YANKEE GALE

VSeveral victims of the "Yankee Gale" of 1851 are buried in the old Stanhope cemetery. The following is an account of this terrible storm which lashed the Island shores and left, in its wake, death and destruction as recorded in The Royal Gazette, Monday, October 6,

1851.

"Yankee Gale"

"Great gale - A gale almost unprecedented for violence, sprung up on Friday night last, and continued throughout of Saturday and Sunday, accompanied by very heavy rain during the whole period of its con- tinuance. We have learned this morning, with very deep regret, that a very considerable number of American fishing vessels have been cast ashore at different sections of our Island coast, most of which are supposed to be total wrecks. The loss of life, it is feared, will be considerable. We are ihiormed that between Rustico Harbour and New London Capes, there are about twelve of those American vessels on shore, and that several dead bodies have been picked up, some of them perfectly naked. We are afraid that before the elapse of many days,

we shall find that the record of such marine disasters is frightfully

large."

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