December 5, 1879
The N. H. Phillips left
port October 7th for Bank Qurerau, and has therefore been absent eight weeks last Tuesday.
she was last seen Oct. 28th, the day before the terrible storm, and it is supposed that
she went down in that gale.
There was a singular coincidence connected with this last trip. It was the captain's
intention to have quit the avocation of fishermen, and entered upon the fitting-out
business, as he had followed fishing for some eighteen years from this port, ten of which
he was master of his vessel. He had promised his wife that he would not go on this trip
but would put some one in his place. Upon going to the wharf he for some reason changed
his mind and concluded to go, and make this his last trip, and sent word back to that
effect to his wife, saying that the time would soon come when he could live ashore and
take some comfort with his family.
Angus Astrum, Alex. McDonald, and
Levi Johnson, three of her crew, for some unaccountable reason, concluded to
leave the vessel a short time previous to her sailing, and thereby saved their lives. To
Mr. Astrum we are indebted for the full crew list, he happening to know who shipped in the
placed of the three who left.
The list of the crew is as follows:
William McDonald, master,
leaves a widow and two children
John McKinnon, widow and one child
Albion Hayden, (later listed as Bowden), leaves a widow and two children
John Welch, widow and five children of this city
John McDonald, native of Canso
Charles Crawler, native of Canso
Neil McDonald, native of Canso
Michael McInnis, Cape George, N. S.
John Steel, P. E. I.
John Tobin, Guysboro, N. S.
Richard Tobin, brother of John, Guysboro, N. S.
Duncan McIsaac, of Cape Breton
Clifton Thompson, of Union, Me, where he leaves a mother and two sisters.
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