Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1924-12-03

The next afternoon about 2 o'clock
it was showing some. but we could
see two or three miles. There were
few vessels in sight One was hove
to, same as ourselves, some distance
to the east of us, and we saw a few
vessels running before the wind; 1T
was what they wanted
| saw something to windward of
us through the snow squalls. When.
first seen, l thought. it a schooner
running free, but the snow prevented
clear view. Then Cor several min
utes | could not see anything, as it
was showing hard; then it lifted
again, and I saw something that
looked like a lighthouse adrift,'' l
told the captain, as | called him.
He brought up his marine glass
and sent me up the mizzen rigging
to take a better look | soon saw
that it was a wreck with one mast
standing and flag flying imthe rig
ging. | reported to the captain and
he ordered me chi deck and set our
colors at the mizzen peak so it could
be seen if any Que was on the wreck
vi Noul DC -/NC SOuiu uOl du any
thing, as we were hove to in heavy
gale and the wreck was some five or
six miles to windward. The wind
and sea were drifting the wreck
towards us, however, and we shook
out a single reef, and forced our YES
sci to go ahead some and hold up to
the sea better. Then we wore ship
and stood to the east; then, at dark,
we wore ship again and headed to
the northwest as near as we could.
Once in a while we could see a
light on the wreck, so we knew there
was someone there. At midnight we
wore ship again and headed to the
eaSt-northeast, and hove to, for the
captain calculated that in that way
we would be near the wreck by day
light.
When | came on duty at a. M,
the mate reported that he had not
seen the light for two hours. When
daylight came, all hands were called,
and as the wind and sea had moder
ated, we could sail better, Soon the
captain discovered some wreckage to
leeward of us, and he gave the Or
der to keep the schooner off four
points. In a few minutes we saw
boat with some men, in the lee of
the wreckage, as that acted as a
breakwater for the boat.
We run a little to leeward and
hove to, and the boat came under our
lee and we helped the crew on board,
inn in oil and
man was so far gone we had to haul
him on board with ropes. He was
taken to the cabin and revived, and
next day he went forward with the
others of the crew.
1t seems that crew we saved
oak timbers at some southern port,
bound for Boston. | think, and she
sprang aleak in that gale, filled, and
was in danger of rolling over, so the
crew cut away the foremost and she
remained upright, but with the sea
washing over her every few minutes.
The light we saw was made by turn
ing a little kerosene in a pan, then
someone would strike a match and
fire the kerosene. Soon after mid
night the brig had begun to break
up, so the crew got into the boat and
managed to get clear before the mast
went over the side. Then they lay
in the lee of wreckage, as they saw
our flag before night and also could
see our. lights, and knew we were on
the lookout for them.
Well, when everyone had break
fast, the captain asked our cook to
report the amount of provisions on
board, and when the cook made his
report our captain told all hands that
as we had nine extra men on board
the schooner, the crew must cut out
all lunches between meals and must
go easy on all meals in some man
ner, for it might be two or three
weeks before we could get where we
could get a full supply of provisions,
All hands cheerfully replied that was
all right. OF one thing we had full
supply, and that was hot coffee.
When the men went on duty, each
one had his mug of hot coffee, and
that is a great help to man. When
a man went off duty, it was the same,
to warm him up.
We had about ten days of north
erly gales, then it changed to west
erly and we rushed that deep-loaded
schooner for all she could go. We
got up an extra preventer back stay
on the foretopmast so we could carry
the outer jib; | thought at times it
would take the foremost head off,
but we had preventer stay on that
and set up tight.
We passed over Nantucket Shoals
in the night in gale from the
north, and when we got Off Chatham
we had to put the schooner under
close reefs and head to the north
and east. The next afternoon it was
my luck again to see another brig
flying a signal of distress. We ran
down to them. 1t was an English
brig from South America, and he
was short of provisions. Our cap
tain told him that we had an extra