Beschreibung:

The Wreck of the Glencairn. An original manuscript account describing the events of the wreck of the Glencairn, by apprentice seaman Colin C. Watson, c. 1907, written up after the event in a fair hand, describing the events from leaving Rochester bound for Portland, Oregon, striking a rock off Tierra del Fuego, losing two crew members and the ensuing events on shore, a little spotting and creasing, old pin to top corner, 13 pages (over 3,000 words) on 13 leaves, 4to, together with a testimonial for Colin C. Watson serving as an apprentice in the "Glencairn" and "Fifeshire" for a period of 12 months, signed by the Master, John Nichol one page, 4to, plus a contemporary cabinet card photograph of the young Colin C. Watson in naval attire, slightly trimmed at foot of mount (Quantity: 3) A harrowing eye-witness account of the wreck of the Glencairn by an apprentice on board. The Glencairn left Rochester on 9 May 1907, bound for Seattle, with twenty-five crew plus the Master's wife and child, the boat carrying 2,375 tons of cement. It struck rock off Tierra del Fuego and the party was forced to abandon ship, two crew members being lost when leaving. The letter carries on to describe Watson's version of the story until their fortuitous rescue by Lucas Bridges. Bridges gives his own account of events when he encountered the shipwrecked party in his autobiography 'Uttermost Part of the Earth' (1948). Chapter 46, pp. 463-72. Watson was to continue his naval career, serving as a P & O Captain for some thirty years. See following lot. A full transcription of this manuscript is available on request. Selected extracts: ' We were to go through the Maine Strait between Hadon Island and the mainland (Tiera del Fuoga). I happened to be at the wheel at the time we were making the entrance of the strait. Suddenly a furious snow squall sprung up and the land was obliterated from view. I noticed a slight shock followed by a heavier one and say out to the Captain “We are on the ground Sir”. The next instant we had crashed upon a sunken ?, and the men came running aft in response to the shrill whistle of the First Mate summoning them. The squall was but the precursor of a typical Cape Horn Blow. Wind and sea increased rapidly and soon the decks were being swept by heavy seas which thundered over the poor old stricken ‘Glencairn’ smashing up rails, doors etc. and smashing everything moveable over the side. With terrible difficulty we succeeded in launching our two lifeboats. One was taken forward and then commenced the task of loading the boat. The Captains wife and child and the Stewardess were about to be lowered into the boat in which three men were busy fending her off the ships side when a huge sea capsized her carrying away the panels? by which she was secured to the ship. Powerless to help we saw one of our unfortunate shipmates drown before of our eyes, one man had disappeared entirely whilst the other had succeeded in clambering up on the overturned boats stern and sticking his feet in the lifelines clung desperately to the heel. He soon drifted out of sight into the whirly snowstorm. The Captain then called for volunteers to go off in the sole remaining lifeboat to attempt a rescue. The foreign element in the crew objected to this. I pleaded that it was madness to risk the lives of all in an attempt to recover one man. I pointed out that should the boat be lost we should all inevitably drown. They asked him if he wished to imperil the lives of his wife and child. He quietly replied that while there was a chance to save the man he would see that some effort was made and ordered away the boat in search. Then followed a scene which is terrible to relate. Half mad with fear and convinced of their doom they broke into a whisky case they had pilfered from the lazaretto? whilst provisioning the boats. Sea ? continues to sweep the decks and one by one they fell dead drunk their bodies washing about the decks.' 'The second mate explained the impossi