She had been away for a week , visiting cousins in Markdale , and she had come home with a new treasure-trove of stories , most of which she had heard from the old sailors of Markdale Harbour . She had promised that morning to tell us of `` the most tragic event that had ever been known on the north shore , '' and we now reminded her of her promise . `` Some call it the ` Yankee Storm , ' and others the ` American Gale , ' '' she began , sitting down by Miss Reade and beaming , because the latter put her arm around her waist . `` It happened nearly forty years ago , in October of 1851 . Old Mr. Coles at the Harbour told me all about it . He was a young man then and he says he can never forget that dreadful time . You know in those days hundreds of American fishing schooners used to come down to the Gulf every summer to fish mackerel . On one beautiful Saturday night in this October of 1851 , more than one hundred of these vessels could be counted from Markdale Capes . By Monday night more than seventy of them had been destroyed . Those which had escaped were mostly those which went into harbour Saturday night , to keep Sunday . Mr. Coles says the rest stayed outside and fished all day Sunday , same as through the week , and HE says the storm was a judgment on them for doing it . But he admits that even some of them got into harbour later on and escaped , so it 's hard to know what to think . But it is certain that on Sunday night there came up a sudden and terrible storm -- the worst , Mr. Coles says , that has ever been known on the north shore . It lasted for two days and scores of vessels were driven ashore and completely wrecked . The crews of most of the vessels that went ashore on the sand beaches were saved , but those that struck on the rocks went to pieces and all hands were lost . For weeks after the storm the north shore was strewn with the bodies of drowned men . Think of it ! Many of them were unknown and unrecognizable , and they were buried in Markdale graveyard . Mr. Coles says the schoolmaster who was in Markdale then wrote a poem on the storm and Mr. Coles recited the first two verses to me . '' ` Here are the fishers ' hillside graves , The church beside , the woods around , Below , the hollow moaning waves Where the poor fishermen were drowned . '' '
A sudden tempest the blue welkin tore , The seamen tossed and torn apart Rolled XXXXX the seaweed to the shore While landsmen gazed with aching heart . '
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