Shelburne, NS Schooner PATRICIAN Wrecked, Mar 1912

TEN CANADIAN SAILORS DROWNED.

Shelburne, N.S., March 18. -- One of the worst stories of the season heard on this coast in years was that told by the ten survivors of the American fishing schooner Patrician, when they knocked this morning at the door of Capt. McAlpin's house, Jordan Bay, Shelburne, and told him that of the crew of twenty who had set sail from Shelburne in the morning ten were dead.
The schooner had crashed on the Dull Rock, two miles off, at 10 o'clock, and Captain WILLIAM HARDING and nine of his crew had perished in the building sea. Towards evening it was evident that the storm of wind and rain that had been threatening would become very bad. They were 23 miles off the coast, but Captain HARDING determined to run back to Shelburne for shelter. In the darkness and thick weather he made a mistake in his bearings, mistaking the Lockeport buoy for the Shelburne clearing buoy. When he discovered the error, it was too late, and the schooner crashed on the black ledges a mile from Dull Rock and some two miles from Jordan Bay.
The destruction of the schooner was almost instantaneous. After the crash she opened up and went to pieces. So suddenly did the vessel break up that Captain HARDING had no time to reach a dory and nine of his crew were equally unable to grasp this chance to save their lives. The drowned are:
Captain WM. HARDING, Charlesville, Pubnic, N.S.
JOHN GOODWIN, Bear Point.
ALBERT GOODWIN, Bear Point, N.S.
HOMAN HOPKIN, Woods Harbor.
JAS. HICKERSON, Woods Harbor.
CLARENCE TORRY, Shag Harbor, N.S.
MICHAEL JENNING, South Boston.
WM. GILL, Boston.
JOS. ROBISEAU, Surettes Island.
GEO. SHARPE, Bonavista Bay, Nfld.

Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba 1912-03-19
__________________

Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!