Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-05-14
THE SPARROWHAWK.
Strange Story of a Good Ship
 Wrecked A. D. 1927.

Strange Story of a Good Ship
 Wrecked A. D. 1927.
 How the Craft Was Preservod in . Sand
 Dune-Its Removal in 1865 by . Patriotic
 Son of Now England = Ono of tho
 Rarest Relics in Plymouth Hall.
 One of the wonderful stories of both land and sea is the tale of the vessel Sparrow in the winter of 1927, on voyage from En- gland to Virginia, and for time its passen- gers were sheltered by the pilgrim fathers at Plymouth. The vessel was preserved in sand dune about two miles from Orleans harbor, which opens on the Atlantic, and until 1868 was lost to recollection. It was lifted into creek by a great storm, and then by the incidents of sand drift was covered up The vessel was well-built of oak, and there was no trace of decay, while all iron about her had disappeared. Her upper works had been burned, probably after she was stranded. When whole she was probably vessel of seventy tons, and her midship section was semi-circular, showing good carrying capacity and stabil- ity, while her deadwood was very long, which indicated long run, and, conse- quently, a fast sailer. The ribs were pieced up in a manner which had always been thought to be a modern innovation in ship carpentry. It is also mentioned that the keel showed but one mast-step, and in- dicates the probability that the vessel had a small mast away aft, after the at that time common rig of the ketch.
 The Sparrowhawk was big enough to cross the Atlantic says the Providence Journal but had a keel only twenty eight feet and ten inches long. She had great rake at both stem and stern, and measured forty feet long on deck, with depth of nine and half feet. She is said to have had "many passengers in her and sundrie goods," and from what Governor Brad ford's "History of Plymouth plantations" tells of the wreck her importance was com parable with that of any vessel in the transatlantic service of those days. The history of Gov Bradford on this point reads:
 "They had lost themselves at sea, either by the insufficiency of ye maister or his lines for he was sick and lame of ye scurvie, so that he could but lie in ye cabin doare and give direction; and it would seem was badly assisted, either with mate or mariners; or else ye fear and unruliness of ye passengers were such as they made him stear 8 course betweene ye southwest and ye northwest that they might fall with some land, whatsoever 1t was they cared not. For they had been six weeks at sea, and had no water, nor beere, nor any woode left, but had burnt up all their emptie caske; only one of ye company had a hogshead of wine or t7vo which was also almost spente, so as they feared they should be starved at sea or consumed with diseases, which made them rune this desperate course. But it biased God that though they came so neare ye shoulds of Cape Coda Peaked hill and Nauset bars) or else ran stumbling over them in ye night, they knew not how, they came right before small blind harbore that lies about ye middle of Manmoyake bay to ye southward of Cape Codd, with small gale of wind, and about high water toucht upon barr of sand that Ives before it, but had no hurt, ye sea being smooth; so they laid out an anchore. But towards the evening the wind sprunge up at sea and was so rough as broake their cable and beat them over the bar into ye harbore, where they saved their lives and goods, though much were hurte with salt water; for with beating they had spfung ye butt end of a plank or too, and beat out their become (oakum) but they were soone over and ran on drie Hat within the harbor, close by beach, so at low water they got out their goods on drie shore and dried those that were wette, and saved most of their things without any great loss
 
 might be mended and made servisable againe.''
 When every thing and every body was ashore in the wilderness, Governor Brad ford says that they were much cast down, but Indians at length offered to guide them to Plymouth, and two men were sent with guides to bring assistance. It was sup posed that the vessel could be saved, and some repairs were made upon her, but o,,1 o1o %1a shore. The shipwrecked company went to Plymouth and remained there until the end of the next summer, when they were taken to Virginia.
 The creek in which the vessel went ashore became in time swamp, and at last was lost sight of. A sand dune rose above 1t, and this was for century called ''The Old Ship" The wreck remained covered for over two hundred and forty years, with the exception of a single day in 17S2, when the sands slid away and showed it's timbers. But nobody cared about it then. It was not uncovered again until 1863, upon May of which year it was seen by Messrs. Solomon Linnell 2d, and Alfred Rogers. MT. Linnell had passed the very same spot without seeing the relic two days before that time. The hulk re- mained where it had been found for several months, and was visited by many antiquaries. in August, 1o65, 1t was agaln covered With sand for short time. MT. Amos Otis, of Barnstable, about that time mad e a statement of the finding and history of the wreck, and a little later MT. Charles w. Livermore, now of this city, but then a resident of Bos- ton, together with MT. Leander Crosby, of Orleans, dug the wreck out of it's sandy bed. MT. Livermore paid the bills and it was re- moved to Boston. It was exhibited on Bos- ton common for six weeks and was then brought to this city and was on exhibition for week.
 Mir. Livermore has given the relic to the Pilgrim Society, which owns Plymouth Hall the home of so many colonial relics, at Ply mouth, Mass. He had kept it in this city, in storage, from 1865 till February 15, 1889. It had always been his intention to give it to an antiquarian society. The Pilgrim So- ciety was written to and two members of 1t visited this city and looked over the old timbers. They found them apparently as solid as they were in 1863, and Mr. Liver more passed them into the society's hands for all time. The timbers were boxed up and sent oil, and they are now at Plymouth, where ship carpenters will set them up in Plymouth Hall, if they have not already