Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-10-11
THE LOSS OF THE HURD.
Full Particulars Concerning the pisas1
aster-- ARRIVAL of Captain Harrison
the Only Surviyor-His Statement.


wrecked, as already published, on Fri
day night last on Lake Michigan, az
rived here yesterday on the propeller
City of Montreal, and brought with him
the remains of his wife. 4 Tribune re-
porter called upon him, to whom he
gave the following account of the loss
of his vessel and the drowning of her
crew and his family:
The three masted schooner G. Fl.
Hurd left Chicago about o'clock
Thursday night with a cargo of corn for
Buffalo. The wind was fair and all
canvass was set. The vessel continued
on her course all night, the wind still
being favorable and blowing about the
same until about noon on Friday. The
wind then shifted somewhat until it was
about southwest, and from that time
until evening it continued to increase
III velocity, till at 4 o'clock it was
blowing a lively gale. I had been on
deck all day watching the progress of
the vessel, and sometimes taking the
wheel, In order to take the most
advantage possible of the fair wind.
Sail had been shortened at various
times during the day as the valocity of
the wind increased, and at four O'Clock,
when the dog watch was called, the
vessel was under nothing but her main
sail, foresail, jib and flying iib, that
being, for three -masted vessel, very
short sail. At this time the seas were
running mountain high, and although
the vessel staggered under even the
small amount of canvass she carried, it
was absolutely necessary to drive her
fast enough to keep away from the
seas which were running directly
astern. At six o'clock, having lust
come up from supper, the vessel was
about three miles S. S. W. from the
southwest end of South Manitou Is
land. A sea of more than usual height
came towering over the stern, rushed
with irresistible force, over the taffrail,
and Immediately took complete pos
session of the vessel fore-and-
aft, sweeping everything not dashed
down overheard. The schooner was
deep loaded, having on board $4,000
bushels of corn, and was already down
nearly to the plank shear in the water,
so that when this sea came aboard its
weight sunk down until the scuppers
and the lower part of the bulwarks were
completely under water. The pressure
of the water outside the scuppers being
greater than that inside prevented the
water from escaping, and the schooner
was thus held down while sea after sea
swept over her. One of them lifted the
whole top part Of the after cabin and
washed it overheard. The water then
rushed into the cabin, and from there
found its way into the hold. The fore
castle scuttle was also washed away, and
some of the water got into the hold by
that means. This Was the only way in
which the water could effect an en-
trance, as all three of the matches were
double battened down with tarpaulins,
and were perfectly water-tight. An ex-
ira squat striking the schooner at this
time she was thrown on her beam ends,
which caused her to labor heavily.
I was then standing at the wheel with
one of the sailors, and had given or
ders to settle away the mainsail in
order to ease the vessel, when another
heavy sea washed over her, carrying
with it myself and the man at the
wheel. I saved myself by catching
hold of the reef tackle fall of the main
boom, which was hanging over the side,
and succeeded in drawing myself on
deck. The other man went down. I
had previously given instructions to
the mate, my brother, to take my wife
and child up into the mizzen rigging,
saying that / would take care of the
schooner. He did so, and when [ got
aboard, I saw him with my wife and
child in the mizzen-tOp. The men had
now also taken to the rigging, and see
ing that the vessel was rapidly filing
and going down, and that nothing
could be done to save her, / threw off
my coat, hat and boots, and prepared
for the worst that could come. [ then
clambered into the main rigging, but
had not got more than half way up,
when the vessel gave sudden lurch
and went down almost Immediately,
taking with her all the crew that were
left, and my brother, wife and child.
The suction of the sinking vessel
dragged me down a considerable dis
lance, but after being under water what
seemed to me a very long time, and
when my breath was almost gone, [ at
length reached the surface A portion
of the cabin roof that had been swept
off was close beside me, and on this I
clambered and held myself by means
of an iron ring that had been used for
hanging a lamp in the cabin. In this
way / continued for II hours, and only
by the most persistent efforts kept from
perishing from cold AID exhaustion.
There was on the cabin roof an over
coat, and [ held this is in one hand,
waiting for an opportunity to put it on,
while with the other [ chung to the iron
ring. The sea continued to run high.
and to wash over me, but by turning
my face towards it. shutting my ewes.
and holding my breath until sea
passed over, [ was still enabled to keep
my hold
After midnight the wind lulled some
what, and enabled me to throw the
oyercoat over my shoulders. [ was so
numb as scarcely to be able TO move.
[ found that | was rapidly becoming
stiff, and that it was impossible for me
to open my mouth. Thinking that
something must be done to keep up the
circulation, [ had resort to kicking
with my feet, and stricking the timbers
with a piece of pine board that [ dis
covered between my knees About
daylight, being then completely ex-
hausted, [ came in sight of land, which
proved to be the southwest end of the
North ManitOu Islands, and shortly
after the raft was launched by great
wave high and dry on the beach. [
crawled out Of the reach of the water,
and laid down on the beach, thinking
that [ had only come to dry place to
die. After lying down for
some time, [ reused myself, think
ing that life depended upon exer-
ton and finding some habitation. Then
crawling to some land little higher
than the surrounding country [ looked
around in all directions, and finally
saw wood-dock and some fishing huts
about 3 miles from where I stood. NV
feet were now, from cold and from kick
ing the roof of the cabin, very much
swollen and extremely sore and tender.
Getting two sticks on the beach for
canes, however, I managed to make my
way over a stony beach and with bare
feet, about two miles, sometimes fall
ing down and crawling, and again get