Wichita eagle., 1889-05-28
THE SPARRoWHAWK.
Strange Story OF q Good Ship
Wrecked A d 1897.
How the Craft Vas Preserved In . Sand
Dune-It. Removal in 1865 by Patriotic
Son of New England One of the
Rarest Relics in Plymouth Hall.


Rarest Relics in Plymouth Hall.
One Of the wonderful stories of both land
ard sea is the tale Of the vessel Sparrow
hawk. The ship was wrecked on Cape Cod
ID the winter of l6s5, on voyage from En-
gland to Virginia. and for time Us passen-
gers were sheltered by the pilgrim fathers
at Plymouth. The vessel was preserved in
asand dune about two miles from Orleans
naroor, which opens On the Atlantic, and
until 1863 was lost 10 recollection IL
was lifted into creek by q 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
al iron about her had disappeared Her
upper works had been burned. probably
after she was stranded When whole
she was probably vessel of seventy tens,
and her midship section was seIni-circular.
showing good carrying capacity and stabil-
ity, while her de2dwood was very long,
which indicated a long run. and, conse-
Quently, fast sailer. The ribs were
pieced up in q manner which had always
been thought TO be modern innovation in
ship carpentry. IL is also mentioned tina,
the keel showed but one mast-step, and in
dicates the probability that the vessel had
a small mast away aft, after the 1t thai
time common rig OF the ketch.
The Sparrowhawk was big enough q
cross the Atlantic, says the Providence
Journal, but had keel only twenty-eight
feet and ten inches long. She had great
rake at both stem and stern, and measured
forty feeG long on deck, with depth of nine
and half feet. She is said 70 have had
"many passengers in her and sundris
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
trans Atlantic service of those DAYS. The
history OF Gov. Bradford on this point reads:
''They had lost themselves at sea, either
by the insnficiency of ye master or his
lines; for he was sick and lame of We
scurvie, so that he could but lie in We cabin
doare and give direction; and II would
seem was badly assisted, either with mats
or mariners; or else go fear aud unruhness
of We passengers were such as they made
him stear course betweene We southwest
and We northwest that they might fall with
some land, whatsoever il was they cared
not. For they had been six weeks at sea,
and had no water, nor Deere, nor any woode
left, but had burnt up all their eInptie caske;
only one of We company had "a hogsncad of
wine or two. which was also almost spente,
so as they feared they should be starved al
sea or consumed with diseases, which made
them rune this desperate course. But II
plased God tina. though they came so neare
We shoulds OF Cape Codd peaked hill and
Nauset bars or else ran stumbling over
them in we night, they knew not how,
they came right before small bhnd
marlboro that lies about We middle OF
Man moyake bay 10 ye southwark OF
Cape Codd, with small gale OF wind, and
about high water toucht upon barr OK
sand that Ives before 1t. but had no hurt,
We sea being smooth; SO they laid out an
anchore. But towards the evening the wind
sprunge up at sea ana was so rough "a
broake their cable and beat them over the
bar into We marlboro, where they saved their
lives and goods, though much were hurte
with salt water; for with beating they had
sprung We butt end of plank or TOO, and
beat out their occ0me (0akgp) but they
were soone over and ran on a drie fiat within
the harbor, close bys 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:
neither was the ship much hurt but she
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 10
Plymouth, and two men were sent with
guides 70 bring assistance. II was sup
posed that the vessel could be saved, and
some repairs were made upon her, but
storm arose and she was thrown upon the
shore The shipwrecited company went u
Plymouth and remained there until the end
Of the next summer, when they wero taken
to Virginia
The creek in which the vessel went ashore
became in time a swamp, aud at last was
lost sight of. a sand dune rose above II,
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 iR
17s2 when the sands slid away and
showed IT'S tirnbers. But nobody cared
about IL then. II was not uncovered agaip
until 1853, upon Mag Of which year
IL WAS seen by Messrs. Solomon Linnell, %.
and Alfred Rogers. Mr.. LiuneIl had passed
the very same spot without seeing the relic
two DAYS before that time. The hulk 70
NAMED where IL had been found for several
months, and was visited by many Autiqgaries.
In August 1sG5. IL was again covered with
sand for a short time. Mr. Amos OTIS, ~
Barnstable, about that time maj . a statement
81 the finding and history Of the wreck, and
q little later Mr.. Charles " LiverTD0re,
now OF this city, bat thea resident Of Bos-
ton, together with Mr. Leander Crosby. 81
Orleans. dug the wreck out Of rs sandy bed.
Nr Liyerroore paid the bills and 10 was 70
moved 10 Boston. II was exhibited on Bos-
ton common for SIX weeks and was then
brought 20 this city and was on exhibition
for q week
Mr. Liverrnore has given the relic % ths
Pilgrim Society, which 0 WINS Plymouth Hall,
the home of so many colonial rallies, ~ Ply
mouth, Mass. BE bad kept u IA this city. IN
storage, fran 1ssS TIL Feoreary Is. 1850 II
had always been bis intention 70 give u 20
al antiquarian society Tho Pilgrim 80
csety was written - and TWO members ~ 10
visited This city and iooked over ths Cd
tsEabers. They found tseD apparently a.
solid as they were ia i1s8. and Mr.. Liver
more passed them into The socisfy's hands
for all tine. TIE rnbsrs were bored up
and sent q, and they are now 81 Plyuogth.
where ship carpenters vii set them up IN
Plymouth Hzll, II they hare not already
done %.
Getting Even with fGzs-