Item
Courier
Jan 9/1980
Tidings of St. Andrews.
Underground wiring completed for season.
Courier
Jan 16/1980
By-law Not Gearing Towards "a museum piece." Re St. Andrews heritage by-law. Marion Cummings drawings of St. Andrews saltbox.
Courier
Feb 6/1980
Construction of Sewage Treatment plant to begin in 1980.
The end of the Line or a New Beginning?
(Economic history of St. Andrews; focus on railway. Also: "By 1880, the potential of the town as a tourist center was recognized. . . ." Photo of old CPR station being moved. Says CPR constructed Algonquin.)
TRUDEAU, Pierre Elliott
Prime Minister of Canada
Liberal 1980.03.03 - 1984.06.29 Courier
St. Croix Courier
April 9/1980
Tide Brings Tragedy. Drowning deaths of a party of summer people August 1913 on Bar.
Editor's Note: the following story is provided by the Charlotte County Historical society and was written by the late Harry Martin. It tells the story of the tragic deaths of four people crossing the bar from Minister's Island in 1913.
William Van Horne, a citizen of the United States, and a railway genius, was requested in 1881 to preside over the destiny of the New Canadian Pacific Railway venture. History has proved that he was still a genius in superintending the building of the three thousand miles of railway from Montreal to Vancouver, BC, in record time. As an illustration, it is reported that when they were unable to get any more steel for building some of the bridges through the Rockies, rather than delay the completion of the railway, he sent his men into the forests to get great timbers instead of the steel, so that the railway could be completed, which it was by 1886. It has been stated that when one of the locomotive engineers refused to take the locomotive over a newly built bridge, Mr. Van Horne got in the cab of the engine and took it over himself.
In later years, when Mr. Van Horne was looking for a suitable location for his summer residence, he bought a site, called Minister's Island off the coast of New Brunswick, in Passamaquoddy Bay. This he developed into a beautiful summer home, with lovely surroundings, which were greatly admired by their visitors, and summer tourists who were permitted to come to the island, to see the many attractions. Besides the wonderful flower gardens around the summer home, which was named Covenhoven, nearly a mile of flower bordered driveway led to the other end of the island. Here there were unusually beautiful and spotless farm buildings, with their wonderful spotted horses, and the famous Dutch Belted cattle, and the men who tended them in clean light-colored uniforms.
The rear of the island toward the open bay, was used as a wonderful farm, which employed a number of young men from the mainland, to care for and harvest the various crops which were being grown there. Minister's Island is unique in that, though it is a mile offshore, and an average of twenty seven foot tides comes and goes, leaving a highway at low tide, which is uncovered for only two to three hours during each tide. As this tide is an hour later than it was the day before, it often causes a timing problem. This unusual formation of the sea floor, was pictured in one of Mr. Ripley's "Believe it or not" series a number of years ago; and was referred to, as an "Auto Road on the Ocean's Bed."
During the low tide period it is perfectly safe to travel on this bar. A rather steep descent is made from the shore on either end of this "auto road" which is an almost level surface of hard packed sea gravel. It is slightly undulating and winding, the latter being mainly due to the large rocks and ledges which project here and there. Scarcely any sea ooze or mud is in evidence, just an occasional pile of seaweed left by the receding tide. All about is a wonderful display of mostly white crustaceous sea life. This growth covers part of all the large rocks and ledges, making the surroundings a fairyland of beautiful forms. The air is filled with that heavy penetrating sea odor, which is coming from the mossy dripping rocks about us. After the traveler has gone about halfway out along the bar, we can realize that a stranger might be seized with a slight feeling of apprehension, since the island is still far ahead, and the mainland a long way back. If it is windy the white capped waves rush toward our path, seemingly to flood us before we can reach safety.
Travel to and fro from the island has to be done by boat, when the bar is not clear of water. However, often risks were taken in crossing, even after the incoming tide had begun to wash over the bar. After the tide has risen to the bar level, it continues to rise with startling rapidity; it will sweep up past the island at both ends of it, and close in from both sides of the bar. As soon as the water starts running over the bar, with the rapidly rising tide up the bar, and a wind causing large wave and strong currents, which may sweep the traveler to his death, if he has allowed himself to be a few minutes late in making the crossing.
One of the worst of these tragedies occurred in August 1913. The details of this were told by a lone survivor. In the early years no automobiles were allowed on the island, but many fine horses were used there. Usually a pair of brown and white spotted horses were hitched to the family carriage and driven by an experienced coachman. On this particular day a group of people, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Dalton, their daughter Jane and her fiancé George Keyser, all of whom had been spending several days at Covenhoven, wanted to catch a train in St. Andrews, two miles away.
This day the driver was a young man, John Douglass, who also was a visitor at this home, and offered to drive them to the station. He was not experienced, however, in observing the movements of the tide. He drove up the island road to near the end of the bar. Although the tide was rising rapidly over the bar, he started down the steep approach. An older resident of the island shouted a warning from the hill above "Hey there, young man, you better stay where you are. You'll never make it. You'll all get drowned." The driver paused a moment and glanced toward the old timer with a look of disbelief, then drove on.
The old timer was quickly joined by two others, young men, who also were convinced that these people were going to almost certain death. All three followed down past the trees which skirted the island, to get a clearer view of the bar. "We ought to have stopped them somehow," said the older of the group. "Yes," replied the other, "But what can you do? They just wouldn't listen to us."
"There's our boat over there tied to a tree," said the youngest. "Hadn't we better go and get it into the water?"
