The Red Cloud chief., 1886-03-05
IN A WRECK.
Thrilling Experience of a st. Law
romeo Fisherman.

AolASC Z l5uCIlAlous
Mr.. II. r. PctcTlcc. keeper of the
Wry Head Light. relates the following
remarkable personal experience while
or a iishin. voyage TO the Grand Banks
of Newfoundland eight years since:
My father and my grandfather
Were both Methodist ministers. and
VIXEN ] vas Il boy used quite fire.
qucntly to hear them read from the
Scriptures the story of Jonah. In those
days. however. the account made no
very great impression on my mind. but
now read it with a peculiar interest
and sympathy. for ! sometimes think
there is not probably a living man
whose experience 40 closely resembles
the ancient prophets AZ my own.
Like many another Cape Ann boy,
my first experience OF life was AZ n
fisherman. went to the Bay as we
used To term the Gulf Of st. Lawrence,
when | WAS fourteen years old. ship
ping on the schooner Secret upon half
lines ~ WAS thch the phrase. meaning
that ] had half the cod, halibut or
mackercl which l could catch, the other
half going TO the owners of the vessel.
For five years | was out On this lay
every season and made fair wages.
The last year l was on the schooner
Edna and Harold. Skipper Groom.
There was a crew of eleven. including
the captain and cook. a mulatto named
Desaye. On the night of the 2Sth of
August (this being our second trip that
.summa). VIC were run down by some
large vessel. a steamer. I judged by the
sound. and every soul on board
drowned save myself.
The schooner WAS lying at anchor.
with lights up As usual. had turned
in that night shortly after eleven
o'clock; there WAS then no fog. but a
mist may have risen later. As it often
did. From a sound nap | was Weakened
suddenly by a loud shout of Ship ahoy!
and a clattcr of feet on deck. At the
same instant | was aware of q rushing.
roaring noise. and a deep sound like the
turning of a Propcl!cr's screws. There
were shouts. too. at 4 little distance. |
Captain Groom and two ssilors-Cates |
AMI Smith by name. who were in the
cabin. but less soundly asleep. perhaps.
then Jumped ont of their berths. |
and rushed up the ladder. But before
could follow their example. | felt the
swa>h of = large wave against the
schooner. followed the same instan. by |
a horrible crash against our broadsidc. A!
Il WAS thrown headlong. The
lantern fell off its psg. and went out.
Bunk-boards. bed-clcthcs and boxes
fell about me and upon mo. Then
came another terrible shock. accom-
panied by \ surging noise. and l could
feel-horrilhe sensation!-that our little
vessel was being borne down and
c%areening over! There was \ ponder
II grating. crunchinS noise overhead.
mingled with terrified shouts and cries.
Then the water rushed into the cabin,
drenching me in a moment. l rose.
half->wimming in it. amidst the boxes.
boards and clothes. For some me-
ments the same heavy. grinding noise
continued overhead. IL was the keel
OF the large vessel passing over u.s.
crushing us down! 1 even heard the
thrashing of her huge screw. We were
n that moment twenty feet under
water. thrust bodily down by the sheer
weight and momentum Of the steamer.
and that, too. before our little craft
had had time to ill or sink; for the in
slant the steamers keel passed off her.
l fclt iae schooner give a mighty lurch.
which pitched me h~eadlong again; and
then She rose to the surface.
Half stranglinS. and tumblinr
about, ! gained = foothold. and stand
in. up. found my head clear of water.
/ was still IN the cabin. but the water
game up to my waist. was so dazed
that | had little idea what had hap
pened ut first; l thought for a time
thai the schooner had sunk. and Iwon- |
dcred that the water did not Till her
and drown me; but after a few mo-
ments l felt the motion OF the waves.
and knew t,sen that We were still afioat
] say ws. for l did not then know that
i was the only person left alive on
board. immediately. too. made the
discovery. by stepping about and tax
ing hold of the objects around me. that
l was s:aading on tie eeiling of our lit
tie cabin. " in other words. the under
side OF the deck. and that the schooner
consequently capsized. or nearly
SO. and floating keel upward. Then for