OH! We are a strong bunch. In The Telegram, Mon. Oct. 04, 2010, ED YETMAN, ST. JOHN'S, NL submitted the following:-
"A WORD OF HURRICANE WARNING."..As terrible as hurricane IGOR was, it is not the first, nor the worst, to wreak devastation on Newfoundland.
The great hurricane of 1775, considered to have been the eighth deadliest Atlantic hurrican of all time, killed between 4,000 and 4, 163 people, many of them Newfoundland Fishermen.
After destroying towns and ships on the coast of New England, the storm hit the east coast of the island on the night of Sept. 11-12.
Without the benefit of forecast or warning, people were caught completely unawares, with many ships and fishing boats at sea.
Gov. Robert Duff wrote shortly afterwards tht the fishery "received a very severe stroke from the violence of a storm of wind, which almost swept everything before it. A considerable number of boats, with their crews, have been totally lost, several vessels wrecked on the shores." Ocean leavels, he wrote, rose to heights "scarcely ever known before" and caused great devastation.
Another letter, from Bristol and dated Oct. 30, referring to Newfoundland, states that "between 2,000 and 3,000 persons are supposed to be lost, boats sunk, houses, flakes, and stages blown down; a number of ships are on shore, many of them which cannot be got off."
While this is small consolation to those who have lost so much, we need to be aware that it has happened before, and will certainly happen again.
After the well-known "Turkey induced Serotonin 40 winks", wouldn't this be a good discussion - Has anyone ever referred to an ancestor or family member of those who lost someone posted this fact? Another reason, perhaps, for "lost souls" that frustrate those seeking who we were and are who remain our collective albatross?
This time, Igor took only one soul - one too many! Let's hope that Igor's Niece, Katrina didn't accompany her uncle on this tragedy. I trust that, in 5 year's time, as in New Orleans, we won't still find remnants of Katrina's ravelling cap blowing on a piece of of The Rattling Brook Bridge.
Any comments? Anna. Happy Thanksgiving - we were lucky with Igor and have still much to celebrate here - where birds have built "Nests in A Fallen Tree.!
