A Mysterious Light on Hasgeir: The Teine Mór or Big Fire - Part 1

Following on from our last newspaper column blog, we’re going to print two very different pieces from the Inverness Courier, about the same strange phenomenon: a mysterious light seen on the rocky islet of Hasgeir, eight miles into the Atlantic off the west coast of North Uist. We then hope to print a few accounts of the intriguing teine mór: if you don’t know the story of the ‘big fire’ yet, we can promise that it’ll be worth the wait!

 

Although the event the articles describe apparently took place some time in October 1867, both of them were printed in the same edition of the Courier, on 14 November. The first one – the more straightforward account – was reprinted in the Dundee Advertiser two days later, while the second was partially copied by the Elgin Courier the next day. To begin with, here’s the first article as it appeared on page 5:

 

North Uist. – A Mysterious Light. – A light having been seen for several successive nights on the rocks of Hasker, the general opinion prevailing was that a ship’s crew had been cast away there and had lost their boat. The circumstance of a number of fresh deals [planks of fir or pine] being washed ashore on the beach opposite to those rocks increased the current belief to such a degree that a boat should be sent to rescue any lives that might be there. Alexander Mann, and five other fishermen, volunteered to make the attempt. They started from the Bay of Hoglan [Bàgh Hogha Glan, beside Taigh a’ Ghearraidh], and succeeded in landing on the rock. These rocks are difficult of access even in summer, but no trace of any landing on the rocks or of any people having been there lately, was found. Whether the light was an unusual star, or the reflection from the lighthouse on the rocks in Hasker, is not known. The Rev. John. A. Macrae, minister of North Uist; Dr Macdonald, J.P.; and Capt. Macrae, J.P.; have recommended, by a memorial to the Board of Trade, that these hardy fishermen should be rewarded for the risk of their voluntary efforts in proceeding to the rocks, as the service occupied several days, and was performed at great risk. Mr K. Groom of Stornoway, receiver of wrecks for the Long Island, has forwarded the memorial to the proper quarter, after strongly recommending that the prayer of the memorial may be granted.

 

The boat crew were given a reward for the dangers they underwent: five pounds, ‘to be divided amongst them’, out of the Mercantile Marine Fund. Local genealogists might be interested in their names: according to information in the RCAHMS Canmore site, as well as Alexander Mann there were Roderick Macaulay, A. McLellan, L. McLellan, J. McDouglas, and A. McIsaac. We would be very interested to hear more about them.

 

In our next blog, we’ll print the second, much longer article that appeared in the Inverness Courier. Although it deals with the same event, it’s rather more colourful...

Bibliography:
Inverness Courier, 14 November 1867, 5.

Image:
Hasgeir eight miles off Rubha Ghriminis [by Sean Morley, www.riverandocean.com]

The Shipwreck of the Racoon

A random description of a shipwreck of the Racoon, probably dating to around 1875 when the anecdote was recorded, must be counted as one of Alexander Carmichael's most bizarre notes. Immediately following a prophecy attributed to Coinneach Odhar Fiosaiche, or the Brahan Seer as he is popularly known, which had been written down in rather a neat hand, the following description occurs but it may be assumed, given the appalling hand in which it was written, that it was taken down in haste and it may have even been the first hand recollections of one of the survivors of the wreck. More likely, perhaps, it was taken down from someone from Skye who had actually witnessed the events spoken about but unfortunately Carmichael gives no clear indication of this. The description takes up one full page and then stops abruptly leaving quite a cliffhanger. There is no indication why Carmichael stopped but perhaps he may have been interrupted or he had to attend to some business or another.

Racoon Isaac Jones, fr[om] Carnan
for Aberdeen Slates On Thursday
on the Point of Erisga ab[ou]t. 9 pm
took to small boat couldn’t r[e]ach shore
shiplength drift[ed] on to Sky[e] aft[er] a
landing at Dunveg[an] N[orth] 35 mil[e]s to
leeward from of[f] Bororey inside
Dun[vegan] N[orth]. People very kind to them gave
them old sho[e]s & clothing & got on to
Dun[vegan?] on Sat[urday] mor[nin]g. Course had
their bearings cont[inued] drift[ing] wreck[?] big
W[est] S[outh] W[esterly]. double reef canvas
from orders & put up helm hard
when in[?] aft[er] she struck. Part to own[ers]
in Aberdeen & part Carnan.
Left Bangor last Mon[day] week
Land[ed] at Dun[vegan] N[orth] ab[ou]t 3 pm no
food nor wa[ter] nor cloth[in]g. Drenched
to the skin. 6 men on board 2 in bed
& took to small boat 15 keel about…

Despite undertaking some initial research the piratical sounding Isaac Jones proves to have been rather elusive. We would, of course, be delighted to hear from anyone who knows more about this intriguing story.

Reference:
CW 105, fol. 55v

Image:
Shipwreck