Sable Island: Organisations

Lighthouses

Sable Island lighthouse

Keeping the light shining meant having a lighthouse keeper awake to watch it during all the hours of darkness, without fail. The light, the lens and the rest of the mechanism all needed tending.

The West Light was first built in 1873. As the island's west end eroded, the lighthouse was moved in 1883, 1888, 1917, 1940 and again in 1951. The West Light, 1917
	The West Light, 1890

East Light Station
The East Light, built in 1873	The East Light, built in 1903

Lifesaving crew, 1890

Lifesaving crew

Look at these men. They are ordinary folk. That's Bungay, Morash and Noonan in the back row and Robinson, Bob Cleary and Sid Mosher in the front. They brought skill and courage to a tough job on an island that was sometimes very beautiful, but more often cold, damp and uncomfortable. They were remarkably successful at saving lives.

Lifesaving Stations

The entire coast of Sable could not be patrolled from a single station. By 1895 there were 5 stations along the island's 44 km length.

"Wreckers' Den"

Before the Humane Establishment, "wreckers" gathered salvage from the island's wrecks. Rumours of ships deliberately lured onto the sand and passengers murdered eventually led to government action.

J.F.W. Desbarres, 1780

House of Refuge

The Humane Establishment brought help in many ways. These shelters for shipwreck survivors were scattered along the island. Inside, the cold, wet survivor found firewood, food (suspended beyond the reach of rats) and directions to the nearest lifesaving station.

J.B. Gilpin, 1854