Untitled - Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative
Untitled - Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative
Untitled - Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative
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- 3 -<br />
go 1l1oft and cut loose the foretopsail, and one man responded and vent. aloft to do<br />
80. At the i me he W8:'\ cutting, t.be ve sse L struck th~ r ocks and the foremast went<br />
t<br />
ov erboard . In falling t.he foremast fell across the r-ock and the man leaped from<br />
the spar- to the rock, and thus saved his life , being the only survdvor- of t.he cr-ev,<br />
This r ock is on the North West<br />
side of the Wadhlilms Lsda nda, Rod i s about fifty or<br />
sixty f e e t above the vater, the surf'e ce meas uring a bout one hund r ed f eet on the<br />
round . After the second day he ga ve up all hop es of being r escued , and to Leav e a<br />
r-ec or d of the mel a ncholy e ven t , and his dep lorab l e condition , he cut the nen ee of<br />
his l ost ccnr-ade s upon a piece of boa rd that va s t.hr-ovn upon the r ock , afte r the<br />
ve se eI had broke n up. By some mea ne he manag ed t o light 8 fir e [ pr-obahIy wi t h<br />
the now obsolete f lint end steel, which t he Newf oundland fishermen i n the old days<br />
a l\l8Y~ had i n their posse eston) f 'r-on 'th e vt-eckag e and f ed 'th e fire with seal f at<br />
which he managed t o secur e . On t he fifth day, he becam e utt erly exhausted and<br />
l a i d down to df e ~ But such was not to be . Another schooner- happen ed to be in t he<br />
neighborhood , sa w the smoke f rom the fire , and sent 8 boat e shcr-e and rescued hi m<br />
fro;n 'th e r ock. lie \lS S t ake n on boar-d the schooner , kindly trea t ed by t he Captain<br />
a nd quietly r ecovered f rOB his t errible adv entur-e and miraculol.ls*e scape , The<br />
cre w of t he sc hoon er also managed to r e s cue quite a number- of t.he seals, br-ought;<br />
'the a to St. "J O}->_"l l S and ' e.~-;".;otbe re ~cu~· ~rl nf!~ hI=" p~rtlon~ per-t, or t he<br />
v oya ge .<br />
.,<br />
At that t i me ther e ....as no light on Lhe wadham Le'la nds ,<br />
F.verything ha s now<br />
changed , and during th"<br />
sumaer- months quite a number of fishermen and t heir<br />
fal!1il1e s ha ve er e ct ed fi~ hi ng r ooms ther e . There 1s alm ost a n ent i r e scarcity of<br />
wat er on the Ls 'lande during dry veat.h e'r , and i n wet we..ther<br />
they secure rain<br />
ve t er- , I n ""intl"!r months the l1ght-hou~e ke eper melts the MO.... in a tank vtdch he<br />
"l\lay~ has on ha nd for th" purpose .<br />
"F'rO:D the subl1m" to the r-fdfcukous Is but It et.ep' ", eafd the Gr"'fll Nepo'l ... Jll ,