The Ghost Dog of Great Wass Island
17:21 Share

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. With the price of just about everything going up, we thought we'd bring our prices down. So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a thing. Mint Mobile Unlimited Premium Wireless. How about you get 30, 30, how about you get 30, how about you get 20, 20, 20, how about you get 20, 20, how about you get 15, 15, 15, 15, just 15 bucks a month? Sold! Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch.

Upfront payment of $45 for three-month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. New customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes if network's busy. Taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com.

Man, the seas are a little rough today, Jeff. I'm not loving this boat ride off the coast of Maine. Ray, I'm with you. I'm a little bit seasick. And the way those waves are smashing into the rocks of Great Wasp Island, it just looks ominous. And if we get too close with our boat, that'd be bad. Very bad. So we're sailing a piece of water off the southern tip of Great Wasp Island near Pond Point. And Crumple Island is just about a quarter of a mile to our southwest.

This area has been called the most dismal place on the whole ocean. Yeah, and I can see why. And I don't like the name Crumple Island either. If we smash into it, that's pretty much what's going to happen to the boat. That's exactly what's going to happen to our boat. And if we did smash up, either against Crumple or Great Wasp Island, we'd be far from the first to do so. These waters are part graveyard. Ships and lives have been lost right where we're sailing. You're not making me feel any better.

Well, I'm about to make you feel worse. Did you hear that? Yeah, that howl? I did. That's the reason we're sailing out here off the coast of Maine. We're searching for the ghost dog of Great Wasp Island.

Hey, I'm Jeff Belanger. And I'm Ray Ogier. Welcome to episode 400. 400? We've done 400 of these? 400, Jeff. We're always on the lookout for wicked strange tales of ghosts, monsters, UFOs, roadside oddities, and anything else that bumps in the night. Please hit the subscribe button wherever you get your podcasts because it's free. And if you'd post a review for us, that also helps others find us in a crowded sea of podcasts. A crowded sea, I get it.

So we'll go searching for the ghost dog of Great Wasp Island right after this quick word from our sponsor.

Hi, I'm Richard Karn, and you may have seen me on TV talking about the world's number one expandable garden hose. Well, the brand new Pocket Hose Copperhead with Pocket Pivot is here, and it's a total game changer. Old-fashioned hoses get kinks and creases at the spigot, but the Copperhead's Pocket Pivot swivels 360 degrees for full water flow and freedom to water with ease all around your home. When you're all done, this rust-proof anti-burst hose shrinks back down to pocket size for effortless handling and tidy storage.

Plus, your super light and ultra durable pocket hose copperhead is backed with a 10-year warranty. What could be better than that? I'll tell you what, an exciting radio exclusive offer just for you. For a limited time, you can get a free pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of any size copperhead hose. Just text WATER to 64000. That's WATER to 64000 for your two free gifts with purchase. W-A-T-E-R to 64000.

By texting 64000, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket Host. Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required. Terms apply. Available at pockethost.com slash terms. Given the rough seas and rocky shores of the islands all around us, I have no doubt ships have wrecked here and people have perished. It's broad daylight right now and it feels dangerous. Yeah. I can't imagine being on these waters at night in a storm, especially back before there was GPS and radar. There's no question. These are dangerous and haunted waters.

which leads us to our quest for a ghostly hound said to bark and howl a warning at ships from the shore. Yeah, Jeff, if I see a ghost dog right now, I am swimming to shore. I get it. All right, here's a little more background on Great Wasp Island. It's about five miles long and a mile and a half wide and is the largest of 43 islands that extend off the coast of Jonesport, Maine. Great Wasp is connected to Beals Island,

Hey, we were there back in March of this year looking for the Beals Island giant. That's right. That's right. Yeah. All right. So Great Wasp Island is connected to Beals Island by a bridge. Beals Island is connected to the mainland by another bridge. So you can get there from here. Got it. Got it. But there was a time not that long ago when these were truly islands. Dangerous islands.

Pond Point on Big Was is called that because of the natural harbor behind it that almost looks like a pond. It's a great harbor if you can get to it in rough seas, but if you can't get to it,

Then there's those ledges right over there. Yeah, and I don't like the looks of those. And you'll like the sound of them even less. They used to be called Drowning Bay Ledge. Yep. Crumple Island, Drowning Bay Ledge, Shipwrecks and Death. Why are we here again? Because we're searching for a ghostly dog on these ancient rocks. Ah, right. While we try our best not to become the next ghosts who haunt these shores. Now you get it.

