Experiences that do not easily fit into other categories

Written by Susan Demeter-St.Clair

Was the Great Eastern a jinxed or cursed ship?

 

 

The story of the Great Eastern is a rather intriguing one for those who are interested in curses, jinxes, and doomed ships.

The giant ship that laid the first Atlantic cable from Europe to North America arrived at Heart's Content Newfoundland in 1866. It was said to be a "jinxed" ship.

It took 3 months to get her launched after which she endured explosions, and mutinies that killed in total 3 dozen men. Many people claimed she had become cursed because two riveters had become sealed into her hull during construction.

 

 

This is how she looked during part of the building phase.

Some ridiculed the idea that the men could possibly have been sealed up inside her...BUT when the huge ship was taken apart for scrap in 1889 workmen discovered two skeletons, and riveter's tools inside of her!

Sources: It Happened In Canada By: Gordon Johnston

Image Credits: BBC