| There are many stories of ghost ships. One
of the most famous is that of the Mary Celeste. But there is a
ship that "patrols" the Bay of Chaleur that puts all the rest to
shame. Does the ship haunt the shores because its owners were
murdered? Or because its crew kidnapped and abused a young
bride? Or was it because a casualty of a famous war?
For over 200 years there have been sightings of
mysterious "balls of fire" out in the Bay of Chaleur near Bathurst.
Some people have reported seeing a three-masted ship engulfed in
flames. In fact, former Bathurst Mayor Kevin Mann has reported
witnessing it on two separate occasions. And who doesn't
believe a politician?
The most common explanation of what ship haunts
the area involves two 14th century Portuguese explorers and traders,
Gaspar Cort-Real and his brother Miguel, who were seeing a profit
trading trinkets with the locals, decided that trading of
the locals was a better deal. They invited a group of
natives aboard, got them liquored up, cha ined
them below deck and took them back to Portugal to be sold as slaves.
The year following the kidnappings, Gaspar Cort-Real returned to the
area for a new load but a welcome wagon of nasty was out to greet
him. The locals tied Gaspar to a rock at low tied and had a
picnic while watching the rising waters slowly take his life.
When Miguel returned to Chaleur to find his overdue brother, he was
happy to see Gaspar's ship at anchor in the bay. When he and
his men boarded the ship the locals, who had laid in waiting,
attacked Miguel's men. In a desperate attempt to flee, Miguel
set the ship ablaze and vowed, with his last breath that his spirit
would roam the Bay of Chaleur "for a thousand years".
Another popular story involved the Battle of
Restigouche. The Battle of Restigouche was a naval battle
fought during the French and Indian War of 1760 between elements of
the British Royal Navy and the small flotilla of French Navy vessels
sent to relieve New France after the fall of Quebec. It marked the
end of any serious attempt by France to keep hold of their colonies
in North America, and it severely curtailed any hopes for a lengthy
resistance to the British by the French forces that remained.
The carnage on both sides of the naval battle almost ensured that
some poor soul would get lost and wander the Bay for an eternity.
A story is also told of a virgin bride who was
abducted and ravaged by a visiting ship's crew. In
retribution for this dastardly act, the culprits found their ship
engulfed in flames and their souls doomed to forever sail the waters
of Chaleur Bay aboard the fiery vessel.
There are less fanciful explanations of the
phenomenon of course. Some believe it is a combination of
escaping gases, atmospheric conditions, and changing currents.
Local historian W. F. Ganong suggested it was a version of St.
Elmo's Fire.
Who knows the truth? It doesn't matter,
really. Never let facts get in the way of a good story.
The Bathurst Tourism Commission adopted the image of the ghost ship
as its own in 2000 in a plaque seen at the right.
Thanks to reader Marc Bourque
for bringing this story to our attention. |
