There have been no other wrecks on Anticosti since. The reports of the murder of the family of Gamache, of the crew of the Granicus and the later report of Captain Armstrong on the William having been chased by a pirate in the Gulf, appear to have reached the Colonial office and it is understood that further enquiries will be made here particularly with regard to the latter report. We believe Captain Armstrong is daily expected on his return from Demerara. | ||
| Quebec Gazette, 24th June, 1830. | ||
| A report is in circulation that His Majesty's ship Rose brought up several pirates from Anticosti. This is not the case. An armed party belonging to the Rose landed on Anticosti, in conformity with instructions, to procure more correct particulars of the fate of the people belonging to the Granicus, wrecked there in the fall of 1828, and to ascertain if piratical establishments had been formed on any part of the Island, but they saw nothing to warrant such a conclusion. Some Indian hunting there and the residents at provision posts were the only persons met with. | ||
G.R. Bossé© |
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