Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-09-13
DIDN'T SETTLE.
Continued from Page One.)


know which.
HE organized an expedition in which
there were many scientific men in
tending to return where Peary was. He
had chartered the English steamship
Miranda, which hailed from Glasgow,
and the captain Of the ship was named
Farrell hailing from Halifax. The
ship had about 40 passengers aboard
I do not know whether they came
through the Strait of Belle Isle or not
but they struck an iceberg and put
back to st. Johns, N F., for repairs.
Then they went on as far as Succaton
in Greenland. In coming out of that
harbor they had an Esquimau pilot on
board. When they got outside the har-
Dor they dropped the pilot and as he
couldn't speak English, told them by
signs where to go. They supposed they
were clear of the rocks. but it was not
long before they struck rock or a
piece of sunken ice. The ships water
tight compartments filled and they
went back into port. The captain re-
fused to leave port again unless some
other vessel went along to take the
passengers.
"A that time we were fishing 200
miles north of where the Miranda was
1t was about the middle of August and
they knew that there were one or two
American fishermen in the vicinity
They sent an Esquimau north in a
kyak with a letter written by Cook.
know what was in it and how it was
addressed for 1 received it myself. 1t
was addressed to the captain of any
mr. Gcbn
pleading affair and began: will you
kindly come to our reScue? 1t init
mated that they were willing to do any,
thing if we would come down. We were
in little harbor between two islands
and we took the Esquimau on board
and started down to help them, arriv-
ing in about 4S hours. We had about
half trip of fish and couldn't think
of giving up the trip when we had
just struck fish. We had a talk with
Cook and his passengers, one of whom
was the eX-mayor of Cleveland, Ohio.
Our captain told Cook that we would
go back and finish our trip and then
we would come and help Them They
wanted us to stay, however, and
claimed they had provision for
month or more.
''They agreed to give us, if we would
give up our trip and let the steamer take
us in tow, the sum of $4,000, about what
we figured we would leave; $4,000 to the
crew and $4,000 to the owners. We had
been up there a long while and we were
willing to take the chances. We had an
agreement drawn up by Cook and our
captain and it was taken ashore and the
Danish governor signed it. We threw
part of our extra gear overheard, gave
some to the EsquimeauX and threw our
salt away. The gear we had to pay for
afterwards We took provisions from
the ship and 40 passengers aboard our
schooner.
What Cook intended to do was to fol-
low straight across the gulf to the Labra-
dor coast. The ship towed us about $50
miles, but there had been a heavy gale
to the southwark and it rolled about so
that it soon sank We took off the crew
of 80 men, all the provisions we could get
and some rifles. From the time the ship
sank we had 70 of the Miranda's people
and 20 of our own, a little vessel of III
tons. 1 think we had them aboard about
two weeks. The first port we made was
place called Punchbowl harbor on the
Labrador coast. We landed the ship
crew there and a steamer took them to
st. John. We made another Labrador
port at Henley harbor and the next port
was Sydney, to which DR.. Cook came
with us. We landed all but two or three
newspaper reporters who came through to
Gloucester with us. We mistrusted that
Cook was no good and the passengers
were down on him. They obliged him one
day to bring out his contract by which
he chartered the Miranda He contracted
with the steamship company in New
York that he should be responsible for
the transportation Of the passengers af-
ter the steamer passed Belle Isle, but we
never received any money from him. The
passengers said that they would stand by
us and sometime afterwards they gave us
enough so that we got $50 apiece after
paying for the gear that had been thrown
overheard. The steamship owner also
gave us something. Had Cook kept his
agreement we would have had 800 apiece.
Our owners went to New York but no
lawyer there would take the case, all say
ing that Cook had nothing and they could
collect nothing. Cook was the man sup
posed to pay it all and he never paid one
cent"
CARBOHYDRATES STORY.