Norwich bulletin., 1916-04-15

sui 1OT OeldlnlnB them longer DelnB
found, they were released and reach
ed home in July.
During 1903, the brig William lost /
while in the West Indies, Capt. George /
w. Palmer, master, Samuel Hyers, /
mate, and three seamen by tropical
sickness.
Admiration for the grit and stick |
to-a-tive- ness of these men of the old |
town increases, as we review their
suHer1ngS, losses, tragic experiences, |
throughout this risky era. In spite of |
what had befallen so many Norwich |
vessels, ship-building kept right on;
and it is set down that during July. |
1914 four fine vessels from Norwich
cleared at the New London custom
house almost at the same time-brigs
William, Capt. John Brown; Dove,
John McGowty;' Fortune, Charles Bill
ings and the schooner Betsey, Capt.
Christopher Colver.
A bright and honey incident of this
voyage, in contrast to the sad ones so
often recorded. was the fact that these
four craft had sailed before the first
OF August, and were often within hail
ing distance, or in sight of each other
while on their course. Indeed, on-one
afternoon, three of the vessels, the
William, Fortune and Betsey, while
sailing in the tropical sea, the air be-
Ing calm and the ocean smooth, ran
to each other and conversing from the
haystacks on deck, where they were
eating their supper. 1t is easy to
imagine the burden of their chat, so
far away from the town at the head
of the Thames-their gossip about af-
| fairs in The Landing or Up Town or
over in West Chelsea, and the joy
| OF the happy small talk.
That very night, tremendous hur-
1 Far~
| neither the William or the Fortune
was ever heard from afterwards. The
| destruction was so complete, Miss
| Caulkins tells US, that no memento of
| their fate was ever found. Strangely
| enough. so narrow was the scope of
| the hurricane that the only influence
! of it to reach the Betsey, Capt. COL
| yer, was a magnificent billowy swell
| of the sea, rolling mis- craft on and
following. him for fully two days. At
| 9O,-as long afterwards as 1916
| Capt. Cvoler used to recall this
| strange adventure wien retired from
| the sea and living in quiet case at
his home on Franklin street, near
what is now the German Lutheran
church.
In the old burying ground, Norwich,
chelsea Burial ground, as it was long
! ago called. a monument bore the fol-
lowing inscription, a brief record of
]
Billings sustained when the Fortune
was wrecked:
This monument is erected to the
Memory of Capt. Charles Billings,
aged 80 years,
and James +. Billings,
aged IS years,
and BENJAMIN Billings,
aged Is years.
Sons Of Capt Alpheus and Mrs. E1iz-
| abeth Billings, and
also of Mr.. David Barber,
son-in-law, aged &c years,
Who were lost at sea in September
1904. in the Brig Fortune.
Nearer home, a Norwich built Graf
met tragic fate, when. Jan. goth
Roath, seven days from Norfolk. wag
! wrecked on Block Island. As
| tempestuous snow-storm was ragini
at the time and the cold was intense
the crew escaped with difficulty. Mex
! day the vessel went to pieces.
Then, as now the Norwich coURIEF
brought the news. There had beer
apprehension for the fate of the bril-
4 Harriet, Capt. Francis Smith, in whiol
! her commander had sailed for severa
! years, meeting with all varieties o
. good and bad fortune. The Courier o
o April 18th. 1S04,-112 years ago,-ha,
+ the CHEEKY note: 1t is with preasur
: we announce the safe arrival Of tn
e brig Harriet, Capt. Smith, after
= passage of 20 days from Demerara
9 having experienced very heavy gale
: of wind on the coast which drove he
off nine times and so much damage
/, her sails and rigging as to rende
: them useless.
r THE DICTAGRAPH.