Corisande from Nova Scotia

I have built up some facts about this ship, which started with a post on a geneagogy Newsgroup. It was a 3 masted barquentine ( three masted, square rigged on the foremast and fore and aft on the other two so would probably be a largish vessel). It seems clear that she was in fact built Prince Edward Island by Peake in Nov 1875, and   wrecked 17 January 1898 at 1 mile west of Mistaken Point, Cape Race, Newfoundland

1. The Newsgroup posting

From: Wayne Severin <wseverin@nbnet.nb.ca>
To: NFLD list <NFLD-LAB-L@rootsweb.com>
Subject: installment #6
Date: Sunday, March 21, 1999 10:03 AM

Most North Americans are very much aware that the Arctic explorer Robert E. Peary was accompanied by Newfoundlander Robert Bartlett who commanded Peary's ship, the Roosevelt from 1905 to 1909. An explorer in his own right, Bartlett's first deep sea voyage - to gain experience in square sail to qualify for a master' s ticket - was taken on the Corisande.
The Corisannde was a British built (Dartmouth, Devonshire in 1873) barguentine. Her owners were Baine Johnston and Company of Greenock who were also one of the largest firms trading on Water Street, St. John's at the time. The firm, which celebrated the 200th anniversary of its founding in June 1980 , is still one of the largest and most prosperous in Newfoundland. Time, of course, has taken its toll on shipping, so Baine Johnston today is a conglomerate of insurance, real estate, construction and general merchandising.
Although she was registered and regularly sailed out of British ports, the Corisande was owned in and basically employed with Newfoundland trade, She followed not only the North Atlantic trade routes, but also made frequent voyages to the West lndies and South America. Her final trip, the one in which young Bartlett was aboard, was a return journey in ballast from Pernambuco, Brazil. Unable to cope with the rigors of the sea, she was stranded on the Devil' s Chimney on the southern shore of Newfoundland not far from St Johns.
Another faithful maiden of the sea, the Corisande spent a useful and busy twenty years trading the major ports of the world. Her last trip was under the command of a Captain Hughes, who along with all of the crew managed to scramble ashore after the stranding.
A short excerpt from Robert Bartlett' s log illustrates the young sailor' s perception and the unwillingness of some ships' mates to listen to the inexperienced youth: "We were due to round Cape Race the following morning, I had the middle watch - midnight to four am. Along about two, I said to the mate, 'we're near land, Sir.' 'You' re land struck, young'in,' he bawled back at me to make me hear above the racket of the wind, It was black as your hat, but l' d heard the sea birds off the port bow. I knew that meant land." Young Bartlett, dejected by the rebuff, turned in "all standing," that is, with boots and slicker on. Before the night was over, the Corisande was ashore and a total wreck.


2. From the Canadian Maritime Museum

May 9 1894. Bark "Corisande" from St.John's to Pernambuco struck berg and returned for repairs.