"Twister at Tidnish"
COMMUNITY EDITORIAL PANEL
‘Twister’ at Tidnish
BY CLARE CHRISTIE
In 1955 Anne Purdy was a child and her brother, Robert, was even younger. “Look, Mommy,” he said, as they walked on the sandbars at Tidnish Cove with their guest, Judy Rodger (now Jonah), “three whales spouting.”
Courtenay Purdy followed his pointing finger out to sea and was shocked to see three twisters advancing rapidly towards them. She hurried them off the beach and up to the cottage, including their neighbouring cottager, 10-year old Bill Casey (yes, the Bill Casey). She herded them into the central bedroom, shut the door and windows, and gathered them into a circle on the mat.
Bill remembers that everything was unusually still before the water spout appeared. By the time they were in Purdys’ cottage, the sky had darkened and the wind and rain were fierce and noisy. They recited The Lord’s Prayer, over and over.
Next door at the Casey cottage, Mina Casey called young Dan Casey and Bob Hardwick in from their tent. She had gone through the earthquake in San Francisco in 1908 so she calmly ushered them into the kitchen to sit in the corner on the floor.
Neighbour Marg Smith was sitting on her sofa, watching the scene unfold through her picture window, an unusual feature in a 1950s cottage. Fortunately she moved to get something from the kitchen. Others could see the twister swirling Brian Casey’s rowboat and 20-pound anchor through the air. A moment later, the anchor smashed through the window, imbedding itself in the wall behind where Marg had just been sitting; the boat flew over the cottage to land in alders.
The main force of the tornado smashed into the Casey cottage, blowing in the two panels of nine windows across the front. Inside, the pressure blew off the roof which sailed over the Chapman’s cottage on the other side of the lane to land in a field.
From the Purdy bedroom, Bill watched the roof wrench off his family’s two-storey cottage.
Crying, he dashed for the door but Courtenay tackled him like a football player and insisted he stay put.
When the storm had passed and people went upstairs in the Casey cottage to check the damage, Sylvester the cat was curled up on the bed, having apparently slept through it all.
In town, Doug Casey was told there had been a disaster at the Shore and he’d better get out there - but he didn’t know what to expect. Bill remembers vividly his father flying down the lane in their new 1955 Mercury, a blue four-door with a white top.
Other husbands came out from Amherst that evening, having had an uneventful workday with fine weather. They were dumbfounded by the scene: power lines down and wreckage.
My parents and I joined the many curious the next day to witness the destruction, especially the missing Casey roof and the shattered Smith window, the glass littered everywhere and the anchor in the wall.
This event is not recorded on the official list of the few Nova Scotia tornadoes over the decades.
To buy my publications, go to the Artisans’ Gallery, Amherst Centre Mall; Maritime Mosaic, Dayle’s, Victoria Street, Amherst; Flying Colours, Maccan; and Main and Station, Parrsboro. Coles carries My dear Alice. For my six self-published books and booklets, go to the Cumberland County Museum and Archives and to the YMCA Amherst.
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Clare Christie is a member of the Amherst News Community Editorial Panel. She can be reached at clarechristie0@gmail.com.
‘Twister’ at Tidnish
BY CLARE CHRISTIE
In 1955 Anne Purdy was a child and her brother, Robert, was even younger. “Look, Mommy,” he said, as they walked on the sandbars at Tidnish Cove with their guest, Judy Rodger (now Jonah), “three whales spouting.”
Courtenay Purdy followed his pointing finger out to sea and was shocked to see three twisters advancing rapidly towards them. She hurried them off the beach and up to the cottage, including their neighbouring cottager, 10-year old Bill Casey (yes, the Bill Casey). She herded them into the central bedroom, shut the door and windows, and gathered them into a circle on the mat.
Bill remembers that everything was unusually still before the water spout appeared. By the time they were in Purdys’ cottage, the sky had darkened and the wind and rain were fierce and noisy. They recited The Lord’s Prayer, over and over.
Next door at the Casey cottage, Mina Casey called young Dan Casey and Bob Hardwick in from their tent. She had gone through the earthquake in San Francisco in 1908 so she calmly ushered them into the kitchen to sit in the corner on the floor.
Neighbour Marg Smith was sitting on her sofa, watching the scene unfold through her picture window, an unusual feature in a 1950s cottage. Fortunately she moved to get something from the kitchen. Others could see the twister swirling Brian Casey’s rowboat and 20-pound anchor through the air. A moment later, the anchor smashed through the window, imbedding itself in the wall behind where Marg had just been sitting; the boat flew over the cottage to land in alders.
The main force of the tornado smashed into the Casey cottage, blowing in the two panels of nine windows across the front. Inside, the pressure blew off the roof which sailed over the Chapman’s cottage on the other side of the lane to land in a field.
From the Purdy bedroom, Bill watched the roof wrench off his family’s two-storey cottage.
Crying, he dashed for the door but Courtenay tackled him like a football player and insisted he stay put.
When the storm had passed and people went upstairs in the Casey cottage to check the damage, Sylvester the cat was curled up on the bed, having apparently slept through it all.
In town, Doug Casey was told there had been a disaster at the Shore and he’d better get out there - but he didn’t know what to expect. Bill remembers vividly his father flying down the lane in their new 1955 Mercury, a blue four-door with a white top.
