San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-07-10
A GRIN TALE OF THE SEA.
A DARK CLOUD FOLLOWS THE SAXON
ACROSS THE OCEAN.
Terrible Voyage of q Ship from Havre to
New Orleans-A Chapter in the Life of
Brave Mariner-The Awful Death
Record the Ships Log.

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 contagious disease is
raging and no one knows when his turn may
come and his lifeless 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 his log book
This log book is continuous narrative of
Heath, 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
most interesting volume. Such things, how
ever, would have little interest for the average
reader
Oct. g. 1854, the Saxon, with 437 passen-
gers, was lowed out of Havre, homeward
bound on a voyage that was to try the soul
If 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"
'ounded the key note of the entire passage.
The next day, buried woman" and the
next, buried a 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
Jot- tln IL e eel II,
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
aim on this i'll starred voyage. She too falls
avictim. At five in the morning she is taken
very i'll, and from that time till her death
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 the two
French doctors, who did all in their power to
ave her, but in vain. On the morning of the
list 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 car be kept, we shall keep it by all
means The mate has not left the room since
she was taken sick" At 1:3O he says: "She
H. i
the Saxon"
On the next day, 'She is very low, but
without pain" At II p. m, Sinking fast"
At 2 a. m. she closed her eyes in death, and
the sorrowful man exclaims, II feel as though
had lost all in life worth living for. The
passengers are dying at the rate of two a 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
sst blow had fallen upon the unhappy sailor
but not the last. On the 9th this entry APP
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
gator 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-
tall 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. IS he made this entry: Buried a |
child" on the 29th, Buried two children" |
and SO on till Dec. l. 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 |
tahty 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
Gov eringS One day he heard that the passen-
gers were cutting up their berth boards and
burning them. There was no need Of this, as
they were well supplied with wood and coal,
and he promptly threatened them with CON
inement i'm irons if they persisted. On one
occasion he had 20 thrash a man for Fighting
d woman, nc another time h0 had 10 use |
force 70 quell a eight among them. They be-
gan 20 show a mutinous and dishearteuod