The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-01-28
SWALLOWED UP BY TIE SEA.
.r,,,s or WINTER FISHING ON THE
NOJI SCOTTi B.fNkS.

-. WRECK Of the Gloucester Fishing Fleet In
~ ... Great Gales NJ necember-A city In |
,or,n,nr- wives Watching for Husbands |
,n,,tu Never Come Hnck-A Fi>hcrm,n's |
widow .Urtnm some Marvellous Escapes. !
rhc December gales overwhelmed the |
a,Lu.aa'.r winter fishing feet on and near
ial l., Have banks. II s the most terrible
cs,.,.r ~ the Kind that has occurred in
s,,,i, .ars since Gloucester has hccn n fishing
,,. About one-third of the whole fleet was
rre.L and ninety eight stout fishermen were
60, Tnnlciail- " the wrecks have Just bccn
lr,rsit home hy the struggling and shattered
sho,nrr- that. " tin the loss OF masts, boats
enl cargo. and sometimes Of portions of their
crsw rode ou, the gales. and, 10y dint of
,umr.n. day and night aided by favoring
winl- filing their improvscd sails laborcd
Int, t.rt The little tlshcrmnns city. the me-
ir,r,l- and pride of Cnpc Ann is filled with
tomo,t.us widows and iathcrlcss children. In
e,.ry street Of the flsh,rmcns quarter. dcs-
tt,t, and distraO ted women sit weeping
IN their .hiiiy and ant.ly furnished rooms or
strain their fearful eyes over the broad.
bureNpanse Of the oS un. watching and waiting
for the LIST sshOuners 10 come sailing home
ward
The fert that IN 'ountorcd the December gales
Numbered between thirty and forty sail. The
and turing the first half Of November. Most of
Mrm w.r' bound for the La Have and Grand
Bank. They should all have returned in from
four SIX weeks tho usual time Of n trip. We
give the names. number Of the crews. dates OF
sailing. and value OF the vessels that were lost.
Shooncr John :. Tyler. ten men. left Glou-
cest,r ior L. Have Banks Nov. IS; value. $1,000
schooner J. +. Hun;ross. ten men, left Glou-
ccster Nov. II; called at shelhurne n. s.. Nov.
o.. AMI was last seen in the gale OF Dec. IL;
value $500.
. schooner Howard steele. eleven men. left
gloucester Nov. - for La Have Banks; was last
s9cn Dee. g. the day preceding the nercest of
: hoontr Modcna b. Jerauld, eleven men. loft
sailed thence Tor La Have Banks Nov. 20; value.
$50.
Nov. 10 for La Have BANKS value. $500.
schooner Roe'rt Emnct. nine men, loft
Gloucester for la Have Banks Nov. Is left
schooncr Joseph +. Allen ten men, left Glou-
cestfr for W ST., BANKS o.. 2; value s.e3S
Schooner William r. Merchant. twelve men,
lett Gloucestr for the Grand Banks Nov. 10;
was last seen with her wndlass badly disabled
afr the first peo,.mb,r gale value. s. 500,
cester OF. 49, last seen. flve weeks afterward
on the Seal Island fishing grounds; value.
All hut one Of these vessels wore insured for
nearly their value. either in the GLOUCESTER Mu-
tual Insurance. the Gloucester Fire Insurance.
or the Cupc Ann Mutual Insurance Company.
The tlru loss was si9u25 ami nlnety-"ight men
disastrous in the history 81 the Gloucester il-h-
ami ~ mon were lost. Sinr,is1c st2 Vessels
worth al $4,000 and ls'1 men belonging 10
Glnur'-tr have b"rn lost.
The first news If the December disaster be-
gan t. hr received in the latter part of that
month. when some returning schoon-rs re-
ported having had heavy weather. and
having seen dismantied vessels IN the vicinity
OF th" banks. Then Capt johnson. Of tn
schooner Augusta II. johnson picked up man
who wis rlinging almost irph n. 10 the bottom
OF an overturned bout. Another incoming vcs.
e' passed "a schooner turn ii bottom upward.
hen were picked up. floating on dismantlcd
vessels. aud the cvl denccs that a fleet had been
wrecked multiplied.
