Torrey's Narrative; or, The Life and Adventures of William Torrey

by William Torrey

I shipped on board the ship Borneo, Captain Gorman of and for Limerick. We weighed our anchor about the first of April, 1839, with a crew of twenty-four men, including officers. We had a very pleasant sail down the river. The third day after we stood out of Quebec, a man made his appearance on board, who was a stranger to all excepting the captain and mate. The captain inquired how he came there; he replied that he belonged to Killruch, and had offered him (the captain) all the money he had, which was less than the passage money, and being very anxious to go home, was determined the ship should not leave without him; consequently he watched an opportunity to secrete himself on board; and when the watch was on deck, or when the watch was below asleep, he would crawl from his hiding place to the store-room, where he would get enough to supply him until another opportunity offered for him to get another supply. This he continued until the third day as mentioned. The captain, after hearing his story, ordered the mate, who was an old schoolmate, and fellow associate of his, to tie him to the capstan, and pour cold water over him every half hour. This the mate refused to do to one to whom he was so strongly attached. The man as well as the captain insisted upon it; still he refused. The crew then proposed to pay his passage, which the captain accepted, and the man was released.

The wind blowing a fresh breeze soon brought us in sight of Newfoundland. The breeze freshening each moment, soon became a perfect gale. The captain thought best to run through the straits of Bellisle—the channel that separates New Foundland from Labrador—passing through in the night during the first watch. We stowed the main sky-sail, and fore, main and mizzen royals, also tried the pumps. About midnight, the cry of "all hands ahoy." "Bear a hand up, and reef top-sails." The three top-sails were reefed, and the top-gallant sails set over them, and the main-sail furled. When this was done, the whiskey, as was usual in those days in such times, was passed around. This occupied two or three hours, when we went below again. At four we were called again, this being a new or second watch. The order, "clew up the top-gallant sails and stow them," was quickly obeyed, when another, "lay aft my lads, splice the main brace," (meaning, take another round of whiskey,) "man your top-sails, reef tackles and clew lines, lower away your halyards roundly. When all is done, lay aloft and reef your sails." Soon the seven bells called the watch to breakfast. The ship at this time was laboring very heavy under the press of canvass. The wheel got the advantage of the helmsman, and in an instant broached to; at the same time a heavy sea boarding her, swept the caboose clear from the deck, leaving the cooking apparatus, it being strongly secured by large bolts to the deck, or we should have lost our whole breakfast; as it was it was hardly worth eating, being wet with salt water.

The ship was soon got before the wind again; the pumps were examined, and seven feet of water found in the hold. The pumps were rigged, and all hands were obliged to take their turn at them. The ship was heavily deck loaded, which rendered it very crank, or, in other words, easily to be upset; as well as made it extremely difficult to go about on deck to work the ship, and making it altogether unsafe, as there was nothing to prevent our being washed overboard. We lashed ourselves to the railing around the mainmast, and thus we stood for twenty-four hours, having nothing to eat but a few hard biscuit, taking a glass of whiskey as often as every half or three-fourths of an hour. The gale still increased,—the sea under our stern would raise the ship to such a height, that for a moment it appeared as if she would go over in end; then she would fall again, and for a moment be engulphed between two high seas apparently fifty or sixty feet high, when they would come again with seemingly greater fury. When rising this wave, it appeared as if the ship went at the rate of 14 or 16 knots an hour. Keeping the pumps at work constantly, we were enabled to check the increase of the water; but still so great was the leakage, that we could not decrease the quantity already in the hold. This was truly discouraging. Whiskey was dealt out freely, which served in some degree to drive away the fear of the moment.

One night, when under close reefed main-top-sail and fore-sail, with two men at the wheel, our ship broached to, or suddenly turned to the windward of her course, which presented her side to the wind, and greatly endangered her upsetting. At this time all hands were aloft, reefing and securing the sails that had blown adrift from the yards. Those that were at that time from the mast, upon the yards, sought safety by clinging to the yard, which brought them erect upon the same. Others, that were near the masts, lay at, or were in a horizontal position. While she lay upon her beam ends, a heavy sea boarded her, sweeping the hurricane house, bed, and bedding of the second mate, spare sails, ropes, and six casks of meat, clear from the deck, and disabling one of the men at the wheel. At length she righted, quite to the disappointment of all on board; for we all expected she was lost. In this condition we lay, drifting at the mercy of the wind and waves twelve hours, when we loosed the fore-sail and fore top-mast-stay-sail after goose winging (or fastening the clew or lower corner of the sail, while the middle is secured or fastened to the yard) the fore-sail and boarding the fore-tacks, set the stay-sails, and put the helm hard up. She payed off a little, and shivering the main-top-sail, we were soon before the wind again, running at the rate of 12 or 15 knots per hour. The wind abating somewhat, allowed us to make a little sail. Our top-sails and fore-top-mast-studding-sails were set on both sides. A squall suddenly arose, blowing our fore-top-mast studding sails from the yards and braces, the fore-top-sail was in an instant torn from the bolt rope, leaving only a few fragments hanging to it.

At the time the squall arose all hands were at the pumps, and six only could possibly be spared to secure the sails that the wind had left hanging to the yards, or to cut the fragments of those torn from the ropes, clear. Being one of this number, I hastened to perform the order. As I came up over the run, I saw a Russian in the attitude of prayer. I stopped a moment, not wishing to interfere with his devotion. Another of the crew soon came up, and going up to the Russian while yet upon his knees, gave him a hearty kick in the ribs! at the same time advising him with oaths and imprecations, to put off his praying until better weather, and attend to the safety of the ship. We succeeded, though at the peril of our lives, in securing the sails. Our condition was now indeed wretched, seemingly the worst that could be pictured.

The crew upon whom the management of our now half water-logged ship devolved, were much worn with fatigue and hunger, having nothing to eat save what we took raw and wet, there being no place to cook anything, as the water which constantly swept over the deck, rendered our attempts to build and support a fire fruitless. Consequently we ate raw pork and beef, with bread which had been completely wet through with salt water.

To add to our almost insupportable suffering, the deck, by the constant straining and tossing of the ship, leaked so badly that every article of clothing, bed and bedding, were completely drenched, so that we were not only destitute of an occasional dry suit, but were deprived of a dry and comfortable place in which to rest ourselves, when for a moment we could in turns be spared from the arduous duties of our situation.

In giving a just and accurate description of this, as well as every other storm at sea, the pen entirely fails. There can be no just conception of it, but by having it vividly impressed upon the mind, by keen, sensitive reality.

The same Capt. Gorman, who had the command of our ship had a few years before, commanded one called the Francis Spade, and by his mismanagement, she water-logged, was dismasted, and lost. The crew of that ill-fated vessel remained upon the wreck seven days in a state of starvation, their ship stores having been swept away. They at last resorted to the horrible extreme of casting lots, to see which should fall a victim to satisfy the hunger of the rest. The first lot fell upon a boy 12 or 15 years of age. Knowing his fate, with that degree of fortitude that characterized the martyrs of other days, he set about putting an end to his own life by bleeding. After trying in vain to open a vein in his arm, he called for a blanket, which he wrapped around his form; then cutting a deep gash in the bottom of both feet, calmly laid himself down to meet the death which it was his lot to suffer. No sooner had the pulse ceased to beat, than the body was divided among the half famished crew, who with the rapacity of tigers fell to devouring it. Two other boys afterwards fell victims to the same fate.