The vessel sank off Point Petre, and tragically, all hands on board perished. The victims were identified as Henry Stanton (the master), William Burlingham, John Trumpour, and James Bailey. Bailey, a native of Ballywalter in the County of Down, Ireland, had only been in the country for two and a half years. This devastating incident was reported in the Picton Sun on November 7, 1844, and subsequently mentioned in The News, Kingston.
There were indications that pieces of a vessel, believed to belong to the PRIMROSE, had been found on the beach at Wellington. The discovery further supported the grim reality of the ship’s sinking and the loss of all its crew members.
The PRIMROSE, registered in Picton, Ontario, was a schooner with a gross tonnage of 47. It had been rebuilt in Oswego, New York, in the United States. The vessel, constructed in 1844 in Athol, Ontario, was owned by John Stanton and others from Athol. It had a length of 51 feet, beam of 14.6 feet, and a depth of 5.4 feet. With a net tonnage of 29, the PRIMROSE operated with two masts.
Tragically, in November 1844, the PRIMROSE met its fate as it sank off Point Petre. The exact circumstances leading to its sinking remain unknown, but the loss of the vessel and the entire crew was a heartbreaking event.
