Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-11-09
A Terrible Shipwreck.

Eight DAYS Without Food or Water.
The wreck of the whaling schooner. Susan
n. Smith of Boston, and the loss of twenty
one lives, has already been reported. Capt.
Job p. Rounseville, master of the vessel,
has arrived in Hartford, and his narrative
of the fearful scenes through which he pas
sed appeare in the Courant. The schoon-
er sailed from Boston on the 18th of Feb,
1868, on a general whaling voyage in the
Atlantic Ocean. At Barbados Capt. |
Rounseville was joined by his wife and
their two children, boy and a girl, six
and eight years of age, respectively. The
narrative continues:
On the 28th of August the wind had |
been blowing fresh, and continued into |
the night, but it was nothing like gale of
wind. At two o'clock the next night, so
severe was the tempest that all hands were
called to close reef the sails, which was
done speedily. Half an hour later the
wind blew aperfect hurricane, yet under
close sail the vessel was kept off before it
and plunged madly through the heavy sea,
the high rolling waves making clear over
her decks and sweeping every portable
thing away At o'clock the gale, still
growing more furious, tore the sails from
their fastenings, as if they were mere pa
per balloons, and at the same time heavy
sea washed the decks from stem to stern
again, and every small boat was carried in
| to the ocean. The vessel then ran under
| bare poles until about o'clock when she
| preached to"-that is came to the wind,
the man at the wheel evidently losing all
control Of the helm. He had been obliged
to steer by the wind as the compass, in
the midst OF the gale, gave no direction
whatever, but constantly whirled around
and around. This was the critical time.
Could the original course have been taken
the struggling vessel might have rode out
the storm in safety; but the fatal turn of
the wheel had lost control of everything
and it was now life or death-an earnest
struggle to save in the face of overwhelm-
ing disadvantages.
Captain Rounseville had left his wife
and children in the cabin, when first his
services were required upon deck, but he
had no fear then that the vessel would be
wrecked. The ''broaching to" was not
looked for; it came suddenly, and then
there was desperate work to do just as
soon as this took place, the high sea buried
the vessels rail some two or three feet I'M
der water. Captain Rounseville immedi-
ately seized an ak and went forward to cut
away the foremast, in order that the vessel
might right up. After cutting the rigging
all clear he found the mast wouldn't fall
and commenced cutting that; but had not
given more than two or three blows before
the schooner began to 60 over gradually
and in half a minute, at the longest, the
masts were lying upon the water, the yes
sci was clear over. At this time the wind
was blowing ike hurricane, and roared
like heavy thunder. The sea was chop
ping ugly, and dashing in wildly from al
quarters. The going over, and all, was st
: quickly done, that the captain could no
change his position to get attwhere his wifi
and children and most of the crew were
for as soon as the masts touched the waite
the vessel settled down bodily, and he wa:
washed away from the foremost. Afte
being in the water two or three minutes
most Of the time under, he washed agains
f the rigging of the mainmast, and caugh
there, getting badly hurt in the breast a
f he brought up heavily against the spar
f He got on to the rigging at the top Of tn
o mast by crawling through the ratings
the officers collected and holding on t
, ropes and chains While there he secure,
himself with a rope, and the first mate di,
the same.
C Here were twenty or more men in tn
rigging. Just as the captain and mate ha
e got secured, a very heavy sea swept owe
: the i'll fated schooner, and buried the mas
e fifteen or twenty feet under water. Cap
. Rounseville says that he thinks he was M
:, der water at least a minute; he came u
If strangled and gasping, and when he couI
1. look about him he found that all were gon
y except himself and the mate. Another fl
II rious sea swept over, and broke their tas
e enings, and both went under water. TIL
n captain does not know how long he VIZ
- buried but he neyerexpected to rise again
If though his head struck against something
lie and he found he was in the rigging at ii
/ end of the mast, and by clinching in b,
It tween the cross trees he secured himse
: again. Here he saw the mate trying t
9r get hold of some portion Of the rigging, bl
/ he didn't succeed, and the poor fello
d dropped away and was never seen again.
= Captain Rounseyille also found here OF
II of the crew, who had before washed ava
e. holding on to the rigging, and an hour lat
l. another man swan up and got hold of Il
- mast When daylight came two men we
= discovered sitting on the vessels bow
O. these men had been in the forecastle, ar
u when the schooner went over got out, al
20 20 as the mast broke, secured a place to no
t. Oh till the hull partially righted. 1
IN about :! o'clock one of the officers came
$ swimming and got on the deck, but, aft
~ speaking few words to those on the bO
ne laid down and Immediately died from e
haustion he had been in the water abo
y three hours, and was naked and chile
W At about the same time one of the M
of found on the mast left and succeeded
ed getting on board the vessel, the only pc
IN ton of which out of water was a part
ut the port bow. The other man in the ri
L. ging was washed away and drowned.
be Now left alone on the mast, CAPITA
Us Rounseville found it exceedingly difficl
~ to sustain himself; every sea that wash
~ over the PROSTATE spar buried him frC
lat two to ten feet under water, barely givi
at him time to catch breath as each rolf
wave in turn covered him. So often we
$50 these seas upon him that three or 70
Die times a minute he was under water, a
cts the waves dashed against him with terri
ey force At two o'clock in the afternoon t
Nv mast slowed around, and the men on t
IN. vessel got rope to him, and by its a
I'll he was drawn on board to keep compa
at with the other survivors there await
, ~ their fate.
of Nothing of special interest occurred d.
ing the following thirty hours all tt
time, through the dismal watches of t
7E. night, the rescued, but not yet saved, m
II