Clinton News Record, 2016-10-12, Page 7Wednesday, October 12, 2016 • News Record 7
The rescue of the schooner 'Malta' in Bayfield
Huron History
Dave Yates
Aiccording to legend, Captain
Henry Buckley command -
•ng the 'Malta' mistook the
lights of a social gathering in Bay-
field for Goderich and steered his
vessel to its doom just south of the
Bayfield Harbour.
The three -masted schooner
Malta was wrecked on the night of
November 24, 1882 during a gale
force blizzard. Her crew's rescue
and the vessel's fate has become a
part of Bayfield's maritime folklore.
Above the two-storey Barker
Hall on Bayfield's Main Street (also
known as the Hovey/Graham
building), Loyal Orange Order #24
was hosting the Feast of St.
Andrew's oyster supper.
While the orangemen enjoyed
fraternal good cheer in the warmth
and comfort of the hall, their
bright lights attracted the attention
of the Malta which was locked in a
life and death struggle against a
raging blizzard on Lake Huron.
Despite the lateness of the sail-
ing season, the Malta was on a run
from Port Huron to Goderich for
one last load of salt. According to
W.E. Phillips in a 1942 'Goderich
Signal Star; the Malta was a sturdy
sailing ship built in 1853 at St.
Catherine's of the 'finest oak.' With
three masts, at 137.5 feet in length,
23.5 feet abeam and with a carry-
ing capacity of 22,000 bushels, the
Malta was a substantial vessel.
After several hours, the Malta
had made little headway against
high nor'west winds and heavy
seas. Through the darkness, Cap-
tain Buckley saw a light on shore.
Believing it to be the Goderich
lighthouse, Captain Buckley
ordered his crew to sail towards it.
The light that Captain Buckley saw
was that of the Orange celebration
at Barker Hall. Realizing his error
too late, Captain Buckley ran the
Malta hard between two rocks off
Signal Point one-quarter mile
south of the Bayfield river mouth.
Fortunately, the Malta was wedged
upright between the rocks but too
far for the crew to reach the safety
of shore.
Oblivious to the maritime drama
unfolding a few yards away, spirits
at the Orange dinner were damp-
ened when Dr. Ninian Woods
brought the grim news that local
hotel keeper, Henry McCann, had
just died leaving a wife and two
teenaged daughters.
Just as McCann's death cast a
pall over the Orange festivities,
another messenger stormed into
the hall alerting the brethren that a
wrecked ship was in distress off
shore.
For the 's stranded crew ship-
wrecked on the rocks off of an
unfamiliar coast, it must have been
truly terrifying, but providence
could not have picked a better
time for deliverance. Amongst the
Orangemen were gathered a good
part of the Bayfield fishing fleet.
Within minutes, seasoned all-
weather fishermen 'bundled
themselves up and sallied out into
the pitch darkness to lend a hand,
bent almost double to make their
way against the wind to the top of
the cliff' according to Phillips' col-
ourful account.
The force of the gale had torn the
Malta's sails from her boltropes.
Shreds of her canvas were found in
the morning as far as the school -
yard almost a mile away. The
'Huron Signal' reported that the
storm's violence had knocked over
chimneys and damaged area
fences.
Photo courtesy of the Bayfield Archives
The wreck of the schooner Malta and bathhouse made from her cabin (c. 1888)
By the light of an oil lamp, the
men on shore were able to catch a
light line from the Malta. They were
then able to drag the line ashore
and lash it to a heavier line. One
end of the heavy line was then tied
1 I ._IM �j
around a tree trunk while the other
end was hauled back to the Malta.
The rope was pulled taut
between the ship and the tree and
despite the storm's fury, all ten
crew members, 9 men, 1 woman
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and one parrot, traversed the line
and made it safely ashore. As Phil-
lips wrote 'death had been cheated
this time:
CONTINUED > PAGE 8
POSTM
MUNICIPALITY OF BLUEWATER
NOTICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE
BAYFIELD MAIN STREET RENEWAL
Through consultation with the Main Street Project Advisory Team (PAT) a concept plan
has been prepared which will guide the Municipality of Bluewater through the final
design stage of the Bayfield Main Street project. The concept plan provides for improved
stormwater drainage, upgraded boulevards, sidewalks, tree planting layout, and
reconfigured parking.
A Public Information Centre is planned to present details of the proposed concept plan to
residents of the community and to obtain feedback on the various design elements.
Representatives of the Municipality and the Project Engineers will be in attendance.
DATE:
LOCATION:
TIME:
Wednesday October 19, 2016
Bayfield Community Centre
6:00 — 8:00 PM
(The PIC will consist of an informal drop-in open house, with no formal presentation)
For further information on this project, please contact the project engineers: B.M. Ross
and Associates Ltd., 62 North Street, Goderich, Ontario, N7A 2T4. Telephone (519)
524-2641. Fax (519) 524-4403. Attention: Dale Erb, P. Eng., Project Manager (e-mail:
derb@bmross.net).
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