The Portland daily press., 1890-10-30
THE CAPTAIN STUCK TO THE SHIP.
Particulars of the Loss of the III
Fated Ship st. Mary's.
She Weathered Storm and Collision
Only to Meet Destruction.
Her Commander, a Rockiand Man,
Died Alone on the Wreck.
Especial to the Press. !


RoCKLAND, October 29'-The Free Press
today will print highly interesting letter in
regard to the i'll fated ship st. Mary's. recent
ly wrecked on the Falkland Islands, and
commanded by Captain Carver of this city,
an account of whose death recently ap-
peared in print. The letter is written by
Samuel Gilmore, one of the sailors, to his
father in st. Stephen, N. B., and reads as
follows
"We had fine passage as far as the Cape" "
says the writer of the letter, ''but when we
rounded 1t we struck a gale right in our
teeth. On the night of August 3rd we were
run into by a big iron ship and completely
disabled. We battered around till the 7tb,
not daring to run before the wind on account
of the high sea, when we wore ship and
headed for these islands, intending to obtain
repairs. We again passed the Cape on the
81 Sh on the Of the 10th sight
O'Clock that night breakers were reported
ahead. The order was quickly given to
keep her off, but it was too late, and the
81. Mary's struck and remained on the rocks.
We got four boats over and, after supply
ing them with provisions, waited for day.
light. fearing every instant that the masts
would go by the board We were spared this,
however, and i'll the early morning we all
got into the boats, except the captain,
WIN I6luS6Q bO us. I1O bOlu
MS that we needn't trouble ourselves about
him, that everything he possessed in the
world was in the ship and that he was going
with 1t. He displayed glass, which con-
tained a liquid we supposed to be poison,
and told us that he intended to swallow it.
Then threatening to shoot the first man who
went near him, he ordered us to shove off
and save ourselves. We demonstrated with
him in vain. and at last, though very reluc-
family, were compelled to leave him.
"At eleven o'clock the same morning we
landed on the bank of small creek in an
island about fifteen miles from the ship.
There was no sign of life there, but, climb
ing hill near, we sighted another island
not far away on which we discovered a
house. We again manned the boat and
rowed to the second island, which we dis
covered was occupied and utilized as a sheep
farm. We were taken care of by the people
there, and word of the disaster and of our
arrival was sent round to Port Stanley, from
which place vessel was despatched to re-
ceive us. The next day we returned to our
ship and found the captain dead. We took
the body and brought it here with us. A
post mortem examination of the body was
made and the doctor announced that heart
disease caused his death. The body was
subsequently buried. The captain was a
"We are row in charge of the American
consul and are quartered at different houses
In the village. The people are very kind and
we are we'll taken care OF. 1t is lucky that
we were not cast ashore on the mainland or
Terra del Fuego, as it is probable we all
would have been eaten up before this.
'We are to be here until September 10th,
when we shall take the mail steamer for
MOntevideo."
Additional tidings may be expected at any
time, and the arrival of the castaways in a
northern port is eagerly awaited by those in
terested in the ship and her commander,
whose less is widely mourned.