1846 Season
Nov 29 to Dec 2 Entered: On Nov 29, Schooner “Willing Lass” from Halifax; On Dec 1, Schooners “Caledonia” from Pictou, “Brothers” from Miramichi, and “Lark” from Pictou; On Dec 2, Ships from Pictou, Miramichi, Halifax, Canso and Wallace. (PEI 6 Dec p3 c2)
Dec 13 (Poor copy – extremely faded in some areas) …but on Thursday past, we had a regular sneezer, such a day as we never recollect to have experienced before at this time of the year. Early in the morning it happened to blow from the N. W. accompanied with such extreme cold that in less than 24(?) hours persons were crossing the river on foot immediately opposite the town. In the afternoon, the ferry boat left town for the opposite side of the river, with some passengers but got jammed in the ice on the opposite side. In the evening a boat, well manned and the Schooner “Fairy” left the wharf and started to their rescue; but a boat from the opposite shore put out and saved the parties, after being in the ice near five hours – some of whom were severely frozen. The “Fairy” could not return to the wharf on account of head winds, and the following morning the crew were enabled to walk on shore on the ice. … When we went to press, a large party were cutting out of the harbour the above vessels.” (Unable to make out vessel names) (PEI 13 Dec p3 c2)
Mar Brigantine “Jasper” was beset 6 miles WNW of the Bay of Islands. SS “Tiger was beset several miles west of Bonne Bay in a ENE gale of wind and snow and the first land sighted was Fox Harbour, Anticosti. (GR p.30)
Mar Arrived, Tues. – Steamer “Cambria”, Judkins, Boston, 43 passengers – 5 for Halifax. Fell in with a large quantity of ice, continuing from Seal Island to Halifax – the steamer at times did not proceed 3 mi per hour. (NS 09/03/1846 p79 #3)
Mar Arrived Thurs … Schr “L. Expect” [?] did not succeed in reaching St. Pierre -fell in with ice off Arichat. (NS 30/03/1846 p103 #3) [difficult to read]
Mar 6 Ship “Sunbeam” for Boston, Sable Is. N by W 60m, saw large quantities of ice and stood into it until it became unsafe to proceed, and tacked ship to S, water covered with ice as far as we could see from the topmast head. Think the SS “Cambria” (seen the day before) could not pass N of Sable Is. in consequence of the ice. (SCL)
Mar 10 Arrived Tues. 10th – Schr “John Thomas”, Sydney,(via Pope’s Harbour, which is now free of ice.) …” (NS 16/03/1846 p87 #3)
Mar 31 Crew of the brig “Charles” brought in from 44°N 54°20’W about Mar 3. Crew exhausted and vessel in leaky condition. 13 vessels at Trepassey, assumed that all of them have been in the ice for a greater or lesser time, which extends in a southerly direction as far as 42°N. The northern ice and that coming out of the Gulf are said to have joined. (RG).
Apr 11 Miramichi, “Such a season we feel assured, was never witnessed in the country – it is fully one month earlier than usual. The river is entirely free of ice, and there is no impediment to its free navigation, – Observer” (NS 20/04/1846 p127 #2)
Apr 13 “Albion” from Clyde to Quebec fell in with a large field of ice which carried away the cutwater, and injured stem; saw an immense number of icebergs extending across the Banks as far west as 54°W, but saw no ice in the Gulf. (LL).
Apr 22 The “Syria” sailed from St. George’s Bay from Liverpool and passed through great quantities of field ice and icebergs between 59°W and 54°W and 45°30’N and 46°N, the field ice appeared to be getting thin. (LL).
May Arrived Wed. – Steamer “Unicorn”, St. John’s NF, 5 days, was in the ice 2 days in the gulf and lost a number of paddle floats: left Sydney yesterday; ..” (NS 18/05/1846 p159 #3)
May 6 Barque “Hero” fell in with brig “Lyra” in 46°25’N 59°20’W from Sunderland to Montreal, which had struck the ice stoving in her bow port and 9′ of water in her hold. (SCL).
May 6 Captain Smart, of the bark Hero, arrived on Saturday, reports that on the 6th instant, in 46°25’N 59°20’W, he fell in with the bark Syria, of Sunderland, Robert Pearson, master, for Montreal. She had struck the ice and stove in her bow port, and had nine feet water in her hold. Captain and crew arrived here on Saturday forenoon, and states that one of his crew was drowned. [cf. May SCL “Lyra”]. (QG #6505 18/05/1846 P3 C1c)
May 6 “Lyra” fallen in with in 46°N 59°W by the “Hero”, bowsprit stove and 9’ of water in the hold. (LL)
May 24 “Rory O’More” struck field of ice off Magdalen Is. (LL).