Year: 1868

Terrible Suffering of the Passengers and


Crew Of the Brigantine Queen-All Frozen


to Death.


The following account OF the loss OF the bricantne
Queen, near Gull Island, Newfoundland, is given in
letter. dated Fortune Harbor, Green Bay, April
Is, 1s6s and published in the st. Johns Courter:-


have to inform you Of one OF the most melancholy
occurrences on record In the annals Of Newfound-
land. The brigantine Queen, which was supposed to
have been lost In the neighborhood Of Twlllingate
about the middle Of December last, actually lost
on Cape John Gull Island, on December IL. The
crew and passengers succeeded In getting on shore,
but only to perish some days afterwards. Four Of
the crew returned to the wreck after they got ashore
to endeavor to procure some food. While on board
the cable, which was attached TO the cliff, parted
and the vessel drted out TO sea- 1t is supposed she
sunk. The persons thus lost in the vessel were the
pilot, the boatswain, one seaman and passenger.


On the z1st OF APRIL vessel cruising about In the
mouth OF Green Bay, was becalmed near Gull Island,
and boat from her went towards the island to shoot
some birds. When they got to the island they only
little distance, and then fell apparently dead. One
OF the men went to pick 1t up, but had not gone far
wing nearly Side by side. He called to his compa-
mons, who ran up to him. On looking about they
saw piece OF canvas few yards away from the
men, but frozen TO the rocks that they could not
get Il up They cut It in several places, and found
underneath the bodies OF nine men and two women.
The then returned to their vessel and ran her up
to Tilt Cove where they stated what they had seen.
Cofins were Immediately prepared and next day the
same vessel, with about sixty hands, proceeded to
INC ioaoAhu W ASAovS viz w s ~
ment


In searching the bodies after they were landed in
Tilt Cove, It was found that the captain and Mr..
Dowsicy had kept journal up TO the Gath December,
twelve days after they we're wrecked. At that time


they re- ,os . on s Mr
round this island, and see nothing before me but
death. expect to be one OF the first TO die as now
feel very weak.n After that he wrote no more. Mr..
Dowsley says in the lonrnal:-"I do not expect my
body win ever be found" f7 cf|'f


The scene the people witnessed when removing
the bodies can be better imagined than described.
They were all frozen together that they had to be
separated with prizes and crowbars.


The captain stated In the Journal 40 follows:-"we
made the island on the nth, at four O'Clock p M.
Not caring TO for Tilt Cove we hove TO sea for the
night. About twelve O'Clock hove round and ran in
for the bay, and at six O'Clock A. NJ the vessel ran
ashore Ia snow st0rm.n t-1 l.lff-nB 81


Nothing like this has occurred In Newfoundland
within the memory OF the oldest people living here
There was, believe, man named 0ushue lost mis-
vessel the Horse Islands about sixty years since M
the month Of April, when ell those who got ashore
perished from cold and hunger. The skeletons of the
men were found the following summer and some
papers giving an account Of where they were lost and
how they died. t


where the queen was lost is only about three miles
rom the land, and man from the shore saw light
several times on the island and told different persons
Of II, but they would not believe him. II there had
been any reason to suppose there were parties there
there would have been no dif1cuity in getting them
on the island s very seldom visited except in the
summer season.