Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-09-04
Marative Of CAPTAIN u, L. cazneau.

The brig Polly, Of $50 tons burthen, sailed
from Boston, with Cargo OF lumber and pro-
visions, on voyage to Santa CroiX, on the
9th of December l3li, under the command
of capt w. L. C,zneau, with mate, SEA
men and cook. NJ ]. S. Hunt and negro
girl of years of age passengers Nothins
material happened untll the 18th, when they
had cleared away cape Cod, the sboal of Geor-
ges, and nearly as they supposed, crossed the
guph stream when there came on a vlolejt
storm of rain from the S. E. in which the
brig labored very hard, which produced d
leak that SO gained oil the pumps as to sound
nearly feet, when about midnight sic va
upset, and Mr. Hunt washed overheard Not
having any reason To hope tor her llghting
her weather lanyards were cut away, the deck
load being before thrown over and the lash
ings all gone, in about hall an hour the maliI-
mast went by the board, and soon after the
foremost, when she righted, though foil Of
water, dreadful sea making a fair breach O.
yer her from stem to stern. In this Situation
the night wore away, and day light found all a
live, except the passengers, and upon close
search the little girl Was found clinging to
the sky light, and SO saved from drowning In
the cabin. The glass and grating of the sky
light having gone away, while on her beam
ends, the little girl was drawn through tho Q
pening, but SO much chilled that she survived
out few hours. III this situation they remain
ed. without fire, as near as the capt. can recol-
lect, Q days, when the cook, an Indian from
Canton, near Boston, suggested the operation
olrubhing two sticks together, which succeed
Cd Very fortunately, the Cambose did moi go
ovei board with the deck load; this was gotto the
wLhdwafd a FIRE kinded & some proylsl' rs Cook
ed, " HIGH was the first they had tasted, except
raw pork, for the whole tlmc.--They now got
up a barrel of pork, part of a barrel Of beef,
and one half barrel Of beef. a small pig Lad
Leen saved alive, which they now dressed, not
having any thing to feed il with. But at this
time no apprehension was entertained OF SUI
lering for meat, there being several barrels
slowed in the run, and upwards OF 100 under
deck. With this impression the people used
the provisions very lmprudently, till they dis
covered that the stern post was gone and the
gale continuing for a long time, the barrels
had stove, and their contents were all lost Tor
ever.
There happened to be cask Of water LASH
ed OH the quarter deck, which was saved, con-
tanning about 80 gallons, all the rest was lost
This lasted about Is days, when the crew
were reduced to the necessity of catching
what rain they could, and having no more !!
Al the end of 40 days the meat was all gone,
and absolute famine stared them III the face.
The FIST victim to this destroyer was Mr..
Paddock, the mate, whose exquisite distress
seemed to rcdouble the suHerings of his COM
panions. He was man of robust consttu-
ton, who had spent his life lii the bank fishing,
had suffered many hardships and appeared the
most capable of standing the shocks of msfor-
tune of any Of the crew. In the meridian Of
life, being about S5 years old, it was reasona-
BILE to suppose that instead of the first, he
would have been the last to have fallen sa-
cri6ce to cold and hunger but Heaven or
del ed it otherwise-he became deirious, and
death relieved him from his suHerings the
6ftieth day of his shipwreck. During all this
time, the storms continued, and would often
overwhelm them as to keep them always
drenched with seawater, having nothing to
. screen them, except a temporary kind of Ca