Part 13 (1/2)
shi+PWRECK OF THE MONTICELLO
JV Brown, Esq, Editor of the Lake Superior Journal, as on board the Monticello, gives the following graphic account of the disaster:
It becomes our painful duty to record the most perilous shi+pwreck that has ever occurred on Lake Superior, and having been a passenger on board the Monticello at the tiive all the particulars in relation to the loss of the vessel, and the hardshi+ps of the passengers and crew We went on board the Ontonagon on the afternoon of the 22d September, 1851, on her return from Fond du Lac She left the river at half-past five o'clock bound for the Sault, with about one hundred persons, twenty tons of copper from the Minnesotaout of the harbor one of the wheels struck a floating log very heavily, and it is supposed to have loosened the packing boxes around one of the shafts--She lay on the bar a few ht, and we cannot think it possible that she sprang a leak froht sand
[Illustration: LOSS OF THE MONTICELLO]
We had been out about half an hour, when the fireine; they communicated the fact to Capt Wilson, and it was ht to be serious, and created but very little alarm The pump was put into operation, and on exaineer seemed confident that the pule harbor, a distance of sixty aining on the pu water byat first froed to the northwest--it was fresh but fair, and aided by sails and all the steam that it was prudent to carry, she ca on her course, in hopes to ers and creorked steadily at the puain on theht was thrown overboard with a hearty good will--the wealth of theof but little consequence at such a time Every possible er assisted to the ut vessel afloat Two pumps, three barrels, and a half dozen pails were constantly in ained steadily, but surely, on their efforts
We had now been out about three hours, the wind and waves constantly increasing, when it was found, there was little hope of reaching Eagle harbor; the water had risen nearly to the fires, and was fast gaining ground, notwithstanding all the exertions of those on board After reer, the boat was headed toward the land, and new efforts were put forth to encourage all on board to assist at the pumps and barrels By this time there was three feet of water or h the seas, the wood having to be shi+fted from one side of the vessel to the other, to keep her in trim
One fire after the other was rolled into the water, and it becauished entirely, and it was still thought, the ould take her in under the land even if the stea before the fires were reported out--the engines worked lazily for a short ti of the valves becale of a strong ether
Wearied with incessant exertions at the pu to prefer rest to escape fro Some were even forced into the hold, to fill barrels and pails, and new efforts were put forth to induce the suffering crew and passengers to hold out an hour longer, with the assurance that we could reach land in that ti minds always exert under such circuain of the pumps with a kind of desperate exertion, and for a tiained on the water There was another circu careened on one side by the sails, one of the fires was partially out of water, and a fire was kindled again by means of dry wood, oil, and the most combustible ress toward the land, but it stiers to new exertions
The fires were in this way kindled and extinguished several tiular exertion of the engines for their preservation, especially as the wind for some ti hours the water-logged vessel drifted in, before soundings could be had In this region it ell known, that the coast was rocky, and dangerous for landing, and the night was too dark to enable the pilot to distinguish one place from another A heavy sea rolled in upon the shore, and it see under such circuly, Captain Wilson decided to come to anchor, and endeavor to keep the vessel afloat till daylight; and as soon as we cao, and she swung round heavily in the furious waves, that threatened speedily to complete the work of destruction
Several insane atte away the boats, which, had they succeeded, we doubt not, would have proved certain destruction to nine-tenths of all on board; for if the boats had not been swamped at once, they would undoubtedly have been dashed to pieces on the rock-bound shore, leaving others to swi were continued with the last energies of a noble creo or three hours ht of another day, and it was understood that an atteht
The tiers and creere too much exhausted to keep down the water, and still they labored to do so hat strength they had left Soed to the north; and co hard directly upon the shore, and the sea increased rapidly, oftenti into the hatchhere the , and it became evident to all, that the vessel could be kept afloat only for a short tih to see that it was a bold rocky shore, against which the waves dashed high and furiously, but it was too late to choose a place for landing, and the captain ordered the anchors raised Her boung around to the east and in fifteen minutes she struck heavily on the solid rock, about three hundred yards fro till she struck, when the waves at once swept in upon her deck and filled the hold
