Wreck of the Cedar Grove

The steamer Cedar Grove had a short career under Capt. Fritz that began in August 1881. Her second voyage departed from London carrying 2700 tons of cargo. The ship was 60 miles from its Halifax, Nova Scotia destination when a tempestuous 3 a.m. gale and snow storm threw the crew into Walker’s reef. The 30-man crew and two passengers abandoned the sinking ship aboard three boats, braving the frigid seas for six hours to arrive at St. John, New Brunswick. One boat was lost — last seen at dawn, and reports give four or five casualties. The events are captured in various newspaper reports and memorialized in the ballad The Loss of the Cedar Grove.

Two years after the wreck, a diver was surprised to discover another wreck nearby. The ship New Dominion had been lost in December 1872 without word. It is presumed that the ship collided with the same rock as the Cedar Grove.