The Hungarian
The most devastating shipwreck to occur off Cape Sable was that of the Hungarian. The Hungarian was a passenger-freighter that was owned by the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company, and was bound for Portland from Queenstown, Ireland. Aboard she carried valuable dry foods and over two hundred passengers and crew.It was late on the night of February 19, 1860 when the Hungarian hit the treacherous ledges off Cape Sable. A terrible storm made it impossible to rescue the sinking ship that was only two miles off shore. From the shore the locals could see and hear the passengers and crew, but nothing could be done due to the stormy weather. The Hungarian sank early the next morning, taking all the passengers and crew with it, including many women and children. Many of the bodies were found on the beaches and were buried in local cemeteries. Very few bodies were identified and claimed by their relatives.
After the wreck it was decided that a lighthouse would be built to warn ships of the dangerous ledges that occupy the edge of Cape Sable Island, so nothing this tragic would happen again. That lighthouse was the Cape Sable lighthouse, which still remains there today.
A memorial has been erected in memory of the over two hundred people lost that night, so we can remember those taken by the sea and finally let them rest in peace.