Great epx,e began to be felt e learn the i fat,
began 10 return. one at II tune. the suspense bc,
came ag9nizng., As. with broken m9sis and
ern Point and bore up the harbor. hundreds Of
eyes were bent upon them from the wharves
harbor Women ran out with shawls thrown
over their heads and hands pr sse'i upon their
fast beating hearts and stflln'd their ey,.s 10
Te'Ogni2e the slowly IN DINING srhoonrrs Lit
us children press Il around, holding their
mothers hands, and gazing at the distant. Grip
:. It. the Allen" IT'S the Huntrcss.'' IT'S
JOHNNY vessel were the glad cries IL reeOg-
ntion heard among the hreathess Watchers
AMI when schooner reached the wharf. bat
t'I''l am zee covered anu ,th' Nl"ilHu l-l'I-
MN. vita clothes torn an wet, sprang ashore
treywrre welcomed with joyful shouts and tears
OF ginlno-s. But most " 81 olne were those who
Brought news Of the vessels that were still
missing.
"Hayo you socn. my husbands vessel !" IA
u Tynr 4ming -, Drd YOU pas tn" N'r-
chant - 90 l. the Wyoming safe p W r" soma
q the br"3ihl nss qu stluns with which tho tr',l
fsler- were r"as 'l'ssiy Iiled 10y anxious face !
women is soon - they landed. The OH '"S 4
u" owner, of the miss M vessels were thronged
with women and children. day alter day. asking
ir news AMI receiving always the same an
ew"r. Nothing hut there H. hope"
Dny- and W eks passed the survivors Of tho
gales ceased 10 come struggling honeward, and
ST thrr, was no news Of the ten missing
ehppners Gradually the CONVICTION gained
gt'unl TINT they were surely lost First tho
poop" generally gave them up. then the owners
confessed that they must he wrecked, and llnally
,he uni"rwriters began 10 count their losses.
h)pr Ihey wept and wning their hands. and
th" g9'i missionary who carried them food
Thought On. or two OF those bercaved women
would become insane through the violence
the lost ones They counted over the days u
abH"ne" in the almanac again and again, ami
h'hooners were not So very long overdue. and
tn i thr{, would ~ rrtnTn' one woman the
Alexander MrCloul won't in the schooner John
T.. Tyler, became frantic with grief. Her two
daughters both school girls. could not comfort
her. Gradually she became more eaim. she
fell into a state OF mournful silence. Now she
eit- 10y her little stove. with her gray hair comh,
81 smoothly over her temples, her hands folded
l-t,c7-ly in her lap her iace bloodrss. her - a
ri. and thinks and thinks. Sometimes bars
drop silently over her checks, and always she
war IN same unvarying "XI rcssion OF mons
urrl's- sorrow. When spoken To- she starts
from her sad rrvcrie. and answers in an almost
inhudlDs monotone; hut the words seem ut r.
ei m" 'hanle ally. without stirring her mind, AMI
d.. gtl ely rlapsgs into silence,
II Q husband had come ath"less homo from
NOR thln the usunl number Of voyages allotted
T. IN" winter fishermen OF Cape Ann, but her
Son wii, lust beginning ~ tempt the dangerous
bank
Beyond East Gloucester there is a long blum
fronting the sea. W tn're som" 81 u" lougy
Y mon 0lmhcd and watched for in olning sails.
Ih"ir uirnds their household cares had lost
all li rest for them Ih"ir 'ntlre attention
Nd7 brut On one oipo"t, Invisible, but never
n'- M rom their hearts. The sharp winds
T. win cover their ie'-hound harhor. nuttrrcd
thor thin garments, but as long ~ they rohll
k,e i.rv watched, and AZ night they prayed
IAN i.lt 81 Gloucester ku lWn ar IA" I'Ntil-
& uANrtrr. on account 0l rs bong principally
lnhN' ny Portugu So fishermen and tl"I
lnmli.-. li.- on bun "a the north -easi-rn
s''u.n oi the town In this region the wlii'
My'i o. iuu-c- overlook tho Atlantic Tor miles
ON 90. zinc % Ia, families OF the lost Usher
NJ Arthur O Nool whose husband was n,