So to find out how this ghostly dog came to haunt this region, let's head back to the year 1838. It's February of 1838 and we're sailing aboard the British brig called the Markland. The ship hails from Liverpool and is bound for Jonesport, Maine. It's cold, the dead of winter, the seas are choppy and low, dark clouds hang above our heads. Our ship is approaching the coast of Maine. Sailing a brig isn't easy, especially when the waters start to churn and you approach land.

Open seas are one thing, but we're coming up on dangerous waters. The crew is uneasy. It's cold, sure, but there's an unusual bite in the air today. Do you hear that? I do. It sounds like music playing. Does someone on board have a violin? I don't think so. All the crew on the Marklin seem pretty occupied with their jobs right now. The music seems to be coming from somewhere nearby. On the water? I don't see any other ships, though. Now the crew of the Marklin is really spooked. Some of the men are thinking, and I'm just saying it,

It was about 60 years ago on Christmas Eve of the year 1776 when a British warship full of gold and silver was bound for Castine, Maine, which lies about 60 miles down the coast. The ship was en route to pay British soldiers and officers their wages. So that Christmas Eve, the British pay ship was sailing near Jonesport, Maine when she fell in with two other British ships. Those other vessels had women on board, so these three ships decided to lash themselves together and hold an impromptu ball, complete with music and dancing.

The music and merrymaking lasted into the night. The seas were calm and moods were high.

By Christmas morning, the ship sailed their separate ways. Except, the British pay ship was never seen or heard from again. The money never arrived to pay the soldiers. There were rumors she wrecked somewhere in these waters, but no sign of the ship, its crew, or its gold ever turned up. With that reminder hanging over our heads, the crew of the Marklin are trying to be extra vigilant so they don't meet the same fate. But that faint music keeps fading in and out of the crashing waves.

Hours pass, the sun is setting, and a fierce storm is turning up the seas around the Marklin. She's being tossed and rocked in the icy waters off the coast of Maine. The captain of the Marklin has ordered the sails to be taken in. He knows this ship is at the mercy of the storm now. Winds are howling. Visibility is almost nothing. There's no sign of lights on land, just this ship being tossed in a storm. Suddenly, a crewman near the bow of the ship hears a frightening sound.

He can hear waves crashing nearby, and that can only mean one thing. Oh no, that means we're too close to land. Way too close. The sailor cries out. But there's nothing that can be done.

The Marklin is thrust into the rocks and driven under the waves into the shallow waters near Drowning Bay Ledge. All on board are lost in moments. All but one survivor. Aboard the Marklin, a Newfoundland dog was sailing with his master. As the ship breaks up, the dog is able to swim. And only by the grace of God does he reach land safely. It's the following morning.

The storm has passed, and some fishermen sailing by Great Wasp Island can see a ship has wrecked near Drowning Bay Ledge. There's debris from the ship. Crates are floating near the rocks, but the sailors also see something else. Yeah, look at that. As they get closer to investigate, it's clear that Marklin was driven into the ground beneath the waves and forced up the wreckage of another ship that must have also wrecked right here. They soon figure out that the older wreck was the British pay ship from 60 years ago.

It would seem her fate is now known for certain.

As for the Newfoundland dog, he's spotted on Brownie Island about half a mile from our position right here off the coast of Great Wasp Island. Some sailors try to befriend the dog to bring him back to a proper home, but the dog runs away whenever anyone gets close. So the sailors are forced to give up capturing the animal and figure this dog will have to make it on his own. As weeks turn into months, sailors who come through these waters often hear barking and mournful howls from the Newfie dog.

They'll even spot the dog on the ledge. But whenever somebody investigates and tries to get close, the dog is gone. This continues for years, even decades past the lifespan of a normal dog. No matter what you believe or don't believe, sailors know these waters are cursed. Sometimes they hear the faint music of the British pay ship. Sometimes they hear the barking and baying of the Markland's lone survivor dog. No matter what, sailors know these waters are haunted. And that brings us back to today.

