Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-11-03
DEvAsrATION IN LABRADOR.
widespread Havoc Wrought By the Ten.
pest Of October lO-The Pe,ils q a
Party Of Scientific Observers.
HALIFAX. N. s. Oct Al

HALIFAX, N. s., Oct 81.
II. L. Stupart, the Hudson Bay observer.
VINO, With his three assistants, abandoned
tnelr posts in Hudson Straits the day before
tne expedition steamer Alert arrived to re-
heve them, reached here this evening by the
steamer Miranda from st. Johns, N. F.. and
gives some additional particulars OF the re-
cent terrible tempest on the Labrador coast
winch are no doubt more reliable than those
contained in previous reports. Stupart was
on the coast of Labrador until the 23d inst.
and saw much of the widespread distress
caused BY the disastrous gale. The storm
began on the night of the 10th inst. and
lasted two days, for over "a hours blowing
with the violence of q hurricane. Stupart
was then at Rigolet, where it was felt With
great force, but caused comparatively little
damage On the Goth inst. he reached Indian
harbor, and there learned more fully of it's
Dreadful effects. Every vessel at all close to
land was carried onto the rocky shore, and
though many of them were afterward foated,
between 20 and 80 remained complete wrecks.
AT Grady, fishing village containing about
70 dwellings, almost every building was torn
from its foundation and carried away, while
the one or two that remained standing were
left roofess and almost upinhabitable. At
indian Harbor buildings did not suffer so
seriously, but fully half of them had roofs
torn off,, and many others were more or less
damaged. Every settlement within the area
of the storm, which extended from Battle
Harbor north to Cape Harrison, met the same
rate. and not half a dozen houses on the
whole line of coast remain uninjured. The
most sorrowful report of all comes from White
Bear Island, where, though there were but
three or four vessels lying at anchor-one a
observation-disclosures everybody on board lost
their lives. Stupart states that the total loss
OF life did not at the outside exceed 20. Of
this number, Al met their fate at White Bear
Island. At every point the people are in
most dire want, and, Though much assistance
has already been sent from Newfoundland, it
will be impossible to provide for all for some
time. On the 23d inst. the mail steamer
Hercules arrived at Indian Harbor with 800
people whom she had picked up at different
places Of call. and when Stupart reached
Grady couple of days later he found the
steamer Vanguard there with 600 more home-
less ones on board The day before the storm
broke the Hudson Bay Company's steamer
Labrador sailed from Csrtright for England,
but as che is strongly built ship, construct
ed to stand the severest weather, little tear is
felt for her safety. Stupart tells a stirring
story of the perilous EXPERIENCES of his
party after abandoning their station in Hud-
son Straits. They set sail in an open boat
on Aug. 2l to attempt to reach Fort Chino,
at the mouth of Ungard Bay, ,and during the en-
suing 13 days they we're tossed about by heavy
gales of wind and snow, suffering severely
from the bitter cold, and in danger of being
dashed to pieces on the rocks at any moment
Navigation along their course was extremely
hazardous, hidden shoals and reefs extending
out from the shore for miles, and the tides
being vefy strong, with a rise and fall in
places of over GO feet. When they arrived at
Fort Chino, all the provisions were exhaust
ed, except small supply of biscuit. Stupart
explains his abandonment of the observing
station by the fact that the relief steamer
Alert was expected there in the middle of
July, and, not turning up within a month
from that date, he concluded she had met
with disaster. One of the men with him,
Henry Bennett of St. Johns, N. F., remained
at the latter place on the arrival Of the party
there. The other two, j. w. Mcdaniel and
j. w. Chaplain, belong to st. Mary. N. s..
and came on to Halifax on the Miranda.