AUGUST GALE

On Saturday, August 23, 1873, the gale commenced in the afternoon with a heavy rain from the north then hauling in the north east with increasing intensity. By Sunday morning it was blowing a hurricane. It was Monday evening when it ceased. For

a quarter of a century such a high tide and sea had never been seen in Charlottetown Harbour.

On land, buildings and fences were blown down and fields of standing grain were destroyed.

A large fleet of American fishing schooners were fishing mackerel in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, called North Bay at that time. The majority of these hailed from Gloucester, Mass. and were manned mostly by hardy young men from the Maritime Provinces. These were balmy days in the Gulf with mackerel selling for 25.00 per barrel.

At the time the storm broke, many of the vessels were around the Magdalen Islands and along the north shore of Prince Edward Island. The fleet of 65 vessels that went into Pleasant Bay, Magdalen Islands, for shelter, all broke adrift and ran ashore but were later taken off with little damage and no loss of life.

Another fleet of 42 schooners came to anhhor at Cow Head, Magdalen Islands. They all broke adrift losing their anch0“v and cables but headed for Souris, Prince Edward Island arriving there safely with the exception of the schooner, N.G.S. Friend of Gloucester, which tipped in heavy seas while rounding East Point and went down with all on board including Captain Moody of Gloucester.

Another schooner, James G. Farr, ran aground at North Cape on Sunday night and all hands were lost, including two young Prince Edward Islanders. One of these was John MacPhee, Glencorradale, Lot 46, and the other was a John MacKinnon, from Goose River.

There were four survivors from eastern Prince Edward Island. viz: John J. Campbell, Campbell's Cove

Matt MacDonald, Clear Springs James Donovan, Bayfield Edward LaVie, Souris.

Johnny Jim Robertson, Kingsboro, P. E. I. also fished out of

Gloucester, Mass. and he was on board one of the Schooners caught in the August Gale.