DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70266#0129
LOSS OF THE DUKE OF CUMBERLAND RACKET. 107
<can I think on any similar situation to which they can bp
compared. At this time the seamen, torn by despair, seem
ed for a moment to forget themselves—the cries of their
homes, their wives, and their children, resounded through the
ship ; but they soon became sensible of their folly, and re-
sumed their usual firmness.
“ As soon as the ship'parted, which was about 12 o’clock,
every man clung to a rope, and determined to stick to it so
long as the ship remained entire ; the wind had veered some-
what to the west, which prevented her from striking on the
reef of rocks which we so much dreaded. It was now one
o’clock, we had drifted an hour, without knowing whither.
We continued holding fast by the rigging, our bodies beat
by the heaviest rain, and lashed by every wave.—A dreadful
silence ensued, every one being too intent on his own ap--
proaching end, to be able to communicate his feelings to
another—nothing could be heard but the horrid howling of
the tempest.—A little after one we struck, and instantly
went off again ; this, together with several lights before us
at a distance, convinced us that we were driving towards
the harbour of St. John’s, and that we had struck on the
bar. We saw a large object before us, which we dreaded
was B.at Island, (a perpendicular rock in the middle of the
harbour, with a fort upon it), we were fast approaching it,
and that the garrison rRight be spectators of our fate, for it
was in vain to think of assistance, we fired two alarm guns;
but from the tremendous noise of the wind and waves, we
doubted if they could be heard.—We soon found that this
object was a large ship, on which we were directly driving.
We came up with her, and went close under her stern. A
faint hope now appeared of being stranded on a sandy beach,
for we knew, that although the harbour is chiefly bounded
Ty rocks, yet that there were a few mud and sand banks—and
our wishes led us to hope the best. The Captain therefore or-
dered the carpenter to get the hatchets all ready to cut away
p 2
<can I think on any similar situation to which they can bp
compared. At this time the seamen, torn by despair, seem
ed for a moment to forget themselves—the cries of their
homes, their wives, and their children, resounded through the
ship ; but they soon became sensible of their folly, and re-
sumed their usual firmness.
“ As soon as the ship'parted, which was about 12 o’clock,
every man clung to a rope, and determined to stick to it so
long as the ship remained entire ; the wind had veered some-
what to the west, which prevented her from striking on the
reef of rocks which we so much dreaded. It was now one
o’clock, we had drifted an hour, without knowing whither.
We continued holding fast by the rigging, our bodies beat
by the heaviest rain, and lashed by every wave.—A dreadful
silence ensued, every one being too intent on his own ap--
proaching end, to be able to communicate his feelings to
another—nothing could be heard but the horrid howling of
the tempest.—A little after one we struck, and instantly
went off again ; this, together with several lights before us
at a distance, convinced us that we were driving towards
the harbour of St. John’s, and that we had struck on the
bar. We saw a large object before us, which we dreaded
was B.at Island, (a perpendicular rock in the middle of the
harbour, with a fort upon it), we were fast approaching it,
and that the garrison rRight be spectators of our fate, for it
was in vain to think of assistance, we fired two alarm guns;
but from the tremendous noise of the wind and waves, we
doubted if they could be heard.—We soon found that this
object was a large ship, on which we were directly driving.
We came up with her, and went close under her stern. A
faint hope now appeared of being stranded on a sandy beach,
for we knew, that although the harbour is chiefly bounded
Ty rocks, yet that there were a few mud and sand banks—and
our wishes led us to hope the best. The Captain therefore or-
dered the carpenter to get the hatchets all ready to cut away
p 2