Navigating the Lower Saint Lawrence in the 19th Century.
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Q. Was it some time after the ship struck that they were sent up? A. Sometime afterwards. Q. How do you account for the ship getting on shore? A. The current must have checked her on the weather bow which we found by the difficulty of running our stream anchor out. Q. Is there any other person who misbehaved himself? A. The prisoner Walter Howell was drunk that night. I observed him so about six o'clock in the evening of the thirtieth of April, when he was ordered to the poop by Captain Galloway. He conducted himself very insolently on the poop by singing and making use of different gestures and he was ordered by the Officers of the Watch, Lieutenant Hooper, and I believe by Captain Galloway, to be silent and he would not and he was sent to the mizen top where he was when the ship struck. While on shore after the wreck, I met this man on the beach and told him to carry some oars to our tent and some small spars, he told me he would be damned if he would for me, or anybody else. He was in a state of great intoxication at the time. Shortly after Captain Galloway came down, I related the circumstance to him, and Captain Galloway went up to him and ordered him to obey his orders, and he told Captain Galloway that he would not, making use of the same expressions he had done to me. Captain Galloway immediately went up to him to enforce his orders. Howell had a stick in his hand, I believe a piece of a boat hook staff. He ran away when Captain Galloway approached him, when some person passed with a boarding pike in his hand, which I snatched out of his hand and ran after the prisoner and had he not fallen down, I certainly should have run him through as Captain Galloway ordered me. He was then brought up to the tent, and his hands and feet were tied in order to bring him to punishment, but during that night, he escaped and was not seen afterwards until he was found at Quebec by W. Fuller, a midshipman. Q. Was it previous to the fifth of May when this took place? A. Yes. Q. When was he taken again at Quebec? A. I think it was about the first of June. Q. What sail was the ship under when she broke off west and by north? A. Single reefed topsails and top gallant sails, all the fore and aft sails were set. Q. When you allowed the ship to make a west and by south course, did you allow for any leeway? A. No, the weather was fine and the water very smooth. She made none. Q. What variation did you allow? A. I allowed two points westerly. Q. What reason had you to judge before the ship struck; the current was on the lee bow? A. From the quantity of water that must come from the River St. Lawrence and the ship laying three points from the direction of the land. I thought that the current would set along shore. Q. What distance did the ship run by the log after you set the land? A. Between seven and eight miles. Q. How did you find the current set after you got the boat out? A. To the southeast, not as I supposed which we found in our passage down with the boats. Q. Who was Officer of the Watch when the ship struck? A. Wm Handlin, the gunner. |
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