Year: 1860




an occurrence took place in Newport, r, l.,
which caused great excitement among the
inhabitants of that town, and which is
still referred to by the old residents asthe
Legend of the Lonely Ship"


Early one pleasant morning in the
month of October, 1760, a square rugged
vessel was seen approaching the harbor
from the ofing, under full sail, with a
fresh breeze from the southwark. AS
this vessel, which was remarked was
steered very wildly, approaching the har-
Dor, many conjectures were made respect
ing her character and name. At length
she was recognized as the brig Sea Bird
Captain Huxham, vessel which was ex-
pected from Bristol, in England, about
that time u


The brig continued her course toward
the harbor still yawing about in remark
able manner; and it was about eleven
o'clock in the forenoon, when, having en-
tered the fairchannel between the Beavers
Tail and Brenton's Reef, she kept along
before the wind, directly toward the town
of Newport An arrival from abroad In
those days was an event of no little I'M
portansc, in which all the inhabitants of





the place are interested, and the good
people of Newport, assembled on the
wharves, eager to greet their bluff towns
man, Captain Huxham, and learn the
news from abroad.


The course Of the brig was still onward
but when the people expected to see her
hauled to the wind and enter the harbor
to anchor in front of the town, or haul
alongside the wharf, to their astonishment
they found no change was made in her
course and no sail taken in. The brig
was evidently not bound for Newport, but
instead of passing up Narraganset Bay,
was running directly for the beach to the
northward of the wharves


The brig was hailed from the shore,
but no answer was returned. Her danger
was pointed out to her, and those on board
were warned to change her course, or the
vessel would be wrecked but even this
could elicit no reply. 1t was then re-
marked, to the CONSERVATION of the
assembled islanders and eagerly whis-
pered around that not a man could be seen
on her deckst The brig was steered by
some invisible hand, and in few minutes
struck the shore within half dozen rods
of the wondering crowd which had has
tened to the spot.


Boats Immediately put off from the
shore by men eager to learn the cause of
this extraordinary proceeding. They
found the fire still burning in the caboose
and the usual preparations for breakfast
had been made. The table in the cabin
was set, the captains dressing-gown was
lying at the foot of the cabin stairs, as
if It had been hastily thrown off, but no
living thing was found on board, excepting
dog, which greeted them with cxtraord-
mary marks of fondness when they stepped
ON the deck. The boats were both missing
and the long boat had been recently hoisted
out, as was evident by the tackles on the
yards; but the baggage Of the officers
and crew had apparently not been dis
turbed. The log-book was missing, but
the ships papers and the Captains wri-
tings, with the exception of his journal,
were all found in regular order.


The questions were asked, where are the
crew? What terrible event compelled
them at moments warning to quit the
vessel, and what had been their fate ?
Suspicious Of the most dreadful kind we're
aroused--suspicions Of piracy or murder.
But no blood or traces of a desperate strug-
gle were seen on the decks Some thought
that the crew, alarmed at the approach Of
squall, or some imaginary danger, took
to the boats and were lost. But these
questions were not satisfactorily answered.
The facts furnished but slight grounds for
an hypothesis. No traces Of the crew
were ever discovered during the life time
Of those who witnessed the approach Of
the lonely vessel to the strand; and many
believed, and the belief is entertained by
some to this day, that the brig was guided