À CAP-DES-ROSIERS (GASPÉ

Sur la côte solitaire de Cap-des-Rosiers, dans le comté de Gaspé, on voit un monument d’assez belles dimensions. La livraison d’août 1900 de la revue North American Notes and Queries nous donne l’histoire de ce monument :

“ The rocky coast of the lower St. Lawrence has been the scene of many disasters. One of the most harrowing was the total wreck of the ship Carricks, of Whitchaven, which occured on the 28th of May, 1847, in the middle of the night. During a blinding snow storm the vessel ran on the rock at Cap-des-Rosiers, near Gaspé, and was dashed to pièces. Those on board were unfortunate Irish immigrants from County Sligo. Out of one hundred and eighty-seven of those poor people scarcely half a dozen were saved from the wreck. Eighty-seven of the bodies were washed ashore and were buried on the beach by the settlers there. Some time ago, Messrs. J. -A. Whelan, Postmaster at the Cape Henry Bond, Pierre Guévremont and Eugène Costin, gave a painful account of the said occurence to the Reverend Father Quinlivan, P. P., of Montreal. The sad fate of those poor Irish immigrants appealed to the kind heart of Father Quinlivan, and he resol ved that the last resting-place of these victims should not longer remain without a memorial. Cap-des-Rosiers is, the lowest point on the St. Lawrence where any of the victims of 1847 are known to lie. He appealed to some of his parishioners, with the resuit that a beautiful red granité monument has been prepared, bearing suitable inscriptions commemorating the sad event. The monument is artistic, and is now complété. It has been erected on the proper site under the supervision of Hon. Justice Curran, and it is gratifying to know that the victims of more than a century ago are not forgotten.”