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[written at top] PanS R.GI Ve 4261/2 4e

Sable Island 21st April 1883
Sir
I am sorry to inform you that the house occupied by the servants of this Establishment was totally destroyed by fire with nearly its whole contents on the morning of the 18th Instant during a violent gale of wind from SE and heavy rain and that the vegetable cellar situated only 16 feet from the dwelling was also burned with all that was in it. After the "Daring" sailed from the NE bar at 4 PM on the 17th. I returned home bringing I Jackson, S. Knock and my apprentice with me leaving I Humphrey and A McIsaac at the Eastern Station to fetch home the team horses on the following morning and I Brady I left at the foot of the lake Station with W Hogdson and R F Morash he having asked permission to stay with them over night. I reached home between 7 & 8 o'clock and being fatigued went to my bed a little after nine and slept soundly until day dawn when in a very few minutes after I had awoke, Martin Ely came to my window and called to me that the East End of the old house was on fire and that they had been working at it since one o'clock but could not get it put out. I instantly sprang from my bed hauled on my clothes and hastened to the building followed by my apprentice and when we got to it I found the fire to be inside the building behind the chimney which stood close against the end of the house and Jackson Knock and Ely were dashing water through holes they had cut from the outside of the building but the fire had [jumped?] up and got beyond the reach of water thrown from the outside and we then ran with water to the inside of the building, and was met at the inner door with smoke and flames that forced us back. When seeing the upper part of the windward end of the house in a blaze I knew that further efforts to save it would be fruitless. I called to the men to save what they could of their clothes while I would see after the women and children and running to the western rooms I found them just as they had left their beds and the smoke so thick in the room that I could scarcely
see