The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-04-11
BIDDEFoRD MAINE, FRIDAY, APRIL ii, 1856.

r. see Of clothing, groceries, &C., for their pr
% vate winter stock and as this was to be tn
last trip Of the season, the little bark wa
+ crowded with some forty or fifty passengers
It chiefly fathers and mothers Of large familic
u who were left at home.
o The voyage to Halifax was prosperous =
Q the voyagers made their purchases, and il
s due time the Liverpool packet was ready t.
b return. All the passengers embarked il
3 good spirits, and the bark sailed cheerily
! down the harbor and proceeded for her des
tination.
A few hours after her departure there
} sprung up one Of those furious and terrific
north westers, so well known on the coas!
, of Nova Scotia, and blowing with the ut
! most fury for several days, attended with
!, intense frost, II was clear that no vessel
could keep the coast; she must either put
herself before the wind and run out to sea,
or all perish miserably by wreck and the
rigor Of an atmosphere twenty or thirty de-
grees below zero. A change of weather 10
sudden, so severe, and so unexpected, gave
rise to great fears for the safety Of the little
packet, and the next post by land was anx
iOusly waited for by friends and relatives at
both towns.
The post at length arrived, but brought
no tidings of the Liverpool packet; another
post and another came in, and yet no news
of the missing vessel. Search was then
made along the shore. to see If the wreck
could be found, but as in the case of the
Pacific, not vcstigc could be discovered
The bold began to doubt and the timid to
despair, and the opinion was ut last arrived
at, that the vessel had been blown of the
coast or sunk in the gale. If the latter, she
and her passengers were, of course, ,irretricy-
ably gone, as no person could live in boats
in such weather; If tho former, there was
still hope that the next arrival from Bermu-
da would bring some intelligence.
We will not attempt to describe the deplo-
rablc state of mind Of the people in the once
happy little town, for nearly all had rela-
tive on board either ,ther,mothcr ,brorher
or sister. Prayers were put up in the
churches, and a gloom mantled over the
countcnancc Of every one.
Adviccs were in due time received from
Bermuda, but nothing was heard of the lit.
tlo packet and her passengers. Accounts
were also received from several Of the West
India islands, but still without intelligence
of the missing vessel.
Three months at length passed away and
the packet was given up for lost. Those
who had friends on board went into mourn
ing, and prayers were even offered up for
the reposc Of souls Of the departed, and so
connected were the different families with
each other throughout the town, that the
Sunday on which all who had friends put on
black, put nearly the entire population in
the habimcnts Of woe.
Four months had now passed away; the
mourners, Notwithstanding their irrcparable
loss, were becoming rcconciled to their be-
reayemcnt, for there is philosophy in the
human heart which teaches us to bear with
fortitudc great losses, when those of les So
verify are met with great impaticnce. All
hope had now fed; the vessel had, without
doubt, foundered and gone to the bottom
with all on board; but when, or in what
part of the vast ocean, was to remain veilcd
in the secrets of the deepuntil the sea should
give up its dead.
Sixteen weeks had now elapsed, when one
fine morning in the spring, some sca-faring
people down ut the Fort, deserted u strange
brig approaching the harbor. She attracted
attention from the circumstance that, al
though stranger, she was nayigatcd by ono
who we'll knew tho entrance of the harbOr,
for she came in without pilot or shortening
sail. The quick eye and watchful habits OF
scamen could not lightly pass over such
circumstance, and the report of q strange
vessel coming in soon spread through the
little town, and many persons assembled
The best telescopes were put in requisition,
but none could mako out who or what the
stranger was. AS she drew nearer to the
anxious group, her deck was discovered to
be crowded with male and female passen.
GERS. "Ah!" exclaimed one who had u
certain undcGnable hope, rs that hope sank
within him, +" an cmigrant ship after ALL"
and deep sigh came from his bosom, for
he had near and dear friend aboard the
little packet. San emigrant ship" said
another, +" how can any captain of an emf
grant ship know SO well his way into this
harbor? Besides emigant ships do not
come to Liverpool" A pause cnsucd, dur
ing which one wit! quick eye was gazing
through the best glass the town and Afford
ed; no was on one knee resting his tclcs-
cope, when he suddenly sprang to his feet,
and declared that Captain Bass was among
the passengers. Nonsense was the in
credulous cry, Captain Bass and the Liv-
crpool packet aro at the bottom of tho sea,
and will there remain till the day Of res
surrcction.' Not daunted by their incred-
ulity, he said: give me the trumphct, /
will speak the brig; in few moments she
will be near enough What brig Is that?
The response was given. Arc you Captain
Bass!' Yes,' was the reply A few words
suiiced to reveal that the vessel had been
blown of, and for many days went before
the wind with great rapidity. As the gale
abatcd, Captain Bass found he could better
reach the West Indies than ho could get
back with so small and so crowded q vessel.
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