The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-02-11
CAPTAINS Tale About the Vile
du HaWe Disaster.
Why he CHANGED HIS COURSE.
Arrived Just In Time 10 Rescue elgaiy-fhs
Survivors Of The ATsck
BY So Doing.

a fine specimen OF the retired American
seaman and shipmaster. Al his residence
No. Is Madison avenue. New York, may
be seen many mementoes OF seafaring
life, including a silver beaker presented
by the British government in recognition
of his rescue of the crew OF an Ehsllsh
ship in 80 IAN immense silver salVer pre-
sented by the citizens OF Bristol, Eng
land: a silver service, the gift OF the res
cucd passengers of the steamship VINE du
liayre, and the maritime medal OF honor
OF the French government, also for the
captains services 10 the survivors OF that
Inflated craft.
This last beautiful souvenir he cherish
es with special pride, partly because 1t is
the highest honor ever awarded by the
government of France To a merchant
mariner and because II commentaries
the most remarkable adventure OF his life
the ocean.
Captain Urquhart was IN command Of
the American ship Trimountain when the
singular chain OF circumstances occurred
that resulted In the rescue. The VILE du
Havre was run down by the Scotch snip
Locbearn on Nov. -. 1873. More than 2OO
souls perished with the steamship, and
the Trimountain appeared just In time
10 take from the heavily laboring Loch-
earn the eghty-fve' persons she had res
cued from the Vile du HaVre.
..The Trimountain was in this port
ready for sea near the middle of Novem-
ber." said Captain Uruuhart In telling of
the disaster. "She was loaded with a
general cargo bound for Bristol, England.
Ii was Saturday when the last package
was pat aboard and We anchored in the
bay.
.'The owner said TO me- Captain, l
suppose you will be Off bright and early
in the morning. l replied: Well. IL IL
is your urgent wish j will sail tomorrow.
hut have always made il a rule not TO
begin voyage on Sunday: therefore. II
yol insist upon IL, you must not hold me
responsible for any misfortune.
POSTPONED TIME OF SAILING.
".well, said he. 4, Is not the usual
thing TO hear sea captain talk like that;
however. ] agree with YOU that the GUS
tom Is good one, and will leave the
matter of starting entirely in your
hands Consequently. We rested on the
first day, ana weighing anchor early on
Monday morning. with a fair wind, pro-
Ceeded on our voyage.
'''rhen occurred the first of the extra
ordinary events Which go 10 make up this
story. Without any clearly defined rea-
son for so doing, / decided TO make
more northerly passage than | had ever
done before. There was nothing to be
gained by leaving the course OF the Gulf
Stream farther south, which | had been
accustomed 10 follow. and 1 was con-.
scious only OF desire To- make what 1
might have called an experiment.
1--WE sailed peacefully along until we
reached the banks OF Newfoundland,
where We ran into dense fog that last
ed several days During that time the
thought often came 10 me that I'm case
should fall I'm with wrecked steamer
on the passage. / could accommodate the
passengers nicely, since for the first time
eastward bound. | had some sixty feet OF
space to spare in the upper 'tween-decks.
owing 10 the charterer having miscalcu-
lated
However. certainly did not expect to
run across anything of the kind. and at
tributed the frequent recurrence OF the
thought to the vacant space under
matches The fog cleared up at 10 O'Clock
on the evening Of Nov. II, and an hour
later I got the altitude OF the polar star,
computed my latitude. and found my
longitude by dead reckoning.
Having crossed the Atlantic SO many
times. | seldom looked at the general
chart for knew my way from New York
TO London as we'll as from the Battery tC
Central park but being now out of my
usual track. ] thought best to prick hei
of on the chart. We sailors say anC
shape my course for the Bristol channel
When / completed my reckoning J found
10 my surprise that if Il was correct VI
were heading straight for the tabled rocl
called Bnrenethy
BARENETHY, THE FABLED ROCK
.'The discovery brought me back som
five years 80 "A conversation that wa
now the cause Of "A certain feeling q
apprehension. In Shadwell basin OF th
London docks whom the New York AM
london liners were Ia their glory, Ia
captains uften met in the cabins oi thci
different ships To- dine
ION one of these occasions when scvera
shippers happened to bc my guests th
conversation drifted into the subject o
the many rocks reported tu be- in an
track or vessels between Europe an
America. Not one OF vs. believed In th
existence OF any of these rocks cNccl
Captain Y. OF the shin Patrick Henr,
.C;cntlemen said hc. J know OF one roc
which does exist and thai Is Barcneth,
but i,s true location IS NOT tho place In
dicated on the chart
Now. Captain Y. was reputed 10 h
always seeing wonders. fIc was reesrdt
ss the posscssor OF an expansive iinsglns
fior and credited with telling big Nsrn,
80 he WAS laughed az and told that
must have been an old wreck or "a dca
whale
''Dnf he declared that he had ha he'd D.
ship Ip close 80 The rock on a rlear da'
then and there tosF two good pbscrpi
lions. proved 81 correct p0sition. au
marked ~ on bis chaTt Continuing 3
said: 'ff any ~ YOU gertlemen care
como on board the Patrick Henry 7 VI
show. .'ou Inst wicfe tho rocl, is
''%o ,lr. iu ihr cnrlpauf is1h uierr
enough ln tbc story to go over. exec
myself. bus has cs,riWstnoss cOnyirccd "
hat he had seen -onicfhinr hc took Il,
tbe rock. ard after seeing fhc mark
his chart my belief vas 20 mn,
eircngthened that J located it on ms 0w.
''Theicforc 60 reirrt ~ fny voyage
rovcnb~r. -. the discovery that ".
heading direct for Barcncthv disturb
me for the moment tpon refecti0
however. I tltosgh;. WHO believes
any OF these rocks laid down on tho cha
~ seen 100 years ago2 Nobody. ~ c0lrs
Captain II. must have been dreauil
Or e1se n n another OF his blk warn
Roliing up the chart went on deck
snis frame ~ mind and gave The conr