Blast puts out windows in Weymouth

A Digby County girl, Jennifer Vroegop of Salmon River, was crowned Miss Nova Scotia at the provincial exhibition in Truro. The 19-year-old, who was named in July as Miss Clare, was to represent Nova Scotia at the Miss Canada pageant in Toronto in November.

At Westport, fire aboard the fishing boat ‘Ruth and Lillian’ spread quickly from the wharf to the nearby Cooperative Fishing Plant. Damage was estimated at $70,000.

A nation-wide strike by employees of Canadian Pacific saw 35 workers in Digby on the picket line at the ferry terminal and the CP-owned Dominion Atlantic Railway station. The ferry ‘Princess of Acadian was able to unload passengers at Digby, but sailed empty back to Saint John.

Wayne Clisby caught a 731-pound bluefin tuna off Cape St. Mary’s. Fishing from the ‘Bon Vin’, the struggle took an hour and 45 minutes. Boat captain was Stan Comeau.

Despite inclement weather that forced activities indoors, the St. Anne’s Church Fair on the Bear River Reserve attracted a large turnout.

At the Little Cinema was the Sam Peckinpah movie ‘Straw Dogs’, starring Dustin Hoffman, Susan George and Peter Vaughan.

50 years ago

Aug. 28, 1958 – The death in Lowell, Mass., of Alice Melanson recalled the ‘ghost ship’ saga of the ‘Marie Celeste’, found abandoned in the Atlantic in 1872.

The 90-tin Nova Scotia brig had left New York City for Italy under captain Benjamin Briggs, and carrying a cargo of alcohol. Four weeks later it was spotted by another Nova Scotia vessel, the ‘Dei Grata’, skippered by Sandy Cove native David Morehouse, who knew Briggs. When his hails went unanswered, he sent mate Oliver Deveau to board the Celeste.

Deveau was the father of Alice Melanson, who was then a one-year-old infant.

The Princess Margaret Committee was asking the town to pay off the $1,700 debt incurred in arranging programming for the public during the visit of Princess Margaret.

The weeklong Acadian Festival was the best to date, reported The Courier. Emile Melanson and Clarice Theriault portrayed Gabriel and Evangeline.

In Meteghan, Jubis Brothers were holding a clearance sale and had knocked $100 off the price of a 21-inch Motorola console model television. The sale price was $269.95.

Marjorie Main and Parker Fennelly were the stars of ‘The Kettles on Old MacDonald’s Farm’, playing at the Capitol Theatre.

60 years ago

Aug. 26, 1948 – Wilfred Banks and Frank Titus arrived safely in Centreville after drifting helplessly for 36 h ours on the Bay of Fundy after their boat’s engine failed. An RCAF search and rescue aircraft eventually spotted the disabled boat, and the boat was towed to shore.

Digby Ravens won two of three games against the Meteghan Shipbuilders to continue their bid for the Nova Scotia Intermediate baseball championship.

Grace United Church on Prince William Street was getting a new coat of paint—all except the old spire since no one was willing to climb it. Instead, the spire was removed after 68 years atop the church. A previous spire was lost in a gale in 1880.

Dominion Atlantic Railway officially opened a new $50,000 station in Yarmouth that came complete with modern chrome and leather furnishings.

Baptist churches in Little River and Sandy Cove had as a summer supply minister Dr. A.J. Archibald who was pastor in Digby from 1903 to 1910 before he moved to the U.S.

Franchot Tone and Janet Blair were stars of ‘I Love Trouble, playing at the Capitol.