"That's no place to put a boat right now, since the tide has started rushing past those big rocks and ledges," remarked the older man. "We'd just be risking our own lives, if we were to go near that bar now, and besides they may make it."
In the meantime the driver had reined the horses down the steep shore drive, and out onto the now flooded bar. "Do you think it really is safe Frank?" asked Mrs. Dalton, turning to her husband, as the horses started splashing into the water. Douglass the driver overheard the question and interrupted before Mr. Dalton could reply: "Don't be afraid Mrs. Dalton. We can get through all right."
Mr. Dalton smiled and replied, "We're trusting you John."
All went well for dome distance, the horses placing their feet cautiously, and sniffing down at the water. The treacherous tide however, was about to play its old game of surprise. Sweeping up around the island, aided by a fair wind, the water rose at an alarming rate. This tended to confuse the horses and the driver, and to make it worse, in some of the low places the horses were getting almost beyond their depth. The drive looked back toward the island, but saw that he would never be able to turn the horses around in that confusion of rushing water, and rocks, with such a cumbersome carriage.
The sense of imminent danger, which seized the driver changed his voice. This seemed to be detected by the horses, and finding themselves getting beyond their depth, and hearing screams from the women in the carriage, began to plunge and try to swim. The driver had now lost all control. The terrified horses, tangled in the harness, swung around off the bar into the deep water, dragging the heavy carriage after them. It immediately sank, leaving the occupants to struggle helplessly in the swirling water.
Hearing cries for help from Mrs. Dalton, Douglass who was a good swimmer, tried to save her, for she could not swim. He grasped her firmly and headed toward a large rock, which projected out of the water. However, when he neared the rock, the current around it was too much for him; both he and his helpless burden were swept past the rock. At this instant, Mrs. Dalton found herself sinking, and hysterically seized Douglass around the neck in a vice-like grip. This apparently drew his head under the water. He struggled to free himself, but could not, he drew in water and in a few moments they sank together. Mr. Dalton and Jane were soon drawn down by a powerful under current.
George Keyser managed to keep from going under for a minute or two. Just then he caught sight of some trees on the mainland, and started swimming in that direction, and found that a rather strong current was helping him in that direction. After several minutes of swimming he realized that his strength was giving out.
The anxious watchers back on the shore saw the horses make that fateful swing off the bar into the deep water. The outcome of this was all too evident to them. Madly they dashed over to where the boat was tied, jerked the painter free and pushed it down the beach to the edge of the water. Out of breath, the older man gasped: "Jump in, we'll see if we can reach any of them in time."
But the odds were against them. Doggedly they pulled the oars with all their strength. In spite of the side sweep of that rushing, relentless tide they fought on. After a while they were out to where they had last seen the carriage. The water was now becoming more smooth as it flowed full and deep over the bar. They rested on their oars briefly to catch their breath, and anxiously scanned the water all round for any possible trace of a survivor. Suddenly the youngest man, who had stood up in the boat for a better view, called out, "There's something floating away over there."
"Let's get over there quick," called the older man, now trembling with over exertion. As they got nearer they saw that it was a man. A few more frantic sweeps of the oars brought the alongside. Reaching over they dragged the unconscious man into the boat. It was George Deyser [Dreyer?] who had almost reached the shore, but his strength had given out. He had already gone under once.
After a few more minutes of search, the two younger men turned the boat toward the shore. Meanwhile, the older man had laid George face down on the planking in the bottom of the boat, and worked over him to get the water out of his lungs. As soon as they got to shore, they quickly picked him up and laid him on a smooth place on the beach, so as to continue the first aid treatment. They were soon rewarded by signs of returning consciousness. After a while he sat up and made inquiry about the rest of the party. He was heart broken to know that the was the only survivor.
The following day the bodies of Mr. Dalton and Jane were washed up on the shore of the mainland. That of Mrs. Dalton was never recovered. After several days the remains of John Douglass were found six miles away under a wharf at Eastport, Maine. The body had been very badly disfigured by small sharks or other sea creatures.
The wreckage of the carriage and the dead bodies of the horses, still tangled in the harness, were located at low tide quite near the bar. A tragic happening, due to failure to heed "the voice of experience."
Courier
May 14/1980
David Bartlett named Valedictorian. Nice photo.
Courier
May 21/1980
Ross Museum opens (officially) Saturday. Rossmount originally residence of Townshend shipbuilding family of Chamcook. Called Mountain House. Renamed Rossmount in 1902 by Rosses of States. Museum early 1900's? Georgian building, built by Hatches. Purchased by G. H. Mowatt 1920 as pottery and called Chestnut Hall. Sold to H. P. Ross in 1938. Contains 10 paintings by G. Horne Russell, Ross's art teacher.
Courier
May 28/1980
Sir William raises a glass. The Sir William's Lounge, the newest facility at the Algonquin Hotel, opened Friday evening when Honourable Harold Fanjoy declared it officially open on behalf of the province." Open year-round; built from storerooms on ground floor.
St. Croix Courier
Aug 20/1980
Photo of Windsor hotel, circa 1896. Now known as Buchanan Bldg. Different from my photos.
St. Croix Courier
Oct 3/1980
Point Lepreau to start up in 1981.
St. Croix Courier
Oct 22/1980
Scarratts for work at Yacht club. Photo of David and Irene.
St. Croix Courier
Nov 19/1980
Former CPR Station in St. Stephen built 1929.
St. Croix Courier
Dec 10/1980
RCMP Office to be moved to present location.
St. Croix Courier
Dec 24/1980
A Good Tree That Christmas. A Story by David Walker. Photo with Jordan, son of David and Muriel Walker.