Dominic Winter Auctions
Lot 397
* 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 mountQTY: (3)NOTE: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 impossibility of landing, heavy seas and precipitous cliffs, and then for the first time did the Captains wife break down. Throughout all the previous horrors she had maintained a calm courage – an unwavering faith that God would save her and the dear ones - and now at last the appalling hours in the open boat, and the apparently hopeless possibility of being saved crushed her hitherto plucky spirit. Yet another ghastly night we spent, the vessel noticeably sinking beneath us. Early the next morning before daylight the first mate and I crawled down the fore hold? to see how the water was forward. It was a ghastly sight. Muddy dark water swishing about the hold and thousands of rats squealing with fear perched all round the slingers?. The feeble light from our lantern accentuated the horror of it - the rats did the rest. We both lost nerve and made a rush to get on deck again. When daylight broke we were labouring and wallowing in a still heavy sea and the water nearly up to our scuppers. We then launched the dinghy - a mere cockleshell - and one by one filled the lifeboat and the remainder by the dinghy. It was a dangerous business - poising oneself on the rail and then taking a flying leap into the boat.''To my astonishment I saw the Captain who was ahead of me endeavouring to make himself understood to a couple of natives. Huge fellows they were, both of them well over six feet; clad only in a guanaco skin - carrying bows and arrows, and accompanied by two exceedingly gaunt and hungry looking dogs. They were quite friendly - much to our relief – for we had understood that the natives had cannibalistic proclivities. They belonged to a wandering Tribe of Ona and their Chief being able to speak a little Argentine helped matters a lot, one of our crew being also able to speak the language. They conducted us to a gap in the cliffs and soon found ourselves at their encampment, consisting of a few wigwams and populated by about twenty natives - men women and children.''I was in the search party, going down to the shore was just in time to see our old ship break up. The foremast fell forward followed by the main. The riggers fell aft and an hour later the jigger disappeared. Then she broke up completely and by afternoon the shoreline a couple of miles was strewn with wreckage. I made an excellent “find” - a drowned hen, and a piece of salt pork which I carried in triumph to the camp. Unfortunately very little of an edible nature washed ashore. My only rival as a caterer being an A.B. who had got a dead pig.For a week we existed in this manner eking out our scanty stores with mussels and shell fish gathered on the rocks. We also killed a sea lion portions of which we ate. The natives were good to us and gave us portions of a guanaco they had shot. Our cooking was somewhat primitive. We cut sharp twigs? And sticking a piece of meat on the end held it in the fire and then holding it in our fingers gnawed the “charred” outside “raw inside” flesh. The shell fish soon became nauseous and the sodden biscuits were getting “horribly less” as the 2nd mate put it and so the Captain and his AB interpreter held a conversation with the natives. We then learnt that many miles up country lived a man named Bridges engaged in sheep farming. The 2nd mate and one AB, therefore set out with an Indian guide to endeavour to find this white man. Succour from the reward? was impossible and on the hope that these two would bring us help rested our hopes.'
