The Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-02-22, Page 27r.
•
Mariners ®service is on Sunday
GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22,1979—PAGE 11A
Sailors last on the 1
BY JOANNE
BUCHANAN
Sunday, February 25,
will"mark the 65th annual
Mariners' Service to be
held at.. Knox
Presbyterian Church in
memory of those ,sailors
who lost their lives during
the greatest, marine
disaster ever recorded in
the history of the Great
Lakes.
It was on Sunday,
November 9, 1913 that '1'
ships and 254 sailors wet
lost during the ragir
storm. Twenty-four
these ships were lost
Lake Huron, eight or
them went down in the
Goderich area. They
were the Wexford,. 17
lost; the Regina, 15 lost;
the John A.McGean, 23
lost; • the James.
Carruthers, 19 lost; the
Issac M. Scott, 28 lost;
the Hydrus, 24 lost; the
Charles S. Price, 28 lost;
and the Argus, 24 lost.
A memorial service
was held at Knox
Presbyterian Church on
Sunday, November 16,
1913 at 4:15 p.m. There
Were more than 1,500
people in attendance. Dr.
George Ross conducted
the service. He was
assisted by the Reverend
James E. Ford of Vic-
toria Street Church, the
Reverend W.K. Hager of
North Street United
Church: the Reverend
J.B. Fatheringham of St.
George's Church; and the
Reverend John Pollock of
Goderich Baptist Church.,
took part in this
memorial service.
Ari inquest was held in
the town hall at Goderich
on November 21, 1913.
Crown Attorney Chas.
Seager' conductedChis,
inquest with Dr.A.C.
Hunter acting as coroner
and G.L. Parsons as
foreman of the jury.
Witnesses giving
testimony included J.B.
Kelly, Captain Reg
Bassett, J.K. Kiloran,
A.M. Maclnness, Captain
William Robinson, Fred
Sheppard, Harry Stowe,
William Marlton, Robert
McGaw, Frank Bingham,
L.L. Knox and Captain
W.J. Bassett.
Evidence showed that
\vinds up to 70 miles per
hour were from the south-
west but changed to
north-west on Lake
Huron.
Church services are
held in many Great Lakes
ports at this time of year
(just before the shipping
season opens) as ex-
•pressions of friendship to
mariners and' their
families and in memory
of those in the trade who
have passed on during the
year.
So far as it is known,
the first service of this
kind in Goderich was one
for fishermen and sailors
held in the spring of 1903
when the minister of
Knox Church was The
Reverend Dr. James
Anderson.
In the spring of 1914,
Dr. George'Ross who had
officiated at the burial of
23 seamen who lost their
lives in the Great Storni,
suggested this service be
named the Mariners'
Service to include
everyone associated with
the Marine Trade.
As many readers will
kis will be remem
recall, of the 254 men who
lost their lives during the
storm of 1913, five were
found on the Lake Huron
shores in and about
Goderich. These men
were never identified. A
public service, was held
for them at Knox Church
nand- public funds paid for
a memorial which stands
guarding their graves in
the Maitland Cemetery.
Through the efforts of
retired seaman Ron
Pennington, the
unidentified seamen's
plot was spruced up in
1978 and a service was
observed there.
Many strange, unex-
plained circumstances
are connected with many
of the bodies recovered'
along the shore --the body
of Milton Smith, an
engineer aboard the
Price; came ashore in a
life -preserver from the
Regina; It is thought that
these ships, iri'ay 'have
collided during the storm
Goderich obituary
Dennis J. Lassaline dies at 93
DENNIS J.
LASSALINE
Dennis J. Lassaline of
Maitland Manor died in
Alexandra .Marine and
General Hospital on
Tuesday, February 13 at
the age of 93.
He was born in Essex
County to Christopher
and Arthimese (Godet)
Lassaline on December 2,
1885.
He farmed in Goderich
Township and was a
member of St. Peter's
Roman Catholic Church
in Goderich.
He was r9rried to
Medora Janisse who
predeceased him in 1944.
He 'was also
predeceased by one son
and two grandchildren.
