January 19th 1898
Black Rock
Mr. James Moody relating the loss of the
schooner Orient several years ago, spoke highly in praise of
the courage shown by Alonzo White, one of the seamen, in the
rescue of the crew. The Orient went ashore at low water at
Spicer brook, one mile west of Black Rock light. It was a
bitter cold day in midwinter with a strong northwest wind
which rendered the rescue all the more difficult. Mr. White,
an expert swimmer, attached a rope to his person and swam for
the shore; when but part way he signaled to be hauled on
board which was done. White told them he could not make show
without some stimulants. After draining a brimming glass of
"grog" he made the second attempt and succeeded,
although thoroughly benumbed by the ice cold water. The rope
was made fast and all on board went ashore by the aid of the
line with the exception of the lady passenger, Miss Marion
Vales, who refused to leave and was washed over board and
drowned. Mr. Moody thinks had it not been for the courage and
determination of this man the lives of all would have been
sacrificed. Mr. White now resides in the eastern part of
Cornwallis and no doubt will remember the circumstances.
Conversing lately with our esteemed
postmaster, J. H. Rawding Esq. he related several stories
bordering closely on the supernatural. One, the truth of
which is touched for by himself, touches at least on the
marvelous. About eighteen years ago - the narrator said -
between 8 and 9 o'clock on a November evening, he with
several others saw a bright light a few miles southeast of
Isle Au Haute. As the light increased he could plainly
distinguish - as he supposed - a large square rigged vessel
under full canvase on fire. The flames could be seen running
up the shrouds and spreading until the whole ship was in
flames. The blaze continued about a half hour when the fire
and vessel suddenly disappeared without showing that any part
had been consumed or that there were any persons on board.
About a year afterward at the same time on a November evening
he witnessed again a repetition of the same. Mr. Rawding
advances no theory and can offer no solution as to the
phenomenon which it certainly was, as no such thing as a
vessel burning actually took place near the Island within the
memory of the oldest inhabitant.
"Ned" Chute and "Jim"
Nichols with their fox hounds, one day last week pursued a
wild cat ten miles, but the wily feline proved too wary and
escaped capture. Judging from the track and stride the animal
was very large of its kind.
February 20, 1929
The Pioneers (No. 2)
(Written for The Register)
Among the first grantees of Cornwallis, in
1761, was a man with military title of whose surname the
spelling is uncertain. In the early records he appears as "Major
William Canada." His descendants have always
spelled the name, "Canady." A
memorial, signed by his grandson, John William, as Ruling
Elder in a Presbyterian Church, was published in a Belfast
(Ireland) magazine, the signature appearing as "John W.
Kennedy." It seems quite probable that Kennedy was the
original name.
The Major chose as the location of the
grant awarded him, (666 2/3 acres), the shore of the Bay of
Fundy, at and around the mouth of a stream ever since known
as "Canady Creek." Here a settlement of farmers,
fishermen and traders soon grew up. The Major is understood
to have had connection, business or otherwise, with the
garrison at Annapolis Royal and at Windsor. During the
troublous times that marked the later years of the eighteenth
century, travelling by sea, even in the Bay of Fundy, was not
always safe and in winter there were dangers to lighter craft
from ice and storm.
A road was early made from Canady Creek to
the Valley. This road, from the top of the mountain down, was
considerably west of either the "Old Black Rock Mountain
Road," or the "new" one in use for the last 70
years. It reached the Valley about where the highway now
runs. Thence the route taken was west-wardly, forming what
was afterwards known at its eastern end as the "Newcomb
Lane" and at the western as the "Calkin Lane"
(now leading to the residence of Rufus Power). This was laid
out as a public road. From the western end of this road the
route lay along the right bank of the Cornwallis River. At
the great bend in that river, north of where Berwick now
stands, the travellers rounded that bend and proceeded –
still on the right bank of the river, but now on its southern
side – till they reached a surveyor’s line (blazed)
which they followed south to the Old French Road at the base
of the South Mountain. That blazed line became Commercial
Street, Berwick.
In 1814, Mr. John Woodworth, one of the lot
layers of the Township, made an important visit to Western
Cornwallis. He was a relative by marriage of both Mrs.
Jonathan Newcomb and Mrs. Hugh Graham Bowles, referred to in
No. 1 of these notes. His business on this occasion was to
lay out a road that would connect the residences of these
next-door neighbors residing four miles apart. The road from
the foot of the Black Rock mountain to the Cornwallis River,
at Waterville, is a result of this visit.
This road, at the point where it struck the
"Big Brook," the head-waters of the Cornwallis
River, swerved from the compass line, making a detour of
nearly two miles in length and rejoining that line at the
point where Mr. Gay E. Best afterward built his house. This
detour gave a road of easy grades completely avoiding the
clay hills which were for years the dread of travellers
between Buckley’s and Grafton corners. The road was
changed to its present route over those hills in 1836.
Such detours were quite common in the early
roads of the Township. Another instance occurs in this same
vicinity. The road east from "Buckley’s,"
where the store of Mrs. Burgess now stands, is also famous
for its clay hills. The road first built, being located a few
rods north of this one, completely avoided these hills,
giving easy grades all the way to Woodville. It branched off
from the main road laid out in 1814, as stated above, at a
point about opposite the barn on the Buckley property, now
owned by Mrs. Burgess.
(To be continued)
