Recollections of Tsunami
www.heritage.nf.ca/society/mtpearl/tsunami.html
Whenpeople think of earthquakes and tidal waves, they often thi
nk of places likeCalifornia or Japan. People fail to realize t
hat Newfoundland and Labradorhas had its own activity On Janua
ry 21, 1809 an earthquake shook Labrador'sshores. On Novembe
r 30, 1836 tremors were recorded in the Hopedale region.But th
e largest quake occurred on the Burin peninsula. Claiming 27 li
ves,it measured 7.2 on the Richter scale (7 on the Rossi-Fore
l scale). The totaldamage came to more than 1,000000. Even th
ough the material goods could andwere eventually replaced nothi
ng could ever replace the twenty-seven victimsof the disaster.
Here is the interview that was done with Mrs. Rita Kearley. Mrs
. Rita Kearley was born in October of 1930; 11 months after th
e tsunami hit the Burin Peninsula. Mrs. Kearley as told all abo
ut the wave; how it affected the land, the sea, the people, an
d the town. Here parents were fortunate enough to survive tha
t night, however they lost Mrs. Kearley's grandmotherand thei
r three children (Mrs. Kearley's sister and her brothers).
"It was 5o'clock, suppertime, when the big tremors shook the ho
uses and the land. Itrattled the dishes in the cupboards, scar
ing everyone very much. Measuring7.2 on the Richter Scale, i
t was almost the same strength as the big earthquake in Los Ange
les, California, in the early 1990's. After a few minutes thet
remors passed and everybone continued with their chores."
The parents of Rita Kearly (Hepditch) went to a party, at the Lo
yal Orange Lodge hall, which started at 8. p.m. they left to wa
lk from Point Aux Gaul to Lameline, the site of the party. Th
e children stayed at home with their grandmother.
At 7. p.m. the water came in one big wave. It toppled over th
e Hepditch house andswept it out to sea, taKing the grandmothe
r and the three children with it.All the people in the area fr
om Point Aux Gaul to Nantes Cove to Taylor's Baywere too scare
d to go to the shore lines so they escaped to the woods in theh
ills. They lit the schoolhouse, which was on the hill, on fire
. This drew most people's attentions so they could get up to th
e school house area andaway from the water. Unfortunatley, no
t everyone got there in time.
In all, 14 people from the area died and 12 more died in the Bu
rin area of the peninsula. All four bodies from the Hepditch fa
mily was found the next Day, down by the beach. The second olde
st, Henry, was found on the shore clinging tothe motor box o
n a dory, with not a drop of water in it. He died of exposurt
o the elements. Surprisingly, a horse which was taken out to se
a with the wave, swam safely back to shore and survived the whol
e ordeal."
The vicitms included:
Point Aux Gaul.
Thomas George Hillier, age 44 years
Elizabeth Ann Hiller, age 65 years (Mrs Kearley's grandmother)
Verena Deborah Hillier, age10 years.
Thomas George Hepditch, age 5 years (Mrs. Kearley's brother)
HenryPercival Hepditch, age 3 years (Mrs. Kearley's brother)
Elizabeth Esther Hepditch, age 8 months (Mrs. Kearley's sister)
Taylor's Bay
Bridget Susannah Bonnell, age 25 years
Amelia Alice Bonnell, age
Mary Gertrude Bonnell, age 1 year
John Lewis Bonnell, age 3 years
Clayton Bertram Bonnell, age 7 months
William Cyril Piercey, age 1 month.
Nantes Cove
Mary Elizabeth Wash age 59years
Mary Ann Walsh age 80 years
Burin Area
In Burin, only one house was lost. This house floated out to se
a with a mother and three children inside.In the window of th
e house, a lamp, still buring, rocked gently back and forth, no
t tipping over. The mother and two of her children died, but th
e baby who was upstairs asleep in a cradle survied. Most houses
, if harmed at all, were washed up on the road with little damag