He is survived by eight
children, Mrs. Kenneth
(Lucille) King of
Welland, Gerald and
Harvey, both of
Goderich, Armand
(Buck) of Goderich
Township, Mrs. John
P
(Lorraine) Dietrich of
Mississauga, Mrs.
William (Arthemise)
Lalonde of Shining Tree,
Mrs. Ray (Pauline) Dean
of Falls Church, Va., and
Mrs. Mark (Clarice)
Dalton of Kingsbridge;
• one sister, Mrs. Joseph
(Bella) Morand of
Windsor; 49 grand-
children and 32 great-
grandchildren.
_Prayers_ _were y said. for
the late Mr. ,Lassaline at
McCallum Funeral Home
on Thursday evenjng,
February 15:
A funeral mass was
held at St. Peter's Church
on Friday, February 16 at
2 p.m. The Reverend
Father A.F. Loebach
officiated.
Interment was in Si:
Pete'r's Cemetery,
Colborne Township.
Pallbearers were
grandsons Dennis
Lassaline, Lawrence
Lassaline, Jeff Dietrich,
Douglas Dean, Paul
Dalton and Mark
Lalonde.
Warren and Virginia
are in Four Poster
and that the men passed
from one to the other
ship.
Probably one of the
strangest facts during the
Great Storm is that all
ships wliich sank in Lake
Huron apparently wept
down at the same time.
Sailors from different
ships, whose bodies were
washed ashore at widely
separated points and who
carried watches, when
note was taken of it and
compared, showed that
all watches had stopped
at ,the same time, 1:25
a.m.
A life buoy which is
believed to be from the
Carruthers was found on
the beach in the sand
south of Goderich harbor
in 1953. It is part of the
decorations for the an-
nual Mariners' Service.
The words, in red,
painted on the buoy are --
Sunday, November 9,
1913 Crew 18, all gone!
The Carruthers was a
'spanking new ship which
was on its first season --
built and outfitted in the
Collingwood Shipyard,
1911-1913.
Other decorations for
the Mariners' Service
include house flages from
shipping companies
whose vessels have come
into the Port of Goderich.
All of these flags have
been presented to the
church and dedicated.
Other donations include
an oak wheel from the
barge Alexander Holley;
McCreath; a miniature
lighthouse . frcrm Bruce
Sully; a ladder rope from
the Goderich Rovers; a
painting from Martha
Rathburn; fish nets from
Siddall Fisheries;-- and
other paraphernalia of
the men who "go down to
the sea in ships" (lan-
terns, signal flags,
wheels and life belts).
The unveiling of a
'historical plaque erected
by the 'Archaeological
and Historic Sites Board,
• Department .of Public
Records and Archives of
Ontario commemorating
the Great Storm took
place in 1969 in
Lighthouse park.
The Great Lakes have
claimed many ships and
many lives over the
Brig
Rosi...
1 .x ,.:..
Virginia Lodge and Warren Robinson make up
the cast for the Goderich Little Theatre
production of The Four Poster which opens
tonight and runs until Saturday. It is a play about
a marriage. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan) .•
ALV1N'S T.V.
• from page 10 •
was an enthusiastic
gardener and very in-
terested for many years
in the Goderich Hor-
ticultural Society. Roses
were his favorites and
one year, he had 72 dif-
ferent species of clim-
bers, ramblers, "shrubs
and hybrid teas.
He was also very active
in the local branch of the
Order . of St. John of
Jerusalem. He was the
treasurer for many. years
and was made a Knight of
the Order. of St. John in
1978.
He was a great writer
and kept a daily journal
from World War I days
right up to the present.
His book,'^'The
Business of Tanks", was
published in 1976. It is an
important study of the
development of tank
warfare and equipment
for World War II.
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Warren Robinson and Virginia Lodge as husband and wife make up the cast
for the Goderich Little Theatre production of The Four Poster which opens
tonight and runs until Saturday night. The play spans the Ii(e of a marriage
beginnng in the late 1800s. It is directed by Eleanor Robinson. •(Photo by
Joanne Buchanan)
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