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AWFUL CALAMITIES: 
 
 OR, 
 
 •THE-. SHIPWRECKS OF DECEMBER, 1839, 
 
 BEINO A FULL ACCOUNT OF THK 
 
 DREADFUI. HVHHICANBS OP DISC. 15, 21 di 27, 
 ON THE COAST OF MASSACHUSETTS ; 
 
 IN WHICH WERE LOST MORE THAN 90 VESSELS, AND NEARLY 300 
 DISMASTED, DRIVEN ASHORE OR OTHERWISE DAMAGED, AND 
 
 OF WHICH FULL STATISTICS ARE CIVETS 5 
 COMPRISINQ ALSO 
 
 A PARTICULAR RELATION OF THE SHIPWRECK OF THE FOLLOWING VESSELS 
 
 BARaUE LLOYD, BRIGS POCAHONTAS, RIDEOUT AND J. PALMER, 
 AND SCHS. DEPOSITE, CATHARINE NICHOLS AND MILLER. 
 
 AND ALSO OF 
 
 THE DREADFUL DISASTERS AT GLOUCESTER. 
 
 BOSTON J 
 
 PRESS OF J. HOWE, No. 39, MERCHANTS ROW. 
 
 1840. 
 
f t" 
 
 GIFT Of 
 
 PffOFESSOR C.A. KOFOID 
 
 K^tered according to Act of Cougre.,, i„ the year mo, br 
 WALTON, SKINNER &. TRACT 
 I» th, acrk-. Office .f the District Court in M.s„c&«t.. 
 
AWFUL. CALAMITIES, &c. 
 
 It has probably never fallen to the ^ot of the titizcna of New En j 
 land, to witness, or record, so many terrible disasters by sea, in the short 
 period of fourteen days, as have transpired within that length of tim« 
 the present month. Throe gales of unciqualled fury and destructive 
 ness, have swept along our coast, carrying desolation and death in their 
 stormy pathway, and overwhelming many families in the deepest mourn- 
 ing. Many who entered upon the month of December with a fair pros- 
 pect of enjoying "a happy new year," and perhaps a long life, now 
 sleep in the bosom of the great deep with the sea-weed wrapped around 
 Ihera, or have been tossed on shore by the bellowing surges, and all 
 bruised and mangled, have heen followed, perhaps by strangers, to an un- 
 timely grave. Often as we have been called to weep with those who hava 
 wept over the sad wreck of human hope, we have seldom met with any 
 thing so well calculated to excite the sympathy of all the friends of hu- 
 manity, as the melancholy events which we have recorded below. 
 
 In giving the history of the late dreadful shipwrecks, we propose to 
 speak of the devastations of the three gales separately, first inserting a 
 list, as complete as possible, of all the vessels wrecked or damaged ; 
 and then detailing some of the affecting incidents accompanying thcso 
 disasters. We have been at great pains to collect the materials from tiia 
 most authentic sources, and have no doubt but this unpretending pam- 
 phlet will afford the best account of these remarkable providences of 
 God which will fall into the reader's hands. 
 
 <EHE rZB.ST GAZ.SI. 
 
 On the night of Saturday, December 14, at abont midnicjlit, 
 a violent snow storm commenced along the coast, and continued 
 to rage until late on Monday. During a part of the time, the 
 snow gave place to a freezing rain. About 2, P. M. on Sunday, 
 the rain commenced, and the wind at the same time rose to a 
 gale ; but it was not until 11, P. M. that the unprecedented and 
 devastating hurricane broke upon the ill-fated shipping. From 
 ttiat time until 2 or 3 o'clock, A. M. of Monday, it continued a 
 perfect tornado. It blew hard all Monday, and Monday night, 
 but the most damage was done on Sunday ni^^ht. The following 
 is a list of the vessels wrecked or datnaged, as far as has been 
 learned. 
 
 Mi217098 
 
BOSTOIV. 
 
 Schooner Harwich, at anchor in the stream dragged against 
 ship Columbiana, at Lewis' Wharf, carried away mainmast, stanch- 
 eons, bulwarks, &lc. Knocked off the cut-water of the Colum- 
 biana, and chafed her badly, carrying away her anchor. Sic. 
 
 Schooner Clarinda, of Boston, and a lighter sloop were sunk 
 at Lewis' Wharf. 
 
 Ship Propontis, of Boston, from Cadiz, broke adrift from Sar- 
 gent's Wharf, tore out her timber-heads, and drove up the dock 
 where she remained safe. 
 
 Ship Forum, of Boston, broke her moorings at Granite Wharf, 
 drove up the dock, stove in her stern, carried away her foretop- 
 mast, and was otherwise damaged. 
 
 Ship Sterling, of Boston, broke adrift, fell across the dock, 
 and was much chafed. 
 
 Brig Banian, of Boston, from Matanzas, dragged from the 
 stream against Granite and T Wharfs, and was much injured by 
 the contact, staving her boat, the store-houses, he. 
 
 Barque Creole, drove from the stream against brig Adelaide, 
 carrying away her bowsprit, and chafing her badly. The Ade- 
 laide then dragged against the Hamburg brig Edwin, danj^ging 
 her sides, chain plates, &c. A lighter sloop was sunk at Central 
 Wharf. 
 
 A schooner at Arch Wharf, drove her bowsprit, through 
 a store. 
 
 Schooner Herperus, of Gardner, from Pittston, parted her 
 chain in the stream, drove against ship William Badger, atRowe's 
 Wharf, parted her fasts, and both drove up the dock. The 
 schooner carried away her bowsprit, and stove her bows ; the 
 ship was badly chafed, and drove her jib-boom through a store. 
 
 Brig Edwin, at India Wharf, chafed off all her sheathing, fore 
 and aft, split several planks, stove a hole in her side, carried away 
 her chains, fore and aft, jib-boom and main-boom, and tore up 
 considerable of the wharf. Brig Gertrude, from Mansanilla, 
 drove up the dock between Central and India Wharfs, stove 'in 
 her stern, and carried away her bowsprit. 
 
 Brig Ajax, at Foster's Wharf, carried away bowsprit. Brig 
 Cypress, at Carleton's Wharf, was badly chafed. Schooner Clo- 
 rinda, lost her foremast and bowsprit, filled and sunk. Sloop 
 Hepzibah also filled and sunk. 
 
 Schooner Thomas, from Portland, dragged from the stream 
 against Union Wharf, starting the planks in her larboard quarter. 
 The sloop of war Concord, broke from the wharf at the Navy 
 Yard, Charlestown, and drove against the Columbus, 74, dam- 
 aging both vessels. 
 
5 
 
 BOSTON BAY, AND VICINITY. 
 
 Sweedish brig Preciosa sailed from Boston on Saturday, was 
 driven back, and at 11 o'clock on Monday anchored inside Cohas- 
 set rocks, and cut away both masts, where she rode out the gale. 
 
 Schooner Mary Frances, of Belfast, which drove out of 
 Gloucester harbor, went ashore on Tuesday, on MarshSeld beach. 
 Goods all saved. Schooner Antioch, of Ellsworth, also drove 
 out of Gloucester, brought up on Nichols' Rock, Cohasset, bilg- 
 ed badly ; cargo of wood, lumber, &c. ; almost a total loss. 
 Schooner Enterprize, of Phippsburg, from Bath, for New Or- 
 leans, run ashore high and dry, near Worrick's Hotel, Cohasset, 
 all safe. Schooner Robert Raikes, of Thomaston, from New 
 York, went ashore, a total loss ; cargo much damaged. Schooner 
 Eddington, from Bangor, for Providence, went ashore, wreck, 
 cargo lost. Schooner Margaret, of and from Bath, for Charles- 
 ton, S. C. ran ashore north of the light-hpuse, not much damage. 
 
