The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-11-24
A SECRET OF THE SEA.
tn, Mystery of Midwinser Wreck.

| DESCRIBES AND ANAL1ZES AN UNEA-
| planned MYSTERY.
The st. Johns correspondent of the Chi
cago Times, after an investigation, sums mp
the mystery connected with q midwinter
shipwreck, heretofore reported. On Sstur-
day, the 18th day OF January, 1873, the new
brigsntine Mary +. Jones, George B.
Swaine, captain, aud Christian Nilsson,
mate, sailed from Clyde River, N. s., for
passengers, the daughters of Mr.. suther-
land, OF Clyde River. The craft was new
| and staunch, and perfectly manned and
| equipped. At O'Clock on the afternoon
of Monday, the 18Th, the captain and
crew landed at Port MoutOn, but
the women were missing. They stated that
at 8 P. NJ on the day they set sail the wind,
strong when they left Clyde River, increased
so that they had TO take in sail. The vessel
labored heavily, shipping much water and
being badly iced mp, though the pumps
showed that she made but little water in the
hold. At o'clock on Sunday morning she
was found to be settling forward and the
pumps were set going. Despite this the
water gained on them, and by 2 P. N. was
| within two feet of the deck, the weather
Enoderating. The deck load now got loose
and was thrown overheard. BY o'clock
the vessel was full, the water breaking the
bars and bursting open the matches, and the
lee rail being continually under.
THE CAPTAINS DEPOSITION THEN GOES OFF.
at $3.50 p. NJ. blowing strong, with clear
moonlight, all hands went to the cabin TO
get passengers and things on the poop,
aud while employed in getting ready they
found the vessel suddenly going over; sll
hands rushed for the deck, the cabin bulk
head burst In and the cabin filling with
waller, 10 was with great difficulty that we
got through the gangwsy which was under
| a crnt nj m
and one of the crew got hold Of one Of the
female passengers but were unable to get her
out of the gsngwaY, when she fell from
them and was washed TO the leeward and
sank, they being unable to save her; the
other female passenger persisted in the cabin,
it being impossible to get her out. Finding
1t impossible to stay by the brigantine,
the crew took to the boat, which was towing
by, the painter, and though she
had been stove. managed to make
wreck short while, then fearing they
would perish of cold, rowed of and reached
land at Port M0utOn, one man inssnsible,
and all more or less frost-bitten. This was
the statement OF the cap am, mate, and one
sailor, Thomas Il. Swaine, made on the 4th
of February, 1872, before Gabriel Robertson,
n. Z. A day or two later the Mary T.. Jones
came ashore near Baccare Light, three miles
west of the port whence she had sailed, wa
ter-logged, her deck load gone, the upper part
mast gone. She went to pieces on the beach.
The father of the two Sutherland girls was
grief stricken when he heard of their loss,
and stubbornly refused TO believe that his
daughters had come to their death in the
manner stated by the crew.
HE EXAMINED THE WRECK,
questioned the sailors, pounced upon every
fact indicating discrepancy in their stories
with the esge;ness of doting father, and
followed up the trail with the acuteness OF
a detective, striving at least to fasten the
charge OF cowardly dssertion upon the crew.
From time to time he made public. whst he
declared to be significant admissions or
confessions. Still the sworn story OF the
sailors bore all the marks OF truthfulness,
the officers retained the confidence OF their
} employers and were trusted with other
+ vessels, the Rev. j. r. Borden and other
local clergymen vouched for the excellent
very generally exonersted them all and
suspicious of the father the
a mere coinage of a griei-crazed brain.
finally, so angry became the discussion OF
the subject, that the government appointed
a commissioner, Mr.. Joseph Snow, to in
|, vestiRate the matter thoroughly. He gave
some time TO the case, examining forty wit
nesses; the evidence he educed and the facts
deserving special comment present here,
= kIOupCu III buo lnOob uhluIdl duU
{ manner: Serious and suggestive coutradi-
3 tions abound in the evidence. Thus, the cap
tain states in one place that he has given up
his state room, which would easily accommo-
date them both, TO the girls; In another place,
e that just before the vessel rolled over, one
OF the girls was living In the second mates
berth. Through delicscy, probably, no
Questions were asked as to the relations ex-
lsting between the crew and the passengers
= "a serious omission. Again it was sworn
! that the vessel had gone
OVER ON HER BEAMENDs,
and her cargo had shifted. On this poin,
the Rev. Mr.. Borden says that the vessel
came ashore with her cables still slowed on
deck; the chains and anchors had not
! shifted, nor did the whole cargo seem to
3 have been misplaced, as of necessity 1t must
have been II the vessel had keeled over till
, her spars dipped. There was a loaded gun
! In the cabin and 1t was found not on the
starboard side, which was said to be under
water, but on the port side near the center,
where 1t could not possibly have been had
the vessel gone over. This fact the captain
= admitted. Again the captain, mate and
sailor swore in their original deposition that
$ the water burst the cabin bulkhead and
: rushed into the cabin. This was inn
: bulkhead at all 70 the cabin, 1t being con-
z structed on the main deck, and IL be
meant the side OF the gangway
+ leading into the cabin from the poop, deck
the evidence shows conclusively that 1t was
!" not carried away. Again Capt. Swaine
J, stated that a few minutes before the brigan-
} tine went over be went into his ststeroom
' which was off the main cabin, and found
Il three feet and half of water in it on the
starboard side. So deep was it that he could
r not get his quadrant out OF the locker
r beside his berth. The water thus was
within two feet of the top of the cabin, bur
!, mystery Of mysteries, 1t all stayed In the
statefoom and declined to enter the cabin
. Stensop, one of the crew, swears that W her
he entered the cabin there was not sufficient
d water by seven or eight inches to reach
across the floor of the mates stateroom tC
r the door opening into the cabin, and, as the
. mates room was on the same side as the
captains and further forward, there must