The August Gale, 1873
By summer 1873, PEI was being forced into choosing between fiscal bankruptcy or negiotiating Confederation. Financial ruin for the government came with the building of the railway. The year before had seen a dismal harvest...things were not going well for Islanders!
Added to this turmoil came the second worst natural disaster in Island history [next to the Yankee Gale of 1851]. The August Gale seemed to play a horrible “trick” -- warm air swept up the Bay of Fundy on the 23 August, 1873 and by the next morning, the high winds shifted to a cold northeast and brought heavy pounding rain. Through waters surrounding Nova Scotia and PEI, the August Gale spewed disaster for vessels. Many found cover in ports along the north shore of PEI, as well as the Madgalen Islands, but others were not so fortunate.
Many ships were lost, and it was estimated that amongst the Maritime provinces, the loss of lives was over 1,000. It was during this storm that two of the Yeo barques were wrecked. James Yeo’s, Edith, loaded with railway rails, and John Yeo’s, Maggie, ended up on the Cascumpec Sandhills. Divers recently discovered the Edith wreck near to the approaches of Alberton Harbour.
Because so many American ships were lost in the August Gale, newspapers along the eastern seaboard carried accounts, including The New York Times. We can only imagine the busyness of the telegraph lines reporting the news of this disaster for the next weeks.
Remember: The decision to search for any geocache , or participate in any outdoor activity, and the responsibility for your own safety lies with you.