 British brig Susanna, drove up to Qiiincy. British schooner 
 H. Davenport, for Annapolis, went ashore on Hospital Island. 
 Schooner Susan Jane, of Bluehill, from New York, with flour 
 and navy timber, anchored off Black Rock, Cohasset, lost both 
 her masts and her rudder, parted one chain, but the other held 
 her ; she was abandoned. . The captain, his wife, and the crew, 
 landed safely at Scituate. Schooner Julia, Morrill, of and from 
 Dresden, anchored on Sunday, off Spectacle Island, dragged, 
 struck a rock, knocked off her rudder, after which she cut away 
 her masts and rode it out. 
 
 The brig Columbus, of Boston, anchored outside of Plymouth 
 flats, dragged, and run aground. Packet schooner Homer, from 
 New York, also run high up on the flats, with the loss of both 
 her chains. Brig Sea Island, drove on the flats at the same time, 
 with the loss of both top-gallant masts. The schooner Mary 
 Ann, of Castine, from New York, went to pieces at Warren's 
 Cove, crew saved. 
 
 CAPE COD, AND VICINITY. 
 
 The ship Martha Washington, of Ca?tine, which sailed from 
 Boston for Mobile, on Saturday, was driven ashore on Palmet 
 Harbor bar, about three miles south of the Highland light, inside 
 of Cape Cod, and was got off without having sustained much 
 injury. New brig Alice, Jordan, from Bath, for Cuba, went 
 ashore about three miles west of the Highland light, both masts 
 carried away. The captain, his wife, and crew, were taken off 
 about 12 o'clock Tuesday morning. Two fore and aft schooners, 
 unknown, went ashore buck of Wellfleet, on Monday, P. M. and 
 went to pieces, and all on board perished. From Provincetown 
 to Eastham, 21 vessels went ashore. 
 
A Bath stiip, said to be lumber laden, went ashore in tho 
 vicinity of Orleans. 
 
 The I)ri5 Democrat, Sylvester, from Bath, for Barbadoes, 
 went ashore on the evening of the 16lh, at Dennis Point, in Barn- 
 stable Bay, and lost. The hull of the brig Diligence, Woodbu- 
 ry, from Portland for Havana, anchored about half way between 
 Barnstable Bar and Billingsgate light, her spars all gone. 
 
 A large full rigged brig was very near the breakers on Barn- 
 stiible Bar, on the morning of the 17th ; but the wind having 
 moderated, she obtained an offing, with tac-help of the strong ebb 
 tide. Schooners Vischer and Magnet, were somewhat damaged 
 on Monday night, by contact with schooner Trio. 
 
 Schooner Sjio, Darby, of Brooksville, Me. from Philadelphia 
 for Boston, with coal, went ashore back of Wellfleet, and will 
 probably be a total loss ; crew saved. 
 
 Schooner Caledonian, Emerson, of Bucksport, went ashore 
 back of Eastham ; crew saved. 
 
 Two herm. brigs, names unknown, went ashore on the inside 
 of the Cape, near Wellfleet, on Monday, one laden with flour 
 and corn. Brig Maria, Johnson, from Richmond for Boston, was 
 stranded in the late gale at Wellfleet; the cargo is landing on the 
 beach. Schooner Amethyst, of North Yarmouth, from St. Johns, 
 Florida, sunk ofl^ Wellfleet, all lost. 
 
 Brig Rideout, from Bath for Matanzas, was driven among the 
 breakers on the Cape, capsized, and all hands were lost. Brig 
 Austin, Walston, from Bath for Matanzas, was more fortunate ; 
 she was driven ashore near the same place, but beat over the outer 
 bars, and by the means of a rope, all tbe crew succeeded in reach- 
 ing the shore, much exhausted. Schooner Shakspeare, Ulmer, 
 fix)m Havana for Boston, went ashore near the same place, and 
 was totally wrecked ; the crew, however, were all saved. Brig 
 Garabasset, of Pordand, bound from Havana for Boston, went 
 ashore near the Highland light on Sunday evening, and vessel and 
 cargo were lost, and seven out of nine of the crew were saved. 
 Sloop Independence, of Charleston, sunk in Provincetown har- 
 bor on Sunday ; the crew, four in number, remained in the rig- 
 ging for some hours, and at length were rescued by the gallant 
 exertions of some of the Cape Cod men, who at the imminent 
 risk of their lives, went off to them in a whale boat. Sloop 
 Belvidere, of Boston, with sand, drifted from her anchors, and 
 went ashore in Provincetown harbor. Brig Carter Braxton, 
 Smith, from Fredericksburg for Boston, drifted from her anchor- 
 age and went ashore ; got off without much damage. Schooner 
 Pioneer, Moore, from Goldsborough, Me. for Lyme, Con. drag- 
 ged ashore ; got off with trifling damage. Schooner Chappell, 
 Moore, from Steuben, Me. for New York, dragged with both an- 
 
«bors ahead, but cut away both masts and rode out the ^ale. 
 Schooner Albion, Smith, of Hampden, from New York for Bos- 
 ton, slipped her cables, and got alongside of a wharf, witli loss of 
 bowsprit, cutwater, davits, &,c. Schooner Brenda, of Boston, 
 drifted from her anchorage, went afoul of schooner Tarquin, caus* 
 ing some damage to the latter ; the Brenda had her bends and 
 one plank stove in, and was obliged to cut away her foremast to 
 get clear. Sloop Minerva, of INorwalk, Con. deeply loaded, for 
 Boston, carried away her mast about fifteen feet from the deck, 
 and rode out the gale in the harbor. 
 
 A large brig went ashore on the back of the Cape, the crew 
 took to the tops and were saved. A large schooner also went on 
 shore and lost both masts. A brijj went ashore on the outer 
 breakers, and went to pieces in the night ; all on board lost ; her 
 keel, timbers, &.c. drifted ashore. 
 
 The schooner Boston, Bray, from Philadelphia, for Boston, 
 slipped her chains in the Bay, and went ashore on Long Point, 
 but got off without much damage. 
 
 LYNN AND MARBLEHEAD. 
 
 At Lynn, the schooner Catharine Nickols, Woodward, went 
 ashore on Nahant, at about 4, P. M. The vessel was washed 
 into a mere mass of splinters ; three men were lost. 
 
 At Marblehead, although every vessel but one went ashore, 
 no lives were lost. The schooner Minerva, Rollins, from Pittstown 
 for Plymouth, lost both masts and bowsprit, threw over her deck 
 load of hay, &5:c. Schooner Paul Jones, high and dry on the rocks, 
 bilged. Schooner Sea Flower with corn and flour, on the beach, a 
 total loss of the vessel and part of the cargo. Schooner Brilliant 
 lost her main boom, stern ripped down. Schooner Tassc, slightly 
 damaged. The schooners' Mary, Swazey ; J. Q. Adams, PIu- 
 tus, Two Brothers and Burlington, ran ashore on River Head 
 Beach. The stern of a small craft was found on tMs beach, 
 probably wrecked on one of the Islands at the mouth of the 
 harbor. 
 
 r GLOUCESTER. 
 
 The greatest destruction took place here ; the gale was truly 
 terrific, and the devastation unprecedented and terrible. The 
 following is a list of the vessels that were most severely injured ; 
 all of wliich ran ashore unless otherwise stated. 
 
 Schooner Eliza and Betsey, of Mount Desert, sunk at her 
 anchors ; Joseph Golt, Alpheus Gott, (picked up,) Peter Gott 
 and Joseph Gott, her crew, all lost. 
 
