The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1876-04-13
Piti1ul Story of a Wreck.

The circumstances of the wreck of
the brig Hattie Eaton, off Portsmouth
Harbor, during the late severe storm,
were very sad All the men on board,
except the first mate, were drowned.
Their names were James C. Cook Cap.
tain; William Fitzpatrick, second mate;
Henry Hartmeyer, of East Boston,
steward, (all white men, and Peter
Botars, of Grenada; jeremiah Stevens,
OF st Kits; Joseph Alban, and William
Berens, (negro seamen.) The mate was
III the forecastle, disabled with a dis
located shoulder, three OF the crew
being below frost-bittcn. The Captain,
second mate, and remainder of the
crew were astern at the tiller, direct
ing the brig toward the best locality
in which to beech her. The Ports
mouth Chronicle, in describing the
wreck says Mr.. Lorenzo 3. Mitchell,
who resides near the scene of the
wreck, was the only person who saw
the vessel strike. Captain Cook, her
commander, steered for the smoothest
place he could find, and came within
about one hundred feet of a smooth
beach.
The Eaton struck stem on, about her
length from shore, and was wedged be-
tween two rocks her stern being free.
Captain Cook went into the rigging,
and, as the brig listed ran out on the
boom, while the rest of the crew stuck
to the deck. Mr.. Mitchell, against the
urgent entreaty of his wife, watched
a smoothing and ran for a ledge, in
the belief that lie could help the Cap
tain, but on getting there he found
that he could not reach him by about
eight feet. The poor fellow begged
earnestly for aid for himself and crew,
but the boiling surf cut off all aid as
effectually as if the ship had been a
mile at sea. and the doomed seaman,
taking in the hopelessness of the situ-
alton, gave Mr.. Mitchell his name and
the name of the vessel, and where his
family resided, told what port he sail
ed from and where he was bound, and
who were the vessels owners, and ab-
jured Mr.. Mitchell not to fail to write
to his family an account of his fate if
he should be lost. Suddenly sea lift
ed the vessel and plunged the boom he
was on far beneath the waves and he
was not seen afterWard.
The same wave dashed Mr.. Mitchell
backward behind the ledge into the
water; but there being no undertow,
he scrambled ashore. One stalwart
mulatto stripped himself and plunged
into the sea. Several times he sue
ceeded in getting within a few feet of
the shore, but the undertow carried
him back each time, until exhausted,
his head was dashed against rock,
and he sank. The mate was still alive,
holding on near the foremast, the bow
of the vessel being intact. Messrs.
William Williams, Samuel D. Bridges,
and Joseph Within, who had hastened
to the spot on being notified that a
wreck had occurred, were with Mr.
Mitchell watching for a chance to help,
when the sea suddenly fell smooth.
holding each other by the hand the
men boarded the wreck, and hurried
over the broken tinbers toward the
bow. holding on for their lives as they
went, the mate at the same time start
ing to meet them. The mate fell help.
less into the rescuers' arms, and was
hastily carried over the wreck to the
shore, which had barely been reached
when a sea spred over the wreck
crushing what was left Of her-except
the bow-like an egg-shell.