Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-07-12
A GRIM TALE OF THE SEA.
A DARK CLOUD FOLLOWS THE SAXON
ACROSS THE OCEAN.

| New Orleans-A Chapter IN the Life of
a Brave Mariner-The Awful Death
Record on the Ships Log.
What fearful thing, then it must be to be
confined to a ship where death is daily
occurrence, where contagious disease is
raging and no one knows when his turn may
come and his Gfeless form, inclosed in
shotted hammock, may be committed to the
deep. Such voyage was the passage of the
Maine ship Saxon, Capt. Groton, from Havre
to New Orleans in 1854 Capt. Groton has
long since passed away, but these incidents
were related to the writer by his brother, and
may be verified by his log book.
This log book is a continuous narrative of
death, storm and disaster, and without the
usual descriptions of courses sailed, directions
Of wind each hour, state of weather, observa-
tions of latitude longitude, etc., would h, a
most interesting volume. Such things, how
ever, would haveli little interest for the average
reader
Oct. 9, 1854, the Saxon, with 437 passen-
gers, was towed out of Havre, homeward
bound on a voyage that was to try the soul
of her brave commander The first entry of
the log book is business like enough. We are
told that the tug boat received the neat sum
of $40, and left them to themselves. But in
Oct II the ominous words, "Buried one GIRL"
sounded the key note of the entire passage.
The next day, ''buried a woman" and the
next, "bured child"
On Sunday, the 18th, the island of Ushant
was seen, and the captain states the passen-
gers were mostly well; but on the 10Th the
terribly monotonous entry again appears,
Buried an old man." For the next few
days the records are of fearful gales, sails
blown to pieces, and the ship hove to for
safety.
Cape Fnisterre is passed, and with land
still in sight, three of the passengers go over
the ships side, and two of the crew are sick.
Up to this time nothing has been said as to
the nature of pestilence SO rapidly decinaating
the ships company, but now we learn that it
is pronounced cholera by two French physi-
clans who happen to be among the passengers.
Now we learn also that the captains wife,
whom he had but recently married, is with
him on this ill starred voyage. She too falls
victim. At five in the morning she is taken
very ill, and from that time till her death
the loving husbands grief and despair is
mingled with the more prostdc details Of each
days events. She suffered no pain, but
rapidly weakened. Her life, no doubt, was
prolonged by the assiduous care of the two
French doctors, who did all in their power to
save her, but in vain. On the morning of the
21st he writes: My wife is very sick and
weak. She is failing fast She cannot live,
but still hope that she will. The mate asks
if she dies what is to be done with the body.
If it can be kept, we shall keep it by all
means. The mate has not left the room since
she was taken sick" At II 80 he says: ''She
sleeps quietly; a dark cloud seems to follow
the Saxon"
On the next day, "She is very low, but
without pain" At IL p. M, @sinking fast"
At a. m she closed her eyes in death, and
the sorrowful man exclaims, "Ifeel as though
l had lost all in life worth living for. The
passengers are dying at the rate of two day,
and seem surrounded by sickness and death.
The passengers that take care of themselves
are all right, but those who are not clean in
their habits and careful about eating and
drinking are the first to be taken" The hard
est blow had fallen upon the unhappy sailor,
but not the last. On the Goth this entry ap-
pears: Another death at midnight-my
mate, Joshua Keller He suffered terrible
pain from cramps till death relieved him.
The doctors say his death was caused by ex-
posture and imprudence. His home was in
Rockland, Me. He leaves a wife and infant
child am now all alone, and the only nav
igator on board the ship. God only knows
what will become of the ship and the passen-
gers if happen to take the cholera and die"
This last misfortune, however, did not be-
fall the ship, though it seems almost a mira
Gle that he was spared. Every care fell upon
his shoulders The crew and passengers had
to be watched. Even the second mate and
the cook could not be trusted.
THE ONLY NAVIGATOR LEFT.
Every part of the ship had to be visited
daily, and the burials had to be superintend
ed By him, for the deaths occurred with
horrible regularity.
Nov. 2S he made this entry: Buried a
child" on the Goth, Buried two children"
and so on till Dec. /, when forty-five had
died in the twenty-five days since leaving
Havre. They dropped off suddenly, some
times without an hours warning. The NOR
tality seemed greatest among the children.
On each recurring day of the week on which
his wife died, the pathetic entry occurs,
Zone, two or three weeks since my wife
died" Her body he religiously preserved.
The remains were carefully inclosed in a can
vas sack and this was thoroughly coated with
tar; at intervals he added succeeding tarred
canvas cases until there were five of these
coverings. One day he heard that the passen-
gers were cutting up their berth boards and
burning them. There was no need of this, as
and he promptly threatened them with con-
fnement in irons if they persisted. On one
occasion he had to thrash man for fighting
a woman; at another time he had to use
force to quell fight among them. They be-
gan to show mutinous and disheartened
spirit. Capt Groton was not half way
man, and when he speaks of christening" any
one, it no doubt meant sound thrashing for
the unruly Frenchman.
One day II rush was made for him when
standing as and at great disadvantage, but
at the earnest representations by the French
doctors of their helpless condition without g.
navigator, they concluded not to throw him
overheard. They took it as injury that
he should SO carefully preserve his wife's
body, while theirs were consigned at once to
the water. Thus the weary days went by
On the 9th of December, when near their des-
tination, the Saxon got aground 1t seemed
as if the ship would go to pieces. The pas
sengers were safely taken ashore, and at high
water the ship foated. The company re-
embarked, and in a few days landed at New
Orleans.
Sixty eight had started from France whose
bodies marked the CHASTITY route of the Saxon
across the ocean. Many of the restof the 437
have since crossed the ocean of life, but some
no doubt still live to recall their dreadful
voyage to the New World.
AS closed the old log book was invited
to look at the portraits of Capt. Groton and
his wife, made shortly before her death. The
features of Capt. Groton were those Of a man
fitted to go steadily on through scenes of sick
ness and death in the straight path of duty,
but it was sad to think that the lovely face of
his wife should have settled into the repose of
death at the very commencement of what
- I,.x L. L.
was marked by constant misfortune.-G George
w. Singer in Lewiston Me0 Journal
A Cynicism.
Fond Spouse-Wa Walters hair was the love-
lest color when he was little: I've got curl