 Schooner Boston, Thomas, of Belfast, with wood and lum- 
 ber, for Salem ; vessel and cargo totally lost;, crew saved. 
 
Schooner Mary Jane, of Portland, cargo of molasses ; cut 
 away masts, stove deck load, crew taken off. 
 
 Schooner Columbia, of Bremen, Maine, Jacob L. Kaler, 
 
 master; total wreck j William Wallace and ■ Hofses 
 
 drowned. 
 
 Schooner Neutrality, of Portland, William Shays, master j 
 crew saved, vessel and cargo total loss. 
 
 Schooner St. Cloud, Park, from New York for Prospect, 
 total wreck, crew saved. 
 
 Schooner Favorite, of Wiscasset, vessel and cargo total loss', 
 Mrs. Sally Hilton and Wm. Mann, drowned ; former picked up. 
 
 Schooner Sally, of W^iscasset, Capt. Drake ; vessel and car 
 go total loss, Capt. Drake and brother drowned. 
 
 Schooner Fame, (three masted) of Ellsworth, Capt. Lord; 
 vessel bilged ; cargo may be saved, no lives lost. 
 
 Schooner Delta, of Augusta, Capt. Moor; vessel above high 
 water mark ; no lives lost. 
 
 Schooner Sarah, of Portsmouth, owned by G. Melcher ; 
 cargo, corn and flour, partly saved ; no lives lost. 
 
 Sloop Portland, of Brunswick, on shore ; hands saved. - 
 
 Schooner Prudence, of Prospect; vessel and cargo lost, 
 crew saved. 
 
 Schooner Sally and Mary, of Bristol ; vessel and cargo lost, 
 crew saved. 
 
 Schooner Industrj^ of Prospect ; vessel and cargo lost, crew 
 saved. 
 
 Mary Francis, of Belfast, Warden. Just as the Custom 
 House boat boarded her on Monday afternoon, her last cable, 
 parted, and she went to sea ; the boat took off the crew and two 
 passengers, B. F. Blackstone and Dr. Boyden, of B. 
 
 Schooner Volant, of , wreck ; crew believed to be all 
 
 saved. 
 
 Schooner Mary Gould, of , wreck ; crew saved. 
 
 Schooner Charlotte, of , wrecked ; crew saved. 
 
 Schooner Walrus, of Bucksport, wrecked at Pigeon Cove ; 
 crew all perished ; four bodies found. Cargo of corn, flour, &c. 
 
 Schooner Brilliant, of Mount Desert ; vessel, cargo and three 
 men lost; names unknown. 
 
 Schooner Milo, of Bristol, vessel ^nd cargo lost ; one man, 
 Samuel Sprowl, drowned. 
 
 Schooner Splendid, of New Castle ; vessel and cargo lost, 
 crew saved. 
 
 Schooner Sally, of Wiscasset ; vessel, cargo and two men, 
 Hartley and Isaac Decker, lost. 
 
 Schooner North Carolina, of Calais, James Barter, Jr. from 
 Calais, bound to Newport, with lumber, cut away masts and rode 
 
^ onl the gale ; sustained Injury by vessels driflifip; afoul of her. 
 Schooner Cooper's Fancy, Bridges, of Mount Desert, vessel 
 sunk, crew saved. , 
 
 Schooner F. Severs, lost on Norman's Wo. Sloop Eagle, of 
 Bowdoinham, went to pieces ; crew saved. 
 
 Schooner Ariel, Ellsworth, from Boston for Frenchman's Bay, 
 dismasted ; crew taken off. Schooner Eliza &i Betsey, of Mouot 
 Desert, driven ashore ; crew saved. Schooner Alert, Dunien, 
 of Woolwich for Boston, dismasted ; crew taken olT. 
 
 Schooner Henrietta, Dunten, of Westport, for Norfolk, dis- 
 masted ; crew saved. 
 
 At Sandy Bay, a schooner struck a reef while entering the 
 harbor, and went to pieces instandy. It is thought all on board 
 were lost; her name was unknown; four bodies came ashore. 
 
 IPSWICH AND VICINITY. 
 
 At Ipswich, schooner Deposite, of Belfast, with lumber, 
 went ashore on Lakeman's beach ; four lost; two men and one 
 woman saved. 
 
 At EssKX, a schooner went ashore on Patch's beach ; six 
 persons lost, one saved. 
 
 NEWBURYPORT. 
 
 Fifteen or twenty vessels were Injured, but we believe no lives 
 lost. Among the vessels damaged, were the Nancy, badly ; Ri- 
 naldo, loss of mast and other damage ; Ivy, Mechanic, and Har- 
 mony. Schooner Good Intent, at one of the lower wharves, 
 got foul of the Hope, and both were damaged. Schooner Glide, 
 loaded for New Orleans, was badly chafed at the wharf; also the 
 Margaret, for Baltimore. Ship Huntress, reported on Saturday 
 to have sailed, did not get out, but returned to the wharf, where 
 she lay with no other damage than rubbing her paint. 
 
 Such is believed to be a very correct account of the destruc- 
 tion caused by the first storm, and who, in looking over the ex- 
 tended list, can fail to perceive that it was one wide scene of 
 devastation along the whole eastern coast of Massachusetts. On 
 the coast of Maine the storm was less severe, as it was at the 
 southward. A few of the most distressing shipwrecks deserve to 
 be detailed more particularly, 
 
 The Schooner Catharine Nichols This vessel, 
 
 owned in Charlestown, and bound thither from Philadelphia, with 
 a load of coal, was wrecked on Nahant, on Sunday, at 4 o'clock, 
 P. M. Capt. Woodward first made Egg Rock, through the 
 thick and almost impenetrable atmosphere. Having thus learned 
 his position, he ran round into Reed Cove, on the S. W. side of 
 Nahant. At this lime the wind was so light, and blowing from 
 2 
 
10 
 
 siich a mmrter, that all ilie cre\v might easily have e.^caped in the 
 boat. But hope, so deceitrul to hundreds during ihis gale, indu- 
 ced them to ren»ain on board. The wind was at that time favora- 
 ble, and they were sheltered by the high hills of the promontory 
 from the violence of the tempest. But they were doomed to 
 sudden disappointment. Hardly had they anchored before the 
 wind, as if bent on ruin, chopped round so as to make the cove 
 no shelter. In thirty a.inutes they parted their cables, drove by 
 Baylie's Point, and rushed furiously on the shore. By this lime 
 the generous citizens thronged the shore in hopes to save tlie 
 crew of the doomed vessel. After she first stmck, she wheeled 
 round, and on the back of a mountain surge was rolled up upon 
 the reeky shore, and immediately one mast went by the board. 
 When ihe waves retired, several men would make a desperate 
 effovt to seize some one on board and run him on shore. Mr. 
 Johnson is understood to have been principaly instrumental in this 
 philanthropic work. In this way, the captain and two of the 
 crew were saved. Soon, the other mast was carried away, and 
 as it fell another man crept forward and over the gunwale. He 
 was seized on the return of the wave, but was found to have been 
 wounded, probably by the frilling of the mast. As they laid hoM 
 of him they heard him say, *'Oh dear," and when he reached 
 the shore he moiioncd them to lay him down, which they did, 
 and he immediately died. His name was Whitton. The mate 
 stuck to the vessel to the last, feeling assured that he should es- 
 cape, as he had passed through so many perils safely, but he was 
 at the last point of danger. He died amidst the roaring surf, 
 and was found, stripped of every particle of clothing except his 
 stock and stockings, jammed in among the rocks of that iron 
 shore. When the Inst mast fell, a man, (the only one whose fate 
 has not been stated) was seen to crawl out upon it through the 
 mad and foaming waves. Soon the mnst broke loose from the 
 schooner, and instead of washing on shore as the poor fellow 
 had vainly hoped, it drifted seaward, ancf he was carried out of 
 sight to be buried in the depths of Lynn Bay. On Tuesday, 
 the two bodies which had been recovered were taken to the first 
 Methodist Church in Lynn ; appropriate fimeral services were 
 perfoiTnerf, and the victims of tiie sea were committed to the 
 bosom of the earth. Tiie name of the man drifted to sea was 
 John Lindsay of Philadelphia. The vessel went entirely to pieces. 
 The Brig Rideout. .. .This vessel, commanded by Capt. 
 Pnrrington, of and from Bath, for Maianzas, was driven among 
 the dreadliil breakers on the outside of Cape Cod, and capsized. 
 Every soul on board was lost. She went upon the outer breakers, 
 and being upset, remained among them, the furious sea rolling 
 <iuhe over her as if she had been but a log. Slie finally went to 
 
