Digest>Archives> May 2001

Canadian Lighthouse Keeper and Wife Showed Kindness to Scottish Shipwreck Victims

By Jeremy D'Entremont

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This photo of James Lawrence was taken in 1915 ...

Ms. Ruth Lawrence Koebbe Neal of Mesa, Arizona, has generously passed along some papers relating to her great uncle, James Lawrence, who was born in Stewartville, Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1832. According to Mr. Lawrence’s 1921 obituary, at the age of 21 he married Jane Findlay, and the two of them soon journeyed to Canada to make a new home. It appears that the Lawrences and the other passengers of the barque Berbice might not have survived if it had not been for the kindness shown by a lighthouse keeper and his wife.

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Ruth Lawrence Koebbe Neal, who sent the story of ...

Here are some excerpts from a log kept by Mr. Lawrence on his voyage:

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Ile Bicquette lighthouse?

April 16, 1853: We left Aberdeen on Saturday about 6 o’clock with a fair wind.

April 17: Lost sight of Mormon Hill, pilot on board about 6 o’clock got through the Pentland Firth about 10 o’clock; heavy sea, sickness prevalent.

April 23: A heavy gale of wind from the North drove us at the rate of 10 miles per hour, the decks lying at angle of 45 degrees; many went to bed without supper.

April 24, 25: Nothing of importance. Fine weather, a little music & dancing.

May 27: A strong breeze of wind, heavy rain and fog.

May 28: Fine clear weather, but cold; rounded Cape Race.

June 1: Strong head wind blowing out of the Gulf, had to tack and weir from Cape Ray & Cape Breton.

June 2: Almost becalmed, sea smooth as glass. Porpoises and Whales innumerable.

June 3: Had been out 49 days. Abreast of Birds Island, running 8 knots hour, got in sight of Anticosti Lighthouse.

June 6: Saw a lighthouse called Cape Desmont Peles; this morning Mrs. Stocks gave birth to a male Child. A pilot came on board.

June 7: A tremendous thick fog; could not see the length of the ship. About one o’clock PM the ship struck a rock opposite the Lighthouse of Becquet and notwithstanding every exertion, stuck fast in 2 fathoms of water. About 9 o’clock the tide fell so low there was not water to keep her up and turned onto her Beam and about one o’clock the tide rose and she righted and came off. She was brought to Anchor in a very damaged state.

More detail about the wreck came to light through a letter written by James Lawrence on behalf of the passengers to the Quebec Morning Chronicle:

Mr. Editor, Pray Sir: spare room in your widely circulated Journal for the following short need of grateful approbation: The undersigned passengers on board the barque Berbice of Aberdeen, Captain Elliot, desire to give public expression of the extreme gratitude they feel for the unbounded kindness shown them by Mr. Hannon, keeper of the Lighthouse on the Island of Becquet and his excellent wife when misfortune cast them upon their shores. On the 7th June just at midnight, blowing hard with a dense fog, our ship struck on the rocky borders of that Island and remained fast, rolling heavily on her hard lee; as the tide receded she fell over upon the rocks on her broadside. Our dexterous and intrepid commander, seeing a perilous situation, immediately launched his boats, coolly commanding every moment and although the sea was running high and the whole scene enveloped in pitchy darkness, he succeeded without the slightest confusion in safely landing the women and children and finally the whole of us upwards of one hundred in number. There on that Island Becquet we met the extraordinary kindness of Mr. Hannon and his wife, which we now desire to acknowledge and record. Humanity was there exhibited in its purity; their home and their every appendage were thrown open for our use and comfort without restriction. That God may condescend to bless them is the heartfelt wish of us all.

James and Jane Lawrence eventually made it to Quebec on a steamer. James Lawrence lived the last 65 years of his life in Ashburn, Ontario, where he worked as a harness maker.

The kindness shown by the keeper and his wife at the lighthouse is not an isolated instance. Over the centuries thousands of shipwreck victims around the world have found salvation and comfort at lighthouses. Rarely, though, have such eloquent words of thanks as those of James Lawrence been recorded.

No photos of Keeper Hannon and his wife have been found, and we have located no information on the lighthouse on the Island of Becquet, Quebec. If anyone has any information to share we would appreciate receiving it. The author can be reached by email at keeper@lighthouse.cc.

The May issue of Lighthouse Digest contained a story by Jeremy D'Entremont concerning a 19th century shipwreck near the "Lighthouse of Becquet" in Quebec, Canada. The identity of the lighthouse was somewhat mysterious, but Chris Mills (author of the book Vanishing Lights) and Kathy Brown of the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society have come to the rescue. Also, Ruth Lawrence Koebbe Neal, who furnished the material used for the article, wrote to say that her son Mark Koebbe located a recent photo of the lighthouse, which is reproduced here.

From Chris Mills:

The lighthouse in the story you wrote about James Lawrence is likely the Ile Bicquette lighthouse, west of Rimouski on the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River. The Coast Guard list of lights says the light was established in 1844, but in Normand LaFreniere's book Lightkeeping on the St. Lawrence, the light is listed as being established in 1843. The tower was circular, 65 feet tall and built of limestone (I believe the current tower is the original). The light was originally fueled by porpoise and wolf fish oil. The light was de-staffed in the 1980s.

An added piece of information-- one of the keepers at Ile Bicquette was a man named Maurice Thibeault. He was a lightkeeper for 43 years (on several stations). Thibeault says it took 810 (!!) turns to wind the lens clockwork mechanism at Ile Bicquette. About ten minutes-worth of hard labour!

From Kathy Brown:

In Lightkeeping on the St. Lawrence by Normand Lafreniere, page 15, there is a map of lights administered by Trinity House of Quebec 1809 - 1862. It shows "Ile Bicquette" which is on the south shore of the St. Lawrence, near Rimouski. Appendix A, p. 89, in this book shows that the tower had a first order lantern with a catoptric apparatus, so it was an important marker. This light also appears on page 26, a map of principal lighthouses in the St. Lawrence, administered by the Canadian Coast Guard in the 1980s. Appendix A lists this island name as also being spelled "Biquet Island." Given problems some people have with spelling foreign words, I think it likely that this is the island. The St. Lawrence River Sailing Directions, 1985, lists a sector light shown from a white circular tower on the island. Also, Northern Lights: Lighthouses of Canada by David Baird (Lynx Images, 1999) has a photo on page 151 of Isle Bicquette Lighthouse, round masonry tower clad with wood.

The author thanks Kathy and Chris for this very helpful information.

This story appeared in the May 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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