Navigating the Lower Saint Lawrence in the 19th Century.
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The Court asked: Q. Did you hear the narrative of Captain Galloway and the subsequent memorandum delivered by him to the court read? A. Yes. Q. Are the contents of them as corrected by that memorandum, as far as came to your knowledge true? A. There is one instance that is not true. The guns were hove overboard before the anchor was carried out. I find nothing else but what is correct. Q. Was you Officer of the Watch when the ship got on shore? A. I was. I relieved the deck about twenty minutes after eight o'clock. She struck about thirty five minutes past eight o'clock. Q. State to the Court the orders you received and what took place between that time and when she struck. A. The First Lieutenant ordered me to keep the ship close to the wind and let her come up to northwest if she would. His sounding at eight o'clock was seventy one fathoms and the ship was a good way off the land. He told me what sail was on the ship. One reef in the topsails, fore and maintop gallant sails, jib and courses, and then he left the deck. Q. What rate was she going at that time? A. Four knots. At half past eight o'clock, I ordered the watch to be mustered, and at the end of mustering the Watch, I went to the lee gangway and perceived it to look very black and turning around, I met Mr Honnor, the Master. I said to him, "Mr Honnor, it looks very black and heavy to leeward: what do you think it is, do you think that is the land?" The answer to me was "No, it is nothing but a fog bank" and then he walked away directly to the other hatchway and was going down and when on the second or third step, I asked him when he would wish to have the lead hove, he answered me every half hour. I immediately gave orders to pass the line along and on passing the line along, the man who had the lookout on the lee gangway, Edward Carfield, who is since run or dead, I do not know which, came over to me and said "Sir, I think I can hear the breakers." I immediately gave orders to put the helm hard a lee, to let go the head sheets and to round in the weather head braces. I then went towards the larboard cabin door, and on opening that, I heard Captain Galloway's voice to windward, I supposed at the time that he came out of the starboard cabin door and understood him to say, but I am not certain of this, "What is the matter?" My answer was "The ship is near the shore Sir, the ship came up from west half north to west northwest after the helm was put down, and then the ship struck fast, she went on very easy. I did not think she was on shore until she did not answer her helm." The Captain then gave orders to heave all aback. The ships company were by this time all on deck and were ordered to sally the ship by running from one side to the other. I went over the stern with the lead and line and sounded and found three fathoms and a half water as near as I could guess in the dark. I was called from there by Captain Galloway to get the twelve pound guns aft on the quarter deck and then received orders to throw the foremost guns on the main deck overboard. Eight guns were hove overboard. Q. What was the conduct of the crew after the ship got on shore? A. A great many of them very disorderly after they were on shore. Everything went on very well and every order was obeyed while they were on board the ship. That night, as far as I could see while we remained on the ship, they behaved very well, but after we got on shore, the sail maker Joseph Cooper, who is now in court, he was generally in a state of intoxication and never would assist in doing anything that was going on without grumbling and growling, he was afterwards punished by the order of Captain Galloway, I believe. I think the day after his punishment, did not appear to have any effect on him. He was very often drunk on shore after he was punished, but was not again punished. The prisoner Howell came on shore about a quarter before one o'clock with another man from the wreck and I acquainted Captain Galloway with his coming on shore from the wreck, the same night at the very time, and the prisoner said he did not suppose there |
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