11 
 
 pieces. In tliis case, about a dozen human bemgs, flushed wiih 
 hope, and anticipating a long life, were suddenly hurried into eter- 
 nity. The reader has only to picture to himself, a noble vessel 
 careenng over the sportful waves ; then the rising of the storm, 
 the preparation of the creaking vessel for the fierce struggle, the 
 increase of the tempest, the breakers ahead, the fruitless efibrt to 
 clear th^^m, the shriek and prayer as she plun;^es into the midst 
 of the foaming surges, where the sjway is dashed over her very 
 truck, the reeling of the ship for a moment as though she were a 
 drunken man, and then the fearful mountain-wave that strikes 
 her amidships, atW rolls iier over like a slaughtered ox, throwing 
 the frightened mariners into the merciless wateis, the gurgling 
 cry of a moment as they struggle even with certain ocAith, and then 
 the silence of all save the roaring waves and whistling winds, and 
 be will have som« idea of the loss of the pooi- ill-fated Hideout. 
 
 The Schooner Defosite. . ..This schooner, Cotterell, 
 master, from Belfast, with lumber, was wrecked on Lakemun's 
 l^each, Ipswich. She was first discovered by Mr. Marshall, of 
 Ipswich, who gave the alarm, and with Mr. Greenwood, keeper 
 o( the light, repaired to the beach. The schooner was close into 
 tlie shore, but the surf was breaking over, and inside of her, so 
 that a boat could not live for a moment. Mr. Greenwood dashed 
 into the surf, and at imnjinent peril, succeeded in reaching the 
 vessel, and with a rope hauled in Mr. Marshall and the boat. 
 By this time the poor sufferers on board were almost gone, cold, 
 and exhausted, the sea every moment breaking over them. The 
 wife of the captain was among the wretched company. One, a 
 boy, lay dead in the scuppers, and a negro man was in his last 
 agonies, when they got on board. He died in a few minutes. 
 Nerved to desperate effort by the peril of the sufferers, and tiiat 
 common humanity, which, despite of the little petty bickerings of 
 men, will reveal itself in such an hour, these two noble fellows 
 went to work at once. The captain, almost senseless, and com- 
 pletely exhausted, was first lowered into the boat with Marshall, 
 but a wave instantly upset it, dashing Marshall under the vessel. 
 He rose to the surface, and saved himself by catching hold of a 
 rope ; the poor captain was drowned of course, as he was inca- 
 pable of helping himself. The cries of the dying for succor, 
 were as nothing to the terrific shrieks of the captain's wife, as she 
 saw her husband buried beneath the wafers. Two of the crew 
 were got ashore, one of them by floating on the boom. The be- 
 reaved woman was then lowered from the stern by ropes, and 
 Greenwood and Marehall, standing each side of her ir^he water, 
 took advantage of an inward wave, and run her ashore in tlieir 
 arms. The names of the three survivors are Mrs. Cotterell, 
 George Emery and Chandler Mahoney, The dead bodies were 
 
12 
 
 taken to town and Interred on Wednesday. The services were 
 performed at the South Church, before a large concourse of peo- 
 ple. The bodies were followed to the grave by sixteen sea cap- 
 tains as bearers, and a long procession of citizens. The expres- 
 sion upon the countenances of the dead was striking. That upon 
 the face of the young naan named Durham, was peculiarly sweet. 
 He seemed to be a calm slumberer, rather than a breathless corpse. 
 
 DISASTERS AT GLOUCESTER. 
 
 But tbe calamities we have recorded above, were nothing in 
 comparison to those which happened at Glouces#r. The harbor 
 was supposed to be very secure, and at the commencement of the 
 storm a great many vessels, especially coasters, put in there for 
 shelter. Unfortunately, instead of anchoring in the inner harbor, 
 as far at least as Five Pound Island, or in the South East harbor, 
 in both which places the holding ground is good, and the anchor- 
 age well sheltered, they generally anchored just North of Ten 
 Pound Island and Ten Pound Ledge, where they were right in 
 the teeth of the current of wind, rushing in a gale from S. E. or 
 N. N. E., between Rocky Neck and the Fort ; in the range of 
 the lander-tow rolling over Dog Bar ; and on very poor holding 
 ground. Of course the most of them dragged ashore. Such a 
 scene of terrific and horrible ruin has not been witnessed in that 
 harbor within the memory of the oldest resident, a man 104 
 years of age, who has always lived there. More than fifty 
 vessels were either driven ashore, dismasted, or carried to sea, 
 and the loss of lives could not have fallen much short of fifty. 
 From one end of the beach to the other, nothing could be seen 
 but pieces of broken wrecks ; planks and spars, shattered into a 
 thousand splinters ; ropes and sails, parted and rent ; flour, fish, 
 lumber, and a hundred other kinds of lading and furniture, soak- 
 ed and broken ; with here and there a mangled and naked body 
 of some poor mariner ; and in one instance that of a woman 
 lashed to the windlass-bitts of a Castine schooner, lay all along 
 the beach, while off, thirty yards, with the surf breaking over 
 them every moment and freezing in the air, lay nearly a score of 
 lost vessels; all together forming a picture which it is in vain to 
 attempt to copy in words. In the midst of this scene of terror, 
 the hardy and noble fishermen of Cape Ann, fully proved that a 
 sailor's jacket seldom covers a craven heart. They manned two 
 boats, the Custom House boat and the Van Buren ; and fear- 
 lessly risked their lives for the safety of their fellow creatures. 
 Vessel aft^r vessel was visited by them ; they made their way 
 over the tops of mountain-waves, and through the gaping chasms 
 of the hungry waters ; and from the very teeth of greedy death, 
 plucked many a poor, despairing, and exhausted fellow ; bringing 
 
13 
 
 him safe to shore. Excellent, generous men ! We would we 
 could record all their names, that posterity might approve and 
 emulate their deeds of daring. The boats were manned as fol- 
 lows : The Van Buren by Andrew Parker, Jr., John Parker 
 and others ; and the Custom House boat, by Messrs. Addison P. 
 Winter, Carter, Charles P. Wood, Gideon Lane, and D. D. 
 Heartley. 
 
 A public meeting was called, at which ii was resolved to 
 choose a Committee of Relief, to attend to the wants of all the 
 sufferers, and to the interment of the bodies. The meeting vot- 
 ed to have theAodies taken to some church, and funeral services 
 performed, under the direction of the following Committee, who 
 were the Committee of Relief, viz : George D. Hale, G. H. 
 Rogers, Alphonso Mason, Epes W. Marcham, Eben. H. Stacy, 
 Samuel Stevens. Five hundred dollars was raised on the spot. 
 
