which prompted fishermen to set sail. As the storm approached, there were about 45 boats in the Northumberland Strait between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Impact and aftermath Along the coast of New Brunswick, the storm produced 49 ft (15 m) waves that destroyed several boats, including 22 over open waters between Point Escuminac and Richibucto. Two bodies washed ashore in the latter, and eleven bodies were eventually discovered. About one-third of the salmon boats in Miramichi were destroyed. Across New Brunswick, the storm disrupted communications near the coast. Along the coasts of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, high waves destroyed cottages and forced some families to evacuate. The former hurricane produced strong winds in the region, peaking at 75 mph (120 km/h), and its passage was accompanied by moderate rainfall, peaking at 4.29 in (109 mm) in Nova Scotia. There, many lobster cages were destroyed, and boats were removed from their moorings. In Prince Edward Island, up to 50% of the lobster traps were destroyed or missing, including 5,000 destroyed traps near Souris. As with New Brunswick, several boats were destroyed or washed ashore, and damage in the province was estimated at $750,000 (1959 CAD, $781,000 1959 USD). A total of 35 people were killed between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, mostly fishermen. As a result, the Escuminac disaster, as it came to be known, became the deadliest work-related disaster in New Brunswick. The minister of fisheries considered the event to be "the worst disaster to hit a Canadian fishing fleet in about 100 years". In the days after the storm, the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Mounted Police operated search and rescue missions, while families waited on the beach. The Canadian Red Cross set up headquarters in Escuminac to assist the victims. Due to storm fatalities, 24 adults became widows, and 83 children lost their fathers. As a result, the New Brunswick Fishermen's Disaster Fund was created to assist the families. The fund raised $400,000 in a few months from donations from throughout Canada, as well as Pope John XXIII and Queen Elizabeth II, the latter who was on a tour of the country at the time. In memory of the storm victims, artist Claude Roussel created a wood sculpture entitled Les Pêcheurs – The Fishermen, which won first prize at New Brunswick Museum in 1962. Later, residents near Escuminac raised money to