Inscription
Wreck of the Marco Polo/L'épave du Marco Polo
25 July, 1883. Thanks to a weekend of violent storms there is a heavy sea running. A few farmers watch with astonishment as a magnificent sailing vessel, driven by a mountain of canvas, slams onto the Cavendish sandbars. The air iš alive with the sound of snapping wood and shrieking metal.
Marco Polo made her last landfall.
Marco Polo was built in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1851 by James Smith. Many were quick to dismiss the unusually shaped ship, but her innovative design combined the speed of a clipper and the cargo capacity of a barque. The vessel's maiden voyage silenced her critics as she sailed from Saint John, New Brunswick to Liverpool, England in fifteen days, a record time. Marco Polo spent the next fifteen years as a passenger carrier on the lucrative Liverpool to Melbourne, Australia route, where she set many speed records and carried thousands of immigrants.
Once dubbed "Queen of the Seas" and "Fastest Ship In The World," by 1883 the Marco Polo was well past her prime, working as a lumber carrier for a Norwegian firm. After a bout of stormy weather
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence she began to take on water and to avoid sinking in deep water was driven ashore here at Cavendish. People from the community opened up their homes and hearts to the stranded sailors.
In 1990, the career of Marco Polo was declared to be of national historic significance by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. A monument and plaque were erected in Saint John, New Brunswick to commemorate the building of the great ship. What remains of the Marco Polo lies in shallow water not far off this shore. The wreck must be left undisturbed if we are to preserve this fragile and important piece of our heritage
-
Le 25 juillet 1883. Il a fait mauvais toute la fin de semaine, et la mer est grosse. Quelques fermiers observent, stupéfaits, un magnifique vaisseau, toutes voiles dehors, se fracasser sur les cordons littoraux de Cavendish. L'air s'emplit soudain de craquements de bois et de grincements de métal. Puis, le silence.
Le Marco Polo a accosté pour la dernière fois.
Le Marco Polo a été construit à Saint John (Nouveau-Brunswick) en 1851, par un nommé James Smith. Sa forme singulière, fort critiquée, alliait la vitesse d'un clipper à la capacité de chargement d'une barque. Son voyage inaugural, la traversée de Saint John à Londres effectuée en un temps record de quinze
jours, a cependant fait taire les critiques. Pendant quinze ans, le Marco Polo a transporté des passagers entre trajet très lucratif au cours duquel il a établi de nombreux records de vitesse et transporté des milliers d'immigrants.
En 1990, la Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada a établi l'importance historique du Marco Polo. Un monument et une plaque ont été érigés à Saint John (Nouveau-Brunswick) pour commémorer la construction de cet impressionnant navire. Les restes du bateau se trouvent en eau peu profonde non loin de la côte. L'épave fragile et important de notre patrimoine.
Center Inset
A description of the wreck by L.M. Montgomery
... the vessel, coming before the gale, with every stitch of canvas set, was a sight never to be forgotten! She grounded about 300 yards from the shore, and, just as she struck, the crew cut the rigging, and the foremast and the huge iron mainmast, carrying
the main-top-mast with it, went over with a crash what could be heard for miles...The Wreck of the Marco Polo, The Years before Anne , p.33 L.M. Montgomery
...je n'oublierai jamais la scène du navire, toutes voiles dehors, poussé par la tempête! Il s'échoua à environ 300 verges de la côte et, au moment où l'équipage coupa le gréement, le mât
de misaine ainsi que le grand mât en fer, entra nant le grand mât arrière, s'abattirent dans un fracas qu'on entendit à des milles à la ronde...The Wreck of the Marco Polo, The Years before Anne , p.33 L.M. Montgomery
Details
| HM Number | HM2KPV |
|---|---|
| Tags | |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Wednesday, September 11th, 2019 at 8:03pm PDT -07:00 |
Pictures
Locationbig map
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 20T E 470757 N 5149683 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 46.50008333, -63.38110000 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 46° 30.005', W 63° 22.866' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 46° 30' 0.29999999999994" N, 63° 22' 51.96" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near , , |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.
Nearby Markersshow on map
Show me all markers in:
Cavendish Dunelands Trail/Cavendish Sentier Dunelands
Cavendish Dunelands Trail/Cavendish Sentier Dunelands
Cavendish Dunelands Trail/Cavendish Sentier Dunelands
Lucy Maud Montgomery
North Rustico War Memorial, a War Memorial
Rev. John Geddie D.D.
Springbrook World War II Memorial, a War Memorial
Springbrook First World War Memorial, a War Memorial
Lucy Maud Montgomery Birthplace
Kensington Station / Gare de Kensington
Maintenance Issues
- What country is the marker located in?
- Is this marker part of a series?
- What historical period does the marker represent?
- What historical place does the marker represent?
- What type of marker is it?
- What class is the marker?
- What style is the marker?
- Does the marker have a number?
- What year was the marker erected?
- Who or what organization placed the marker?
- This marker needs at least one picture.
- Can this marker be seen from the road?
- Is the marker in the median?
Comments 0 comments