 Such was the devastation wrought by the first storm, one of 
 unequalled fury and destructiveness. 
 
 THB SBCOZffD aALB, 
 
 Occurred on Sunday and Monday, the 22d and 23d of De- 
 cember. It was less severe than that of the 15th, although suf- 
 ficiently violent to have obtained under other circumstances, the 
 name of a terrible hurricane. The injury to shipping was con- 
 siderable, and two at least of the most distressing shipwrecks we 
 ever had occasion to record, took place. The following is a list 
 of the disasters. 
 
 Schooner Tremont, Ingraham, from New York, of and for 
 Thomaslon, went ashore on Hampton Beach, N. H. fifty rods 
 South of Great Boar's Head, on Sunday morning ; the vessel and 
 cargo lost, crew saved. Schooner Henry, of Somerset, capsized 
 oft Leeds' Pomt, N. J. on Sunday, 22d, and went down with all 
 her crew. Brig Julia McLinn, Palmer, from Porto Rico, for 
 New York, put into Lewes, Del. on morning of 22d ; soon after, 
 lost both anchors, and in attempting to beat up to the Breakwater, 
 run ashore and was lost ; crew saved. Schooner Charles, went 
 ashore at East Thomaston, on night of 21st, and broke in two. 
 Schooner Equal, Snow, also went ashore at the same place, and 
 much damaged. Schooner Charlotte, Farrar, of Kingston, from 
 Baltimore for Boston, went ashore on Nantasket, on Sunday 
 night ; the crew saved, vessel had not gone to pieces. British 
 schooner H. Davenport, which went ashore on Hospital Island, 
 on the 15th, and was got off, dragged ashore again on the 22d, 
 and it was supposed could not be got off till spring. But the 
 most dreadful disasters are yet to be chronicled. We refer to 
 the loss of the barque Lloyd, and brig Pocahontas, 
 
14 
 
 The LLovn, Mountfort, of Portland, from Havana for Boston, 
 Went ashore on Nantasket, about noon of the 23d, in very thick 
 Weather^ and a heavy sea on ; her fore and mainmasts were gone, 
 and only part of the mizzenmast was standing. Six of the crew 
 immediately got out tiie long-boat, and attempted to get on shore, 
 but the surf at once filled the lx)at, and every man was swept to 
 liis grave in the billows. Another of the crew, named George 
 tStolt) got out the small boat, and finally succeeded by aid of the 
 boat, and then an oar, in getting so near the shore, that the in- 
 habitants dragged him from the foaming breakers. Capt. Mount- 
 fort, and the two remaining hands then lashed tHfemselves in the 
 mizen rigging; the sea was all the while making a clear breach 
 over the trembling huli. Soon the two men were broken from 
 their lashings, and hurried overboard; they bufielted the surges 
 a moment, and sunk forever. Capt, Mountfort still remained 
 lashed to the rigging, the last survivor on board ; but he could 
 live only a short time in that fearful position. The boat of the 
 Charlotte, manned by the crew who had themselves just suffer- 
 ed the horrors of shipwreck, stood ready on the beach to seize 
 the first opportunity to get on board. It came, and by dint of 
 ihe greatest exertion, they succeeded in boarding the barque and 
 bringing Capt. Mountfort ashore. He had been washed from 
 his lashings several times, and bruised by his contact with the 
 tagged deck, and was insensible when he was taken off. He 
 was immediately taken into one of the huts of the Humane So- 
 ciety, and every effort made to restore life, but all in vain. He 
 was sixty years of age ; the oldest shipmaster out of Portland, 
 and left a wife and three daughters to mourn over the loss they 
 have experienced. The whole community will join them in that 
 mourning, as Capt. Mountfort was very much respected. His 
 body was taken to the village of Hull. Here, as at Gloucester, 
 Ipswich, Nahant, and other places, the generous conduct of the 
 hardy fellows who boarded the wreck, is above all praise. The 
 roll of the Lloyd was as follows : Daniel Mountfort, of Port- 
 land, Me. master ; Frederick C. Huntress, of Parsonville, Me. 
 mate ; Henry Dodd, of Boston, seaman ; William Guilford, of 
 Limington, Me. ; George Stott, of Baltimore, (who was saved) ; 
 William Birch, of do.; William Leslie, of New York; Henry 
 Peck, and John Stewart, no residence given. 
 
 The Brig Pocahontas, James G. Cook, master; sailed 
 from Cadiz for Newburyport, the latter part of October. On 
 Monday morning, the 23d instant, Capt. Brown at the hotel on 
 Plum Island near Newburyport, discovered a dismasted wreck 
 ashore on a sand bar, about half a mile east of the hotel. The 
 bar, or reef, lies about 150 yards from the beach, and is, we 
 suppose, what is usually calJed the South Breakers. By the 
 
16 
 
 papers, trunks, and fragmenta of the vessel strewed on the beacf?, 
 she was immediately known to be the Pocahontas, At this time 
 but three men were to be seen on board ; two were clinging to 
 the bowsprit ; and one was lashed to the taffrail almost or quite 
 naked, and apparently, dead. The weather was very thick, so 
 that no signals could be made to alarm the town, and before 
 intelligence could be conveyed thither, only one man was left 
 on the bowsprit, his companion, and the man on the taff- 
 rail having been washed overboard. The sea was all the while 
 breaking so furiously over the fated brig, that at the distance of 
 150 yards, with the aid of glasses, it could not be told whether 
 the poor fellow on the bowsprit was an old acquaintance or not. 
 Through the feathery spray he could just be seen ibr a moment, 
 and then a mountain wave would roll quite over him. Yet in 
 this dreadful condition he hoped and tenaciously clung to life. 
 Perhaps he was a citizen of Newburyport, and possibly he could 
 now and then see through the parting surf, the spires of the 
 churches where he had worshiped God. The lighthouse, the 
 first gleau) of which over the waters lie had long waited for, 
 were now almost within his reach. He saw perhaps his own 
 friends thronging the shore, and he knev- that others, almost in 
 the sound of liis voice, were waiting with breathless anxiety to 
 learn the fate of the last survivor. Oh ! what terrible emotions 
 must have rent the bosom of the poor man, as lie hung there, 
 suspended between life and death, hoping and despairing, dying 
 in sight of home in his full strength, murdered by the pitiless 
 waves before the eyes of his own childhood's friends. Once he 
 lost his hold ! 'Twas a fearful struggle, but he regained it, and 
 there amidst the stormy surges he hung till noon. No one could 
 relieve him ; a boat could not live an instant, and about noon the 
 wretched man was swept away and lost among the angry waters. 
 
 The place where the brig struck is the most dangerous spot 
 on the island, as between it and the shore is a wide space of water 
 deep enough to float the largest vessels. Had she Been a quar- 
 ter of a mile on either side, she would have run on a dry smooth 
 beach. It appears that she must have anchored some time in 
 the course of the night, and being too near the shore for good 
 holding ground, dragged from her anchors and went stern on to 
 the reef where she thumped until her stern was stove in, and the 
 fearful breach which the sea made continued to tear her in pieces, 
 until nothing but the skeleton of what was once a noble vessel 
 'remained. 
 
 When she came into the bay, and whether those on board 
 knew her position during the gale ; whether the majority of them 
 were swept off together, or one by one, being overpowered by 
 the intensity of the cold and the violence of the sea, will never 
 
16 
 
 be known, as not one of the twelve or thirteen souls on board is 
 left to tell the sad tale. It is heart rending, indeed, that the toil- 
 worn mariner, after beating about on a stormy coast for many 
 days, should be wrecked and perish within sight of the smoke as- 
 cending from his own hearth. 
 
