Heart of Oak: A Three-Stranded Yarn, vol. 2.Russell, William Clark
General
Heart of Oak: A Three-Stranded Yarn, vol. 2.
Russell, William Clark
English fiction -- 19th century; Sea stories
The barque 'Planter,' being to the eastwards of Cape Horn, fell in with
a ship's long-boat full of men. The captain took the unfortunate people
on board, but some were found to be lifeless, having been frozen to
death during the night. Their story was, they were the boatswain (Wall)
and survivors of the ship 'Lady Emma,' Burke, master, that sailed
from the Thames bound to Valparaiso on April 2. She had been driven
to the southward and eastward by heavy weather, and when she was in
about fifty-nine degrees south latitude, she was totally dismasted by
a sudden hurricane. After fruitless efforts to erect a jury-mast, the
crew abandoned her in the long-boat. With them went the ship's doctor
(Owen). The master refused to quit the ship, and remained aboard with
his wife and a young lady passenger. Very shortly after the long-boat
had been met with, one of the crew of the 'Planter' fell overboard.
A boat was lowered in charge of the chief mate, Mr. Ralph Selby, but
before she could reach the man a sea capsized her, and the mate and the
three men who were in her were drowned. Within a week of picking up the
survivors of the 'Lady Emma's' crew, the 'Planter' transferred them
to a vessel bound to Monte Video, where they were forwarded by H.B.M.
Consul by steamer to this country, arriving yesterday at the West India
Docks. Mr. Owen died before the arrival of the vessel at Monte Video,
and was buried at sea. It is supposed that the 'Lady Emma' foundered
prior to the rescue of her crew, as Captain Parry of the 'Planter,'
which is a barque of four hundred and sixty tons, cruised at great risk
amongst the ice in the neighbourhood of the spot where the hull was
supposed to be lying without seeing anything of her.
I sat as one paralysed, read the account through again, scarcely even
then believing that the ship was the same that my betrothed had sailed
in. Next, thrusting the newspaper into my pocket, I jumped up, ran into
the street, and, jumping into a cab, bade the man drive me to Messrs.
Butcher and Hobbs, at such and such a number in the Minories. It was
about a quarter to ten o'clock.
Butcher and Hobbs were the owners of the 'Lady Emma'--of her and a
little fleet of smaller vessels. I had been introduced by Captain
Burke to Mr. Hobbs, and now it came to me as I was driven fast,
with my brain in a whirl, half mad with consternation, grief, the
hundred emotions which must needs throng upon so abrupt a disclosure
of dreadful news as this I had just read--it came to me, I say, that
Mr. Hobbs in my presence had very earnestly advised Captain Burke to
insure some goods he was taking out as a speculation of his own; and I
recollected the captain replying, with an arch, laughing air, full of
strong confidence, that insurance would only render him indifferent:
he had no fear as to the safety of the ship. If he insured and she was
lost, it would be said he sank or stranded her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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