Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-04-27
THE owe ARE HERE.
Sedgwick Man Was Cook on Schooner
Made Famous by kipling.

4VIdue ny
Will G. Higgins, respected colored cit
izen of Sedgwick, is especially interested
I in Kipling's STORY of life on the Grand
Banks, which speaks of an old Glouces-
ter fisherman, called the 1--WE Are Here,
for the reason that he was at one time
cook of that vessel. He relates many odd
experiences and queer things that hap
pened to the crew when the 1--WE Are
Here was owned in Sedgwick and sailed
to the banks from that port. 1t was six
teen or eighteen years ago, when Eugene
Churchill, of Orland, was captain.
"One time, y says MIR, Higgins, 1--WE left
Sedgwick just the day after one of the
heaviest blows the bankers had witnessed
for years. That year more ships We're lost
on the banks than ever was known before.
The whole French fleet was wrecked and
went to bottom, and seventeen Gloucester
vessels went down. OF the whole feet an
chored near the Virgin Rocks, only one
ship escaped, and the sailors say they
pounded each other to pieces in the awful
storm.
In eight days after we left Sedgwick
we We're at the Virgin Rocks. The sea
was as calm lake, with the exception
of the great lazy swels. We knew moth
ing of the awful disaster that had so lately
taken place, but were somewhat surprised
to see SO few fishermen there. We were
about our work in the morning preparing
for the fishing, when one of the crew
noticed an odd sight. He said at first it
was whale, bat the captain took a glass
and reported that he thought it was a
vessel bottom up. We hoisted sail and
made for the thing and soon We're along
side. We lowered dory and two of the
crew crawled up aboard and walked along
the keel. They heard some odd noise and
took to the boat, thinking the wreck was
haunted. They wanted the captain to
leave the place
THE captain was about to comply but
it occurred to him that it might be pos
sible to get some of the valuables, if she
had any, for large portion of the vessel
was out of water and the sea calm. All
that was necessary was to cut a hole in
the bottom He took an AK and he
and | went aboard. We reasoned as
near as we could about how far forward
to go to get the house, and began to dig
a hole. We heard something pounding
from the inside, but thought it nothing
but the action of the rigging or some
thing like that. But we kept cutting and
pretty soon we had small hole through
and let the light in.
1.-The hole was not more than six inches
wide, when we We're surprised to see
stick poke out, and as we jumped back
in fear we heard a human voice. We got
fearful start, for it did seem impossible
that a living thing could exist down in
the bottom of that old hulk, but we got
down near the hole and yelled as loud as
we could. Our voices sounded like the
echo in large rain barrel. Pretty soon
the echo died away and we heard some
understand what they said, but we were
sure that at least one live man was aboard
'We dug the hole larger, and when the
light shone in so we could see, we found
two men alive and well. They We're
Frenchmen and all that was left of crew
of twenty-five. They had been in the
gale eight days before and were asleep
when she went over. They could talk no
English and of the interpreter they in
quired the day of the week and month in
order to find out how long they had been
there. We put them aboard a French
them"