 The Pocahontas sailed from Ca^^liz in September; was run 
 into by a Spanish ship, and compelled to put back, discharge, 
 and repair; she sailed again in the latter part of October. As 
 most, if not all of her original crew left her during this time, and 
 no list of the crew is found among the papers which have come 
 on shore ; the names only of the captain, (James G. Cook,) and 
 chief mate, (Albert Cook, son of Elias Cook o( JXewburyport,) 
 are known. She had at least nine hands before the mast. She 
 was 271 tons burthen, built in 1830, was owned by Capt. J. N. 
 Cushing, and the vessel was insured in Boston ; cargo not insured. 
 
 The wreck took place on Monday. During the week seve- 
 ral bodies were recovered. On Saturday the remains of Capt. 
 Cook were interred, and on the following Monday, the funeral of 
 Mr. Cook, the first officer, and s6ven of the crew whose bodies 
 had been found, took place from the Federal Su'eet church. 
 The house was filled with an immense concourse of people, not 
 less probably than 2500 in number. The services were of a 
 deeply impressive character. Silence, like that of the grave, 
 reigned in the vast assemblage, broken only by the suppressed 
 sobbing of some bereaved one, or of those who had friends at 
 sea, and sympathized with the sufferers. There was the aged 
 parent, bowed down with grief; there were other members of 
 the broken circle which had often gathered cheerly round the 
 old familiar hearth-stone ; there was the hardy old sailor weep- 
 ing like a child ; and there, saddest of all, because touched nearest, 
 was one who had waited for the return of an affianced lover, to 
 consummate the happiest of all earthly contracts. She had watch- 
 ed till the vessel should heave in sight, e'er the publication of 
 the banns of marriage. The vessel came ; but she came amidst 
 the howling storm, and the rolling billows, bringing not the reali- 
 zation of cherished hopes. She came the ship of death, freight- 
 ed with horrors. The lover was clothed in the robes of the 
 grave, before the altar where Hymen's vestments would soon 
 have been worn ; and the drooping maiden on the day when she 
 should have been a happy bride, was a stricken mourner over 
 the wreck of hope and love. It was a sad scene. None could 
 listen without tears to the solemn monitions of the officiating 
 clergymen, or the clear and mournful tone of the requiem. 
 Prayers were offered by Rer. Mr. Dimmick and Rev. Dr. Dana, 
 and the audience was addressed by Rev. Mr. Campbell. The 
 coffins were placed in the broad aisle, and an American ensign 
 
17 
 
 thrown over each. Alter the close of the exercises at the churcli, 
 a procession of several hundred citizens formed, notwithstanding 
 the severe cold of the day, and proceeded with the bodies to the 
 grave, while all the bells in town were tolled, and the flags were 
 displayed at half-mast. 
 
 Commenced about 11 o'clock, P. M. of Friday, December 
 27. The wind was from East to East South East, and blew a 
 hurricane until near sunrise of the 28th. The tide all along the 
 coast rose to an unprecedented height, and great damage was 
 done on shore by the overflowing of the wharves. Happily few 
 lives were lost. Death seemed to have been well nigh glutted 
 with his former victims, and a good Providence spared such a 
 sacrifice of life as marked the former gales. The following is a 
 list of the disasters. 
 
 BOSTON. 
 
 Ship Robin Hood, carried away the posts, &c. which held 
 her to Brown's Wharf, and drove against Charlesiown Bridge, 
 doing a good deal of damage to the bridge, and carrying away 
 her cutwater. 
 
 Schooner Velocity, from St. Domingo, with coffee and log- 
 wood, dragged her anchors, and drifted against Union Wharf, 
 bilged and sunk. 
 
 Ship Eagle, from New Orleans, at anchor in the stream, drag- 
 ged her anchors and drove against Lincoln's Wharf, but expe- 
 rienced only little damage. 
 
 Schooner Splendid, at City Wharf, run her bowsprit into the 
 store occupied by David Snow, injured the store considerably, 
 and destroyed several barrels of flour. 
 
 An hermaphrodite brig, bound to the West Indies, loaded 
 with lumber, drove against Downer's Wharf, at South Boston, 
 bilged and sunk. 
 
 Brig Adelaide, at Lewis' Wharf, having just repaired dam- 
 age sustained in the gale of the 15th, had her head, stem, and 
 part of her bow again carried away. 
 
 Ship Forum, barque Maid of Orleans, brigs Sea Island, Plu- 
 tiis, schooners Senator of Portland, and Charles, of Salem, and 
 sloop Increase, all severally parted their fasts at Central and In- 
 dia Wharves, and drove up the dock the William, of New Bed- 
 ford, Namshong, of Marblehead, Franklin, of Salem, and sloop 
 Packet, of do., where they all remained jammed together, and 
 grinding each other till the gale abated. Schooner Namshong 
 lost bowsprit ; brig Plutus, do. ; schooner Senator, had her stem 
 3 
 
18 
 
 stove ; scliooner VViJHain, do. ; the others were mocli cliafecJ ; a 
 sloop drove an oak post on India Wharf, through lier stern, and 
 remained fast to it at 8 o'clock. 
 
 Ship Casco, of Portland, at end of Rowe's Wharf, stove in 
 her sidey and sunk the hull nearly under water. 
 
 Schooner Atlantic, at Brown's Wharf, Broad Street, had her 
 stern stove in. ^ 
 
 Schooner Palestine, of Nantucket, at Woodman's W^iarT, 
 purled her fasts, drove against Liverpool Wharf, where she 
 thumped till she sunk. i 
 
 Barque Ganges, at the end o^ Foster's Wharf, parted her 
 fasts, drove into the dock against barque Niagara, brigs Juniper, 
 Acadian and Portree, where they all ground and chafed each 
 other considerably. The Juniper lost head, bowsprit, Uc. ; the 
 Portree had her stern stove in, <kc. 
 
 Schooner Miller, Merrill, from Bristol, Me. cargo wood and 
 bark, run ashore on Chelsea Beach, high and dry ; crew saved. 
 
 A large vessel was seen off Baker's Island Light, at anchor 
 Rear the hreakei-s ; masts gone. 
 
 Brig Lincoln, Smith, from Havana, via Vineyard, struck on 
 the Spit, Friday night, knocked off her rodder, lost fifty hhds, 
 molasses off deck, cut away mainmast, beat over, anchored, and 
 rode out the gale ; a steamer went down to tow her up. 
 
 Ship Geneva, of New York, at India W^harf, had her bow- 
 sprit and head rigging carried away, her starboard anchor torn 
 from the bow ; her head and stem, to the water's edge, is com- 
 pFetely smashed level with the bow. 
 
 Two water boats, the property of Mr. Smith, were sunk at 
 Central Wharf; and two other water boats, belonging to Mr. An- 
 derson, were sunk at India W^harf. 
 
 Sloop Helen, from New Bedford, drove from her aoclwrs in 
 the stream, into Rowe's Wharf dock, and carried away her mast 
 and bowsprit. 
 
 Ship Argo, at India Wharf, \ml head, carried away bobstays, 
 and otherwise damaged about the bows. 
 
 Schooner Allen, from Jacmel, at Liverpool Wharf, lost top- 
 mast, was cut down amidships, and drove from Brown's Wharf. 
 