So most of what we know about this story came from the October 16, 1897 Sun Journal newspaper out of Lewiston, Maine. And Ray, the article claims the sightings of the ghost dog continued at least through the year 1886, almost 50 years after the wreck of the Markland. One of the witnesses of the ghost dog of Maine will be known to our regular legendary listeners.

Go ahead and read this part of the article. Okay, it reads, That's right.

Anyway, it says J.B. Norton, Barney Beal, and Ephraim Merchant were coming in from a fishing trip at Fisherman's Island and reported catching sight of a dog. He came up from the water. It was low tide and walked along the seawall.

A magnificent Newfoundland dog with a great growth of black shaggy hair. He stopped for a full three minutes on the seawall and looked solemnly out to the sea. The boat was 15 rods distant. He would weigh, so the men say, at least 250 pounds. He made no noise and paid no attention to the men but looked steadfastly to the northwest toward Drowning Bay Ledge. Then he seemed to slide into a crevice in the wall and was lost to view.

That night, his howls were heard again at Drowning Bay Ledge, and the fiercest gale of the season was blowing before morning. So the ghostly dog became a harbinger, a warning to sailing ships that these waters are dangerous, that lives and ships have been lost right here, and to take heed, you would not be the first, nor the last, to wreck off the rocky shores of Great Wasp Island.

And that takes us to After the Legend, where we take a deeper dive into this week's legend and sometimes veer off course. After the Legend is brought to you by our Patreon patrons. Our patrons have been with us from the start. They are the inner circle of people who help us financially with our hosting, production, marketing, travel, all the other costs it takes to bring you two stories each week.

They know great content isn't free, and we appreciate them more than we can ever express. It's just $3 per month, and for that, they get early ad-free access to new episodes, access to the deepest recesses of our archives, plus bonus episodes and content that no one else gets to hear. To help the cause, head over to patreon.com slash newenglandlegends to sign up. To see some pictures related to this week's story, click on the link in our episode description or go to our website and click on episode 400. I like it. Nice story. Yeah. I mean, it was funny. The...

this old newspaper article had collected several. And in fact, you know, all truth be told, and some of those others might end up in a future podcast as well.

But this one, I hadn't heard it, didn't know it. You know, shipwrecks. It's so hard for us to sometimes put our minds into the past, right? But you said it, right? No GPS, no radar, no weather reports. I mean, you're going by the stars. And if it's cloudy, you don't have the stars. Right. And if it's stormy, like, it's tough to imagine. You're on a boat that doesn't have electric lights. Right. It's the 1800s, right? Yeah.

And no visibility, zero. All you see is just waves and sea and storm and like, you know, and your boat. And if you're in open ocean and you're getting tossed around, that's one thing. But if you know there's rocks nearby. Yeah. And that's the sound that must have been so petrifying.

Like imagine hearing breakers hitting, hitting, you know, like, Oh my God, there's rocks right there. If I'm probably 10 feet away. Yeah. If I'm hearing that it's where it's already too late. Right. You know? And so, uh, and so all of a sudden you just get smashed into rocks and it's over and you're, you're in the icy, icy waters and you're smashed against rocks. Yeah. There's no breaks. There's no, I mean, they have a rudder so they can turn, but it, it,

when it's stormy out, there's nothing you can do. Nope. So you bring the sails down and you just pray. That's all you can do. Not the first story we've covered with the same, same thing where you bring it. Yeah. You realize you're literally at the mercy of the sea. If she decides to throw you up against a, you know, onto a soft beach, uh,

You're going to live if she decides to throw you against some rocks. It's no wonder sailors were so superstitious, right? Because that's all you have, because you are literally at the mercy of nature. And I'm going to tell you this, and it's not going to make anyone feel any better. Nature is undefeated.

She's never been beat, right? You'll get your licks in, right? You'll win a few battles, but you will lose every war. She is undefeated. And she'll come back with the same stuff. Billions of years of history tell you that there is no way to win. She wins everything.

Every time. Now, I said this was a nice story, and I don't mean the wreck, obviously. Yeah. But the fact that there is a dog out there making sure that everyone is safe. Trying to protect. I love that. I love that. Yeah. The Newfies are gorgeous dogs, too. They're huge, huge animals, but absolutely beautiful. And yeah, the idea that they're just like, hey, I lost everyone I knew. Yeah. But I'm going to try to protect others. Yeah.

