Nova Scotia Archives

Footprints in the Sand

Pre‐1867 Government Records for Sable Island

Report of the aggressions made on the British establishment on Sable Islan by American Citizens in the schooner Alpha

1843. — 4 pages : 30 x 49 cm.

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seen fun, for they would have had a load out of her and taken in to Boston
Signed Charles Adams
Sworn to before me this 20th day of Nov 1843 at Sable Island
Joseph Darby JG.

Joseph Darby says that I am Superintendent of Sable Island and that on the 19th of August last I sent two men to watch the motions of the Sch'nr Alpha that was then laying off the North Side near the West End distant from the headquarters about five miles, that the two men staid up there all night and on the morning of the 20th came home and made the subjoined report, that the Sch'nr also came down and anchored, the Master amd four men came on Shore, the Master told me that my people told him last night that he must come down and see me and asked me what I wanted with him, he said he belonged to Barnstable and had fitted out at Boston but he neither told me his name or Vessels name I told him I had nothing at all to do with him was sorry to have to forbid him from shooting Seals or committing any kind of depredations about the Island and particularly the sending armed men on Shore to put the isolated Inhabitants in bodily fear, that for the Fisheries I did not know much about them, but that a vessel had been seized here for fishing contrary to treaty, he answered that we had nothing to Protect us here, that it was the Mans own fault and that he would take care and he went off, this is the only time that I saw him, a man of about 40 or 45 years of age, about 5 feet 7 inches high round featured, a little corpulent, talks quick, the Sch'nr about 80 or 100 tons, with a high Main Top Mast, appears to hake forward, a black looking hull with some kind of a head carrys a boat at the stern, Sails great peak to them, flyig jib appears to hoist high above the tanding jib. On the 14th of September the Alpha run up the South Side from the Eastward and Anchored off the wreck of the Glasgow where she laid all night, the wind off shore and the Sea very smooth on the morning of the 15th about sunrise it being very calm and smooth I saw the Alpha hauled in Stern foremost with her main sail sett close in to the wreck of the Glasgow so close that the South Beach hid the hull of the vessel from my view distant about five miles, I suspected he was after some mischief I got my horse immediately and went up but whilst I was wading across the Lake distant from him about two miles the Schooner moved out and with a light mix of wind run off about 3/4 of a mile and anchored. I saw that one of her anchors that lay on a piece of Beach forward under the windlass was gone, it was an Iron Stack'd anchor about 17 or 18 [word?] wt. and it was plain to be seen laying there a few days ago, the Ship's Rail and bulwark abreast of where the anchor lay had been Sawed down to the Deck the Evening before so as to take the advantage of high water and smooth Sea in the morning early to haul the Schooner in and with their Tackles ready swing it off in a few minut4es, the Sch'nr still had the Tackles up between


4 pages 30 x 49 cm

Date: 1843

Reference: Nova Scotia Archives RG 1 volume 425 number 10

Nova Scotia Archives — https://archives.novascotia.ca/sable/archives/

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