 The ship Columbiana, of over 600 tons burthen, was lying 
 on Friday night at Sweti^s Wharf, in Charlestown, and broke 
 from her fastenings on Saturday morning, about 5 o'clock, at 
 near high tide ; she was partly loaded with ice. Driven by the 
 wind and tide together, she came bows on against Charlestown 
 (clj) Bridge, and made a clear breach through It. She next 
 brought i?p against the wharf at the draw of Warren Bridge, and 
 here the scene of destruction \s most remarkable. A story and 
 half hoise stood upon the wlrirf, occupied by Mr. Dix, who is 
 
10 
 
 engaged in attending the draw, lighting lamps, &c. Himself and 
 family, consisting of nine persons, were in bed at ihe time, and 
 all escaped without any injury^ notwithstanding the building was 
 entirely demolished. No two parts of it are left together, but 
 all presents a scene of cl)aos which cannot be imagined. One 
 large fragment of the chimney stands poised many leet from its 
 original position, and directly beneath it is the family bureau, bed- 
 ding and chairs. Part of the roofing was thrown overboard, and 
 another part projected on tlie bridge^ 'The piers on which it 
 stood, forming a part of the wlwirf, are broke or bent over, 
 and the floorin^j carried away. The bridge is much injured ; 
 the fencing broke down, and the walk thrown up for some 
 distance. 
 
 It is remarkable in what manner the inmates succeeded in es- 
 caping with their lives and limbs. One man, we are told, was 
 thrown overboard, but succeeded in regaining the wharf, without 
 receiving injury. The children were also saved from their beds 
 without harm, and found shelter in the fruit shop at one end 
 of the bridge. 
 
 The ship probably slipped her fastenings, on account of the 
 very high tide, which flowed over many of the wharves. She 
 does not appear to be at all injured, unless her bottom be chafed. 
 Captain Barker was on board the ship until midnight, and finding 
 all safe, left the mate in charge, who, finding the vessel adrift, 
 took the helm and steered her. She passed directly through the 
 old bridge, as though there had been no obstacle in her way. 
 She would also have passed through the Warren Bridge had not 
 the mate lufi'ed her so as to strike the wha^f and bring her broad- 
 side to the bridge ; by this movement, th& bridge was saved. 
 
 SALEM. 
 
 Pilot Boat Leader, lying at her moorings off Phillips' Wharf, 
 parted her chain, carried away both masts, drove against Derby's 
 Wharf, and will be a total loss. 
 
 Schooner James, of Belfast, drove against Phillips' Wharf, 
 knocked a hole in her bottom, and sunk. 
 
 Schooner St. George, of St. George, from Stonington, with 
 oil, broke from her anchorage off the Misery, drove across Bev- 
 erly bar, and was forced ashore near the bridge, considerably in- 
 jured ; several female passengers were on board, but fortunately 
 no lives were lost. 
 
 Brig Pamelia, last from Vineyard, anchored on Friday even- 
 ing, near the Whale's back, off the Misery, and was obliged to 
 cut away both masts in order to save her. The mate and two 
 men came up in the night (br assistance, and with two of the 
 
20 
 
 pilots in their boats attempted to return to the vessel, but the 
 storm had increased so violently, that they were obliged to put 
 back, after an unsuccessful struggle of three hours. The brig 
 was towed into the harbor, by the pilot boat, on Saturday, and 
 Capt. Sturgis, of the Revenue Cutter Hamilton, being in the har- 
 bor, with several of his men, rendered very efficient assistance in 
 bringing her up. 
 
 The ship Sumatra, was driven from Derby's Wharf, and went 
 ashore South of the Railway, high and dry on the beach. A 
 schooner ashore near the same place, by Railway Wharf, some- 
 what injured. 
 
 The Izette and barque Brazil, parted their fasts at Phillips' 
 Wharf, and drove against the Allen Wharf, receiving but little 
 damage. 
 
 British brig Collyria, Card, of and for Windsor, N. S. drag- 
 ged her anchors and run foul of schooner Temperance, Malcom, 
 from Boston for Windsor, carrying away the schooner's bowsprit ; 
 the masts of the latter afterwards went by the board. The brig 
 drove against Derby's Wharf, forced in her larboard quarter, 
 and bilged. 
 
 Schooner Dove, of St. George, drove against Derby's Wharf, 
 carrying away jib-boom, and considerably injuring one of the 
 stores. 
 
 The schooner Pocasset, of Beverly, was forced from Becket's 
 Wharf, and brought up against Derby's Wharf, running her bow- 
 sprit through a cooper's shop near the head of the wharf, chafed 
 sheathing badly. 
 
 The schooner Amazon, of Deer Isle, with wood, dragged on 
 the flats near Derby's Wharf, and cut away both masts. 
 
 NEWBURYPORT. 
 
 The tide is stated to have risen higher than at any time be- 
 fore for thirty years, completely overflowing all the wharves, and 
 setting adrift and destroying a large amount of property. The 
 damage to the shipping at the wharves was much ,a;reater than 
 has ever been experienced before. Of 130 vessels in port, 41 
 were more or less injured, as follows : 
 
 The schooner Panama, of Wells, lying; at Bayley's Wharf, 
 with part of a cargo of flour and corn, sunk at the wharf. 
 
 The schooner Actor, partly loaded with salt, onions, &c. for 
 the South, lying at Bartlett's Wharf, filled and sunk. 
 
 The pink-stern schooners Harmony, Van and Union, also 
 sunk at the wharves. 
 
 The schooners Trio and Grampus, at Perkins' Wharf, had 
 their sterns completely stove in, and sustained other damage. 
 
^1 
 
 The schooner Vulture, at Bay ley's Wharf, had her main top- 
 mast broken off, parted her fasts, stove in her stern, and sustain- 
 ed considerable other damage. 
 
 A new brig lying at Cushing's ^Wharf, was so badly chafed, 
 that many of her planks will have to be taken out. 
 
 The schooner Nun, which came from Boston, just before the 
 commencement of the gale, with a valuable cargo, parted her 
 fasts at Commercial Wharf, and drove to the upper side of the 
 mast-yard of Messrs. Cook, where, after breaking off her bow- 
 sprit, davits, and tearing out one side of a shed, she lay in a 
 snug berth. 
 
 The schooners Traveller, of Wells, and Herald, had their 
 sterns stove in. 
 
 The schooners Tom Bolin and Orison, of Wells, lost their 
 bowsprits. 
 
 The schooner Nancy, which was badly damaged in the gale 
 of the 15th, and had just been repaired, was again considerably- 
 damaged. 
 
 The schooners Hope, Atlas, Ellen, Retrieve, Mercy & Hope, 
 Aurora, Mechanic, Harriet, Alphion, and Baltic, were also very 
 badly chafed or otherwise damaged. 
 
 The new ship Viola was somewhat chafed. 
 
 The schooners Andromeda, Anti, Rinaldo, Franklin, of 
 York, Reward, Camelia, of Portsmouth, were also chafed ; An- 
 gola, stern carried away ; Agnes, do. ; Albion, quarter boards 
 gone ; Enterprize, do. ; Wave, Evelina of York, and Spartan, 
 had sterns stove ; Eunice, broke main boom. 
 
 GLOUCESTER. 
 
 The brig Aladdin, of North Yarmouth, from Baltimore for 
 Portsmouth, ashore and stern knocked out, crew saved; her 
 cargo of corn and flour, was saved in part, though in a damaged 
 state. 
 
 Brig Richmond Packet, Captain Drinkwater, of Deer Isle, 
 from Richmond for Newburyport, entirely gone to pieces, and 
 her cargo of corn and flour mostly lost ; the crew saved, but the 
 wife of the captain, in attempting to reach the shore on a spar, 
 was drowned. 
 
 The schooner Bride, from Georgetown for Salem, ashore and 
 bilged, crew saved ; cargo of corn and flour, saved in a dam- 
 aged state. 
 
