In 1853, the Fairy Queen was a steamship operated by owner James Whitney and commanded by Captain William Belyea. It ran a regular route between Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and Pictou, Nova Scotia, transporting both mail and passengers. Though not considered a luxurious vessel, it was generally reliable and served its purpose well.
The Fairy Queen was a steamship that went down in 1853, giving rise to one of Prince Edward Island’s best-known ghost stories. The ship was en route from Charlottetown to Pictou, Nova Scotia, carrying both passengers and mail, when a broken steering rope caused it to lose control and power during a fierce storm. The aging ship, known for its leaky hull and unreliable steering rope, ran into serious trouble during the voyage. When the steering rope snapped once more and the boiler engines gave out, the vessel began to flood amid rough weather. The crew escaped, but passengers were left behind. Seven people—among them members of Charlottetown’s Kirk of St. James congregation—lost their lives when the ship sank. In the aftermath of the tragedy, locals began to tell of mysterious bell-ringers at Charlottetown’s Kirk of St. James—believed to be the spectral figures of the women who had drowned with the Fairy Queen.
On October 7, 1853, the Fairy Queen set sail from the Pownal Street wharf, heading for Pictou, Nova Scotia. The aging ship, known for its leaky hull and unreliable steering rope, ran into serious trouble during the voyage. When the steering rope snapped once more and the boiler engines gave out, the vessel began to flood amid rough weather. The crew escaped, but the passengers were left behind. Seven people—among them members of Charlottetown’s Kirk of St. James congregation—lost their lives when the ship went down.
Seventeen people remained aboard the Fairy Queen after the captain and several crew members abandoned ship in the lifeboats. The steamer carried only two lifeboats—one large enough for about 24 people and another that could hold between 8 and 10, but there were just four oars available. None of the women passengers were taken into the boats.
During the subsequent inquiry, the crew members who had escaped were acquitted on a technicality. The official reasoning was that the captain had lost control of his crew, who were described as disorganized and had failed to act properly during the crisis.
Ghost Story
The shipwreck inspired a well-known local ghost tale involving a haunting premonition. On the morning the Fairy Queen sank, a sea captain and the church caretaker at Charlottetown’s Kirk of St. James reportedly heard the church bell ringing on its own. When they went to see what was happening, they witnessed three women dressed in white entering the building. The doors were locked, and once the minister arrived to open them, a search of the church and belfry revealed no one inside. Later that day, news came that the Fairy Queen had gone down—and among the seven people who drowned were three women from the Kirk of St. James congregation. The mysterious link between the spectral figures and the victims turned the event into one of Atlantic Canada’s most enduring legends.
Eight passengers, eight tolls of the bell. Three women seen in the church, three women lost at sea. Whether the spectral vision was a warning or simply a product of imagination remains unknown. What is certain is that on October 7th, the Fairy Queen vanished beneath the waves, taking eight souls with her.
Comments