And not all ghosts are scary or bad. No, some are there to help. Some are there to protect and bark a warning. So if you don't hear the waves breaking, if you hear the bark, well, shouldn't be a dog out here. We're clearly too close to land, right? So get out to the open sea and maybe we got a chance. But yeah, you forget like how the bravery it took to get on a sailing boat and cross an ocean.

And know that like, hey, you know, I mean, I know anytime you get in a car or whatever, people don't always make it to their destinations. You know that, but you really don't think about it. Right. You just get in your car and you go to the grocery store.

Anything could happen on a boat. A Kraken could get you. Right. Neptune. King Neptune could be like, ah, you. And back then you believed that stuff. Sure. Because you didn't know. You believed that there was a huge monster out there ready to eat you up. And not only that, I mean, imagine, you know, it's one thing to get a text saying, hey, there's a storm. It's not looking good. And then you sort of know when and where it happened. But it's just like...

Nice day. I'm sailing off. Should get there in a few weeks, you know, and I'll send a letter, which you'll get, you know, a few weeks after that. I'm sure you'll hear from me in about eight weeks. Yeah. You know, and that's if everything's fine. Right. If something happens to you, nobody knows. Yeah. Seven weeks comes, eight weeks, and you're watching your post. You're watching for letters to come on some other vessel. Nine weeks, 10 weeks, and you're like...

That's when you realize something must have happened. Imagine like, we don't have, we don't have that. Like we have Doppler now. We know exactly what's going to happen. Our family takes a plane trip to like a two hour flight. Oh, it just landed. Just landed texting, texting on the way down. If you want to be a rebel. Yeah. Yeah. Like the wheels are, they're still screeching, you know, like they're still screeching on the runway and you're like, oh, I just landed in, in, you know, Houston or whatever. And, and your family's like, oh good. You landed. Good to know. Yeah. You know, hope you get to your hotel safe. Have a great trip. You know,

whatever. Yeah. And that's the terrorist attack. I'm a tack. I'm worried about is the loss of taking down of all the, uh, the cell phones. And they'd be doing us a favor. Yeah, I know. Absolutely. I think of the same thing. Like I get probably cause remember COVID it was like, Oh, we got a couple of weeks off. This is nice. But then it went on like a year and a half. Yeah. We're still nice.

No, but you're right. Like, yeah. So at first we'd be panicked without our phones and then eventually be like, oh my gosh, thank you. You really did us a favor taking out all the cell towers. We'd actually gather more and spend quality time together. Talk to each other. Talk. Listen to each other. Imagine that. Yeah. Break bread together. But if all of electricity goes out, then...

I think we're in trouble for a little bit. You are. I am, yeah. Movies and all that. I'll just watch Netflix, Ray. I'll be the crazy guy making my family sit on the couch while I reenact movies. We're going to need a bigger boat. It's not the same, Ray. We're doing porkies tonight. No, not in front of the kids.

I remember all the lines from Smokey and the Bandit. Let's do it. No, no, no. Yeah. Cardboard cars and everything. Yeah. Reenacting the chase scenes. Yeah. Oh, it'd be kind of amazing. It'd be fun. Yeah. Bringing theater back. Old school theater. There I am watching through the window. Oh, I love this scene. Oh, the shark's going to eat Ray. It's a blanket. I don't know. Whatever.

But this is one of those stories, like you said, that the ghosts aren't always scary. Sometimes they're here to help, and sometimes there's animals. This is not the first story I've heard of a ghostly dog or any pet, for that matter. I mean, those stories turn up, too. They're loved. They're loved. They're sentient beings. They love us. And they continue to love in the afterlife. Yeah. Why would that connection break just because they've passed on?

If you've got a story to lead for us, please reach out to us anytime through our website. We love hearing from you, and we appreciate your feedback, too. You should also check out our New England Legends Facebook group with more than 10,000 people sharing wicked strangeness that you might find interesting. It's a strange world out there. Get out there and experience it. We'd like to thank our sponsors. Thank you so much to our Patreon patrons. Our theme music is by Jon Judd. Until next time, remember, the bizarre is closer than you think.