 The schooner Thetis from Philadelphia for Portland, with 
 coal, crew saved ; vessel and cargo a total loss. 
 
 A schooner ashore in the inner harbor, and another outside 
 at anchor, with masts cut away. 
 
CAPE COD. 
 
 Provincetown. — The loss of shipping here is immense } 
 brig Imogene, (whaler,) it is thought will be a total loss. The 
 brig Fanny, (whaler,) suffered much in her hull. The schooners 
 Caroline, Brenda, Amazon, and Alice &, Nancy, lost their sterns, 
 and received much other damage. The schooner Delphi lost 
 most of her sails, and had her hull badly damaged. The schooner 
 Joseph Helen, loaded for New Orleans, lost windlass, bowsprit, 
 foremast sprung, and badly damaged in her hull. All the above 
 are very high up on the beach. 
 
 The schooner Elizabeth Ann, of and for Halifax, from Bos- 
 ton, with flour, grapes, raisins, he. drove ashore and sunk ; her 
 decks were under water at high tide ; the cargo all landed in a 
 damaged state. 
 
 The schooner Clio, Wharp, from Norfolk for Boston, drove 
 high up on the beach, lost main boom, bowsprit, and received 
 other damage. 
 
 The schooner Planet, from Bath for Baltimore, with lumber 
 and pickled fish, also high up on the beach. 
 
 The schooner Fleet, loaded for Baltimore, went ashore with 
 both anchors ahead ; she drifted afoul of schooner Clio, in the 
 stream, and both vessels came ashore together. 
 
 The schooner Pandora, from New York for Boston, with 
 flour, &c. went ashore, but did not receive much damage. 
 
 The schooner Altorp, from Richmond, with corn and bread, 
 ashore high and dry. 
 
 The new schooner William W. Wyers, for Norfolk, high up 
 on the beach, and about 20 other vessels, principally fishermen, 
 suffered greatly in spars, rigging, and hulls badly damaged. 
 
 The brig Wave, from Bath for Matanzas, having lately got 
 off shore at Truro, went ashore again at this place. 
 
 The following are the particulars of the wreck of the brig 
 J. Palmer, on her passage from Philadelphia to Boston. She 
 was lost on Friday night. How she was lost, whether driven on 
 shore or foundered, no one can ever learn, as all hands were lost. 
 All that is known of her is, that pieces of a wreck, parts of boxes, 
 flour barrels, &c. were picked up on Sunday morning, on the 
 eastern shore of Conanicut. Among parts of the wreck, is a 
 quarter-deck, almost entire, and part of a head, on which is 
 the name "J. Palmer." It must have been the brig J. Palmer, 
 Ardley, from Philadelphia for Boston, which was spoken on 
 Thursday, off Block Island. She had lost her foresail in previ- 
 ous gales. On Friday evening, at dusk, a brig was seen stand- 
 ing towards the south end of the Island, three miles off, without 
 any foresail ; since that time, nothing has been seen or heard of 
 her, saving the melancholy proofs of her destruction that have 
 
ft3 
 
 been thrown upon our shores. There is no ground for hope lha( 
 one of her crew escaped ; all must have perished ! Some pieces 
 of boxes that have been picked up are marked on the side, (and 
 therefore thought to be the shipper's marks,) '* J. S. M. J. J. A. 
 H. D. Franklin Window Glass," some 8 X 10, and some 7X9. 
 A waistcoat, with the name of '* S. Browne," on the back of it, 
 was among the pieces of wreck that drifted ashore. 
 
 Wreck of the Sch^ooner Miller. .. 4. This schooner, 
 Merrill, master, bound from Bristol, Me. with wood, to Lynn, in 
 running into the harbor, struck on a rock and sprung her planks, 
 so that she leaked badly. She then anchored, and the pilot, Mr. 
 Pecker, came on board. Soon after he boarded her, she parted 
 her chain, and it was determined to run heron shore. The wind 
 by this time was lashed into a perfect tornado, and the canvass 
 which they attempted to get upon her was blown into ribbons in 
 an instant. They however managed to get up just enough of 
 the flying-jib to steer her by, and then put her head for Chelsea 
 Beach. She struck heavily, and the sea immediately began to 
 break over her. The crew then ran forward. As the pilot was 
 making his way forward, a sea broke upon her, and Pecker felt 
 something strike against him ; he clutched at it, and seized a man 
 by the hair, while he himself caught by a rope. Thus was one 
 life saved, By this time, another sea had lifted the schooner 
 higher on the beach ; and dropping one by one from the bow- 
 sprit, the whole crew were saved, some of them being drawn 
 ashore by the pilot. We are much happier in recording escapes 
 than deaths; and especially is it a pleasure to give praise to men 
 who are the means of rescuing any of their fellow creatures from 
 destruction. 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 From the foregoing account, it appears that 1 barque, 17 
 brigs, 68 schooners, and 4 sloops, were lost in th§ three gales ; 
 and the estimated number of lives destroyed at the same time are 
 from 150 lo 200. It was supposed 50 were lost at Gloucester 
 alone in the first storm. Besides this, 23 ships and barques, 22 
 brigs, 163 schooners, and 5 sloops, were dismasted, driven ashore, 
 or greatly injured in some other way. The destruction of prop- 
 erty must have been near ^1,000,000. We do not suppose we 
 have ascertained the loss of near all the vessels which have been 
 destroyed by these tornadoes. Many were foundered at sea ; 
 and some went ashore and to pieces, so that no intelligible record 
 of their loss is left behind. 
 
 Alas ! what destruction. What wide spread ruin and desola- 
 tion. Who can look upon it, without fearing Him, whose voice 
 
24 
 
 IS heard in the tempest, and whose will directs the storm ? Into 
 the short period of fourteen days, the agony of years was press- 
 ed. There was enough of despair and horror felt in that time, 
 to chill the blood of youth or palsy the arm of the strongest. It 
 has past. The waters heave as calmly as ever. The winds are 
 hushed upon its bosom, and the gentle heavens look down in 
 smiles on the splendors of the deep. But the shipwrecked mar- 
 iners of December — where are they ? where ? Oh, that we 
 may so live as to be prepared even for such a death as theirs. 
 
 WOULD you behold the works of God, 
 His wonders in the world abroad. 
 Go with the mariners, and trace 
 The unknewn regions of the seas. 
 
 The}» leave their native shores behind, 
 ^nd seize the favor of the wind. 
 Till God command, and tempests rise, 
 That heave the ocean to the skies. 
 
 Now to the heavens they mount amain ; 
 Now sink to dreadful deeps again ; 
 What strange affright young sailors feel, 
 And like a staggering drunkard reel ! 
 
 When land is far, and death is nigh. 
 Lost to all hope, to God they cry : 
 His mercy hears their loud address, 
 And.sends salvation in distress. 
 
 He bi.cis the winds their wrath assuage, 
 The*furious waves forget their rage ; 
 'Tis calm ; and sailors smile t6 see 
 Tiie haven where they,wish'd to be. 
 
 O may the sons of men record 
 The wondrous goodness of the Lord ! 
 Let them their private offerings bring, 
 And in the church his glory sing. 
 
14 DAY USE 
 
 RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED 
 
 LOAN DEPT. 
 
 This book is due on the last date stamped below, or 
 
 oo the date to which renewed. 
 
 Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. 
 
 |6Aug'62W/ 
 
 
 REC'D LD 
 
 
 AUG 6 1962 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 LD 21A-50m-3,'62 
 'rj7097sl0)476B 
 
 General Library 
 
 University of California 
 
 Berkeley 
 
VB 20177 
 
 ivi217098 
 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CAUFORNIA UBRARY 
 
IVOK :W!fJB««xr