Thrilling Narratives of Mutiny, Murder and Piracy: A weird series of tales of shipwreck and disaster, from the earliest part of the century to the present time, with accounts of providential escapes and heart-rending fatalities.Anonymous
History
Thrilling Narratives of Mutiny, Murder and Piracy: A weird series of tales of shipwreck and disaster, from the earliest part of the century to the present time, with accounts of providential escapes and heart-rending fatalities.
Anonymous
Mutiny; Pirates; Seafaring life; Shipwrecks
About half an hour before the frigate blew up, one of her lieutenants,
and Lieutenant Campbell of the marines and some of the men got into
the boat at the dock-yard stairs, and went off to the ship. Lieutenant
Campbell had some business to transact at the Marine barracks in the
morning, and continuing there some time, was engaged by the officers
to stay to dinner and spend the evening with them. Some persons,
however, who had, in the interval, come from the Amphion, informed
Lieutenant Campbell that there were some letters on board for him. As
they were some which he was extremely anxious to receive, he left the
barracks about half an hour before dinner to fetch them, intending to
return immediately; but while he was on board the ship blew up.--He
was a young man universally respected end lamented by the corps, as
well as by all who knew him. One of the lieutenants who lost his life
was the only support of an aged mother and sister, who, at his death,
had neither friend nor relation left to comfort and protect them. The
number of people who were afterwards daily seen at Dock, in deep
mourning for their lost relatives, was truly melancholy.
Captain Pellow was taken up by the boats and carried to Commissioner
Fanshaw's house in the dock-yard, very weak with the exertions he had
made, and so shocked with the distressing cause of them, that he at
first appeared scarcely to know where he was, or to be sensible of his
situation. In the course of a day or two, when he was a little
recovered, he was removed to the house of a friend, Dr. Hawker of
Plymouth.
Sir Richard King had given a public dinner in honor of the coronation.
Captain Charles Rowley, of the Unite frigate, calling in the morning,
was engaged to stay, and excused himself from dining, as he had
previously intended, on board the Amphion.
Captain Darby of the Bellerophon, was also to have dined with Captain
Pellow, and had come round in his boat from Cawsand Bay; but having to
transact some business concerning the ship with Sir Richard King, it
detained him half an hour longer at Stone-house than he expected. He
had just gone down to the beach and was stepping into the boat to
proceed up to Hamoaze, when he heard the fatal explosion. Captain
Swaffield was to have sailed the next day, so that the difference of
twenty-four hours would have saved that much lamented and truly
valuable officer. His brother Mr. J. Swaffield, of the Pay-Office,
being asked to the same dinner, had set off with him from Stone-house,
but before he had reached Dock a person came after him upon business,
which obliged him to return, and thus saved him from sharing his
brother's untimely fate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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