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
At dawn of day they perceived a large ship lying under their lee,
lying upon her side, water-logged, her hands attempting to wear her by
first cutting away the mizen-mast, and then her main-mast; hoisting
her ensign, with the union downwards in order to draw the attention of
the fleet; but to no purpose, for no succour could be given, and she
very soon went down head fore-most, the fly of her ensign being the
last thing visible. This was the Dutton, formerly an East Indiaman,
and then a store-ship, commanded by a lieutenant of the navy, who in
his agitation, leaped from her deck into the sea; but, as might be
expected, was very soon overwhelmed by its billows. Twelve or
thirteen of the crew contrived, however, to slide off one of the
boats, and running with the wind, first endeavored to reach a large
ship before them, which, not being able to fetch, and afraid of
filling if they attempted to haul up for the purpose, they made up for
another ship more to the leeward, who fortunately descrying them,
threw a number of ropes, by the help of which these desperate fellows
scrambled up her sides, and fortunately saved their lives. Out of
ninety-four or five sail, seen the day before, scarcely twenty could
now be counted; of the ships of war, there were discerned the Canada,
half hull down upon the lee-quarter, having her main-top-mast and
mizen-mast gone, the main-top damaged, the main-yard aloft, and the
main-sail furled; the Centaur was far to windward, without masts,
bowsprit or rudder; and the Glorieux without fore-mast, bowsprit or
main-top-mast. Of these the two latter perished with all their crews,
excepting the captain of the Centaur, and a few of his people, who
contrived to slip off her stern into one of the boats unnoticed, and
thus escaped the fate of the rest of the crew.
The Ville de Paris appeared to have received no injury, and was
commanded by a most experienced seaman, who had made twenty-four
voyages to and from the West Indies, and had, therefore, been pitched
upon to lead the ship through the Gulf; nevertheless, she was
afterwards buried in the ocean with all on board her, consisting of
above eight hundred people. Of the convoy, besides the Dutton, before
mentioned, and the British Queen, seven others were discovered without
mast or bowsprit; eighteen lost masts and several others had
foundered.
In the course of this day the Canada crossed upon and passed the
Ramillies; some of the trade attempted to follow the Canada, but she
ran at such a rate that they soon found it to be in vain, and then
returned towards the flag-ship; the Ramillies had at this time six
feet water in her hold, and the pumps would not free her, the water
having worked out the oakum, and her beams amid-ship being almost
drawn from their clamps.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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