Other husbands came out from Amherst that evening, having had an uneventful workday with fine weather. They were dumbfounded by the scene: power lines down and wreckage.
My parents and I joined the many curious the next day to witness the destruction, especially the missing Casey roof and the shattered Smith window, the glass littered everywhere and the anchor in the wall.
This event is not recorded on the official list of the few Nova Scotia tornadoes over the decades.
To buy my publications, go to the Artisans’ Gallery, Amherst Centre Mall; Maritime Mosaic, Dayle’s, Victoria Street, Amherst; Flying Colours, Maccan; and Main and Station, Parrsboro. Coles carries My dear Alice. For my six self-published books and booklets, go to the Cumberland County Museum and Archives and to the YMCA Amherst.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Clare Christie is a member of the Amherst News Community Editorial Panel. She can be reached at clarechristie0@gmail.com.
Twister at Seagrove
by Jim Langille
I also have a story about the Twister in Tidnish passed down from my family.
Our family cottage built in 1950 is located on Seabreeze lane at Seagrove and is now owned by my brother Bob Langille and his wife Norma.
On that hot and hazy day my mother Phyllis, my sister Judy (Boutilier) 5 years old and our cousin Carolyn Blanche were at the cottage when everything went completely silent. My sister today claims it was very “weird” what was happening. My mother knew something was up and took the two children into the cottage. What followed was a huge wind and rain storm with the rain pouring in under the shingles. My sister thought at the time the roof had been lifted off the cottage due to all the rain coming in but as the storm passed the roof was still there but the cottage was full of water. As they went outside they saw the damage of the trees and bushes but everyone was safe. The only damage if you want to call it was that the outhouse was completely upside down on its roof but still intact.
My mother did mention to me once that the heavy furniture that was on the deck of Barkers cottage which was located at the other side of Seagrove had been all pushed up to one corner of their deck.
My father Arthur Langille came home from work at the end of the day and could not believe the damage to the area as the storm did not reach Amherst.
My brother Robert “Bob” Langille who was 12 at the time had been hitch hiking to Amherst to play baseball and was just pass the Tidnish Crossroads when he had the same “weird” feeling. It was so hot and hazy but all at once everything went silent including the song birds. The rain started to come down hard and lucky for him he was standing next to a large farm house and the owners saw him standing there and asked him to come in out of the rain. As he went inside the owners were running around closing all the windows to the house. As quickly as the storm came it was over. He thanked the owners and thinking the storm was headed for Amherst he decided to return to the cottage. What he found was damage trees heading down Seagrove lane and remembers the outhouse upside down has he reached the cottage. He also remembers the canteen owned by John “Jack” Twaddle which was located next to the beach and the story of him and young Tony Barker trying to close the shutters around the canteen. He was told the wind sucked Tony across the floor and out the back window and he landed in the field behind the canteen. He also remembers the cottage at the end of Seagrove pass the Barker cottage sustaining damage.
Our uncle Ross Blanche was at his cottage and also thinking something was going to happen climbed up to the roof of his cottage and looked out to see 3 water spouts heading up the bay.
Thank you to my sister Judy and my brother Bob for reminding me of these stories.
by Jim Langille
I also have a story about the Twister in Tidnish passed down from my family.
Our family cottage built in 1950 is located on Seabreeze lane at Seagrove and is now owned by my brother Bob Langille and his wife Norma.
On that hot and hazy day my mother Phyllis, my sister Judy (Boutilier) 5 years old and our cousin Carolyn Blanche were at the cottage when everything went completely silent. My sister today claims it was very “weird” what was happening. My mother knew something was up and took the two children into the cottage. What followed was a huge wind and rain storm with the rain pouring in under the shingles. My sister thought at the time the roof had been lifted off the cottage due to all the rain coming in but as the storm passed the roof was still there but the cottage was full of water. As they went outside they saw the damage of the trees and bushes but everyone was safe. The only damage if you want to call it was that the outhouse was completely upside down on its roof but still intact.
My mother did mention to me once that the heavy furniture that was on the deck of Barkers cottage which was located at the other side of Seagrove had been all pushed up to one corner of their deck.
My father Arthur Langille came home from work at the end of the day and could not believe the damage to the area as the storm did not reach Amherst.
My brother Robert “Bob” Langille who was 12 at the time had been hitch hiking to Amherst to play baseball and was just pass the Tidnish Crossroads when he had the same “weird” feeling. It was so hot and hazy but all at once everything went silent including the song birds. The rain started to come down hard and lucky for him he was standing next to a large farm house and the owners saw him standing there and asked him to come in out of the rain. As he went inside the owners were running around closing all the windows to the house. As quickly as the storm came it was over. He thanked the owners and thinking the storm was headed for Amherst he decided to return to the cottage. What he found was damage trees heading down Seagrove lane and remembers the outhouse upside down has he reached the cottage. He also remembers the canteen owned by John “Jack” Twaddle which was located next to the beach and the story of him and young Tony Barker trying to close the shutters around the canteen. He was told the wind sucked Tony across the floor and out the back window and he landed in the field behind the canteen. He also remembers the cottage at the end of Seagrove pass the Barker cottage sustaining damage.
Our uncle Ross Blanche was at his cottage and also thinking something was going to happen climbed up to the roof of his cottage and looked out to see 3 water spouts heading up the bay.
Thank you to my sister Judy and my brother Bob for reminding me of these stories.