Wichita eagle., 1889-08-20
A GRIM TALE OF THE SEA.
4 DARK CLOUD FOLLOWS THE SAXON
ACROSS THE OCEAN.

Terrible voysge OF & Ship from Havre to
New Orleans-A Chapter in the Life OF
q Brave Mariner-The Awful Death
Record on the Ships Log.
What fearful thing, then it must be to be
confined to ship where death is daily
occurrence, where q contagious disease is
raging and no one knows when his turn may
come and his ifeles form, inclosed in a
shotted hammock, may be committed to the
deep. Such a 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 bis 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-
tons Of latitude, longitude, etc., would be a
most interesting volume. Such things, how
ever, would have little interest for the average
reader.
Oct. 9, 1854, the Saxon, with 437 passen-
gers, was towed out of Havre, homeward
bound on 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
day or two the record of death begins
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, ''buried 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 Finisterre 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 decimating
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 i'll starred voyage She too falls
a victim. At five in the morning she is taken
VA ~ oh0 IL tuGS l1uio ILL Ottst ia
the loving husbands grief and despair is
mingled with the more prosaic details of each
days events. She suffered no pain, but
rapidly weakened Her life, no doubt, was
prolonged by the assiduous care of tho two
French doctors, who did all in their power to
save her, but in vain. On the morning of the
2lst 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
II she dies what is to be done with the body.
Ii 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: "Shs
sleeps quietly; dark cloud seems to follow
the Saxon"
On the next day, "She is very low, but
without pain" At 12 p. M, Sinking fast"
At : a. m. she closed her eyes in death, and
he sorrowful man exclaims, II feel as though
had lost all in life worth living for. The
passengers are dying at the rate of two day,
md seem surrounded by sickness and death.
The passengers that take care of themselves
ire all right, but those who are not clean in
heir habits and careful about eating and
thinking are the first to be taken" The hard
st blow had fallen upon the unhappy sailor,
'ut not the last. On the Goth this entry APP
Years: Another death at nidnight-my
nate, Joshua Keller He suffered terrible
'aln from cramps till death relieved him
The doctors say his death was caused by ex-
'osure and imprudence His home was in
aockland, Me. he leaves a wife and infant
hid l am now all alone, and the only nav
gator on board the ship. God only knows
What will become of the ship and the passen-
,ers if happen to take the cholera and die"
This last misfortune, however, did not be-
all the ship, though it seems almost mira
le that he was spared. Every care fell upon
is shoulders The crew and passengers had
0 be watched Even the second mate and
he cook could not be trusted.
THE ONLY NAVIGATOR LEFT.
Every part Of the ship had to be visited
ally, and the burials had to be superintend
d by him, for the deaths occurred with
orrible regularity.
Nov. 2s he made this entry: Buried
hild;" on the Goth, Buried two children"
nd so on till Dec. /, when forty-five had
led In the twenty-five days since leaving |
favre. They dropped of suddenly, some |
ines without an hours warning The NOR
atty seemed greatest among the children. |
IN each recurring day of the week on which |
is wife died, the pathetic entry occurs, |
One, two or three weeks since my wife |
led" Her body he religiously preserved. /
he remains were carefully inclosed in a can
as sack aud this was thoroughly coated with /
IT; at intervals he added succeeding tarred /
anvas cases until there were five of these /
overings. One day he heard that the passen-
ers were cutting up their berth boards and /
urning them There was no need Of this, as
ley were well supplied with wood and coal,
nd he promptly threatened them with con-
IN irons II they persisted. On one
ccasion he had to thrash a man for fighting
woman; a. another time he had to use
'rce to quell fight among them. They be
IN TO show a nutinous and disheartened
sirit Capt Groton was not half way
AN, and when he speaks of Christening" arg
,e, it no doubt meant a sound thrashing for
le unruly Frenchman.
One day rush WIS made for him when
anding aft and a. a great disadvantage, but
the earnest representations by the French
octors of their helpless condition without
avigator, they concluded not to throw him
Terboard They took it as an injury that
} should SO carefully preserve his wife's
,dy, while theirs were consigned a. once to
e water. Thus the weary days went By.
n the 9Th Of December, when near their des-
nation, the Saxon go. aground 1t seemed
if the ship would go to pieces The pas
myers were safely taken ashore, and az high
ater ths ship foated The company re-
aud in few-davs landed al New
rieaus
Sixty eight had started from France whose
dies marked the ghastly route Of tAs Saxon
ross the ocean Many CT the rest q the 457
I've since crossed the ocean OF life. but some