The largest of the tls happened to be on the lee side, and it was soon lowered away, and with a line long enough to reach the land, the first and second mates, Messrs Lucas and Barney, WT Westbrook, and one of the crew, started for the shore The line was made fast to a tree, and they co The little boat seeulphed by every breaker that itand true hands could have saved the boat in this eers of the sea, can ie a boat under such circumstances
The sot around under the lee and bailed out, but it swamped the first trip ashore, and was not used afterward By constant, and untiring exertions, the passengers and creere all landed at half-past eight o'clock, and after securing the shattered boats, as best they could, on the steep side of the rocky shore, they gathered around the fires, to look upon the ht of one another All were drenched with the water in coues of the night and , they lopped down around the fires, the sorriest looking gathering that it had ever been ourthe passengers and crew landed safely, that they had not thought about providing for our future wants, and nothing in the shape of provisions or baggage had been brought ashore
After they had looked around theain ain explored for provisions, and a few pounds of hard bread, part of a quarter of fresh beef and soht in, which was as one remarked, a ”poor show” for a lunch for soeaten this le river, which was judged to be about thirty-five miles distant, and a party of twenty-two in number set out
It was noon e started, with our clothes still wet and heavy, and little or nothing to eat We worked our way slowly through the cedar swas, up ravines and down ravines, a crooked, trackless, toilsome way, till the middle of the afternoon, e ers on their way back to the wreck They had been on some distance further, but worn out with the hardshi+ps of their journey and hunger, they had turned back disheartened, and advised us to do the sah the worst cedar swarow dark with the shades of evening, and till a nuue and hunger We then concluded to encah we could not have traveled in all the afternoon over five miles, or about a mile an hour
Without an axe, a few sticks were collected, and two or three poor fires were kindled All the bits of hard bread, and fresh beef, in all a scanty meal for one person's supper, was produced and rationed out to the twenty-two persons Every one ate as sparingly as possible, and as ithout tents, we lay down on the cold ground in our wet clothes before the fire, and dozed and shi+vered with cold till daylight As soon as we could see to travel, we proceeded on our toilso about a mile we cae Lake, and sao or three Indians pushi+ng out through the surf a bark canoe, which they soon jumped into and paddled away before the wind We tried to induce the froned to look back
Sole river, and it was some consolation toalong the beach, which was cos and trees that had washed or tu it as tiresoined Frequently, in order to keep the beach, ere obliged to ithin reach of the dash of the waves, and were drenched with the cold flood
About two e of the bank, which was so The clothes of a ood state of preservation, half covered the bleaching bones, the sad, sickening, unburied relics of some poor ”shi+pwrecked brother,” who had here ended his voyage ”o'er life's stormy main” He had evidently chosen this spot where he could die looking off upon the lake, from whence no succor came, and where he could be easily discovered by the passer by A description was taken by one of our party of his clothes and the few articles found on thele river, that they were undoubtedly the reonquin mine a feeeks previous A brother of the deceased repaired to the spot as soon as possible and brought down the re had not far advanced when a nu behind, exhausted froer and weakness, and it was evident that soht possibly reach Eagle river that day and send assistance We confidently expected to find some provisions in a warehouse at Gratiot river, twelve le river, and all had hopes to reach there before night A few of our party pushed forward as fast as possible, to procure food and fires for those behind, but great was our disappointment not to find a particle of provisions at that place
We kindled a fire, and rested for a few er nu still far behind It now becale river, and seven of our number detero, and in our rew better as we proceeded, and we cale River about four o'clock in the afternoon, and under the circue we do not recollect ever to have seen before Four or five of our party ca, and a few others of another party came in the next day with si, Capt McKay with the schooner Algonquin, proceeded to the wreck, and brought off the captain, crew, and reers, and all that could be saved of valuable property
A JUNGLE RECOLLECTION
The hot season of 1849 was peculiarly oppressive, and the irksoarrison duty, at Cherootabad, in the south of India, had for i successively acceded to my application for three weeks' leave, and that welco before I found uns and all, in a country bullock cart, lying at full length on a mattress, with a thick layer of straw spread under it