THE WRECK OF EMPEROR OF SAINT JOHN
Written by: Colin V’s Uncle Bernard
(He was in grade 8 at the Cape George School)
Emperor of Saint John was a steady boat of about fifteen hundred tons which came ashore a little south of Ballantynes Cove in a blinding snow storm on December 6th, 1926. She had three hundred tons of bunker coal in her haul when she struck. She was bound for Sonora in Guysborough, Nova Scotia to load pulpwood when the storm blew up. She pulled into Ballantynes Cove for shelter and anchored. During the night the anchor dragged and she went fast on MacPhies ledge. To see the wreck next morning at this time of the year was a marvelous sight. The boat seemed to be undamaged and looked just as if she were lying at anchor.
It had been there only a short time when the crew on board set up on a cable and chair in order to take the people in out from the shore bank to the wreck. People at first were very much afraid to go out in this chair. Later on things were being sold off her and our teacher’s desk and bench were bought there. Those are both of much pride to our teachers and pupils of this school.
The wreck had changed owners several times. She is now the property of Joseph Simon of Halifax. This man tried many ways to get her off but did not succeed. Finally he tried with the help of a tugboat called the Foundation Franklin. This tug came and made many attempts to pull but the weather being uncertain at that time of year, they did not risk pulling her off and trying to make for the Strait of Canso. We believe that no power will ever take her off that ledge.
In the summer of 1937 the owner of the ship had a boat come down from Halifax with workmen, some of whom were acetylene burners. They dismantled and scrapped a large portion of her. This steel was sent to the steel plant at Sydney on large scows by way of St. Peter’s canal. On one of these trips a scow which was on the tow struck the side of the canal and was broken in halves. Mr. Simon had to get a diver down from Halifax who regained most of the cargo and cleared the canal at great expense. So ill luck seemed to follow this ship from start to finish. Enough of this ship is still left to present at the site of the real wreck at Cape George.
Some day the scrap of this ill fated ship may be used as ammunition in a war. We hope that the scene of war may be far away from our beloved Cape.