“David Allen, Jr.
“Samuel Viall.”
Probated November 7, 1757.”
THE VOYAGE OF THE SEAFLOWER.
From The Recorder (I. A. H. S.), February, 1902.
The sloop Seaflower left Belfast, Ireland, July 10, 1741, bound for Philadelphia, in the province of Pennsylvania. She had 106 persons aboard, mainly emigrants.
The Seaflower was owned by Joseph Thompson of New Haven, Conn., and Capt. Ebenezer Clark, master of the sloop. Thompson owned three fourths and Clark the remainder. When about two weeks out, Captain Clark, the master, sickened and died and the mate was also taken ill.
Thus began a reign of suffering, wretchedness and misery that has seldom been surpassed in the annals of ocean voyages. Some time after the master’s death the sloop sprung her mast and to add to the horrors of the voyage the supply of water and provisions began to run low.
The accident to the mast, the sickness and other troubles greatly extended the voyage so that long before the American coast was sighted many of the ship’s company and passengers had perished of hunger.
In order to sustain life the living were driven to feed on the dead. Six bodies had been thus consumed and the seventh was being cut up when the Success, man-of-war, came alongside and her captain supplied the well-nigh crazed survivors of the Seaflower with provisions sufficient to bring them into port.