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Title: A brief and remarkable narrative of the life and extreme sufferings of Barnabas Downs, Jun.

Who was among the number of those who escaped death on board the privateer brig Arnold, James Magee, commander, which was cast away near Plymouth-Harbour, in a most terrible snow-storm, December 26, 1778, when more than sixty persons were frozen to death. Containing also a particular account of said shipwreck

Author: Barnabas Downs

Release date: September 29, 2023 [eBook #71758]

Language: English

Original publication: Boston: E. Russell

Credits: Steve Mattern, David Wilson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A BRIEF AND REMARKABLE NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE AND EXTREME SUFFERINGS OF BARNABAS DOWNS, JUN. ***

[i]
Woodcut of a shipwreck

A brief and remarkable
NARRATIVE
OF THE
LIFE
And extreme Sufferings of
BARNABAS DOWNS, Jun.

Who was among the Number of thoſe who eſcaped Death on board the Privateer Brig Arnold, James Magee, Commander, which was caſt away near Plymouth-Harbour, in a moſt terrible Snow-Storm, December 26, 1778, when more than Sixty Perſons were frozen to Death.——Containing alſo

A particular Account of ſaid Shipwreck.

Printed by E. Russell, for the Author, 1786

[ii]
Printing-Office Liberty-square, Sept. 22, 1786.

In the Preſs, and in a few Days will be publiſhed and ready for Sale, by E. Russell, at his Office, near Liberty Pole, by the Thouſand, Hundred, Groce or leſſer Quantity, at the moſt reaſonable Rate:—Alſo may be had of Mr. Benjamin Guild, at the Boſton Book-Store, near the State-Houſe in Cornhill; Col. Ebenezer Battelle, Bookſeller, at the London Book-Store, in Marlboro’-Street; Mr. William Green, Bookſeller, at Shakeſpear’s-Head, in Newbury-Street; Capt. William Green, at his Grocery and Weſt-India Store near the Bridge, in Boſton; Mr. Lemuel Cox, and Mr. Trumbull, Innholder, near the Bridge, and Mr. Edward Hayes, in Charleſton; Mr. Edward Killins, at his Store, near the Market, in Salem; Mr. Bulkly Emerson, at the Poſt-Office, in Newbury-Port; Mr. Alford Butler, Bookſeller, in Portſmouth, New-Hampſhire, and by many other Printers, Bookſellers, Shopkeepers and Travelling-Traders in Town and Country.

BICKERSTAFF’s
GENUINE AND CORRECT
BOSTON ALMANACK,
For the Year of our Redemption, 1787.

Which will contain a great Variety of uſeful and entertaining Matter, in Prose and Verse.

This Work will be likewiſe ornamented with a large Number of engraved Plates, ſome of which repreſent the twelve Signs of the Zodiack in Miniature, and the ſeveral Employments and Diverſions of the Gentlemen Farmers, throughout the different Seaſons of the Year:—Alſo a curious Repreſentation of a County Convention, debating on State-Affairs; at the Head of the Table is a Figure of HONESTUS, that renowned Champion and bold Atteſtor of the Liberty of the Subject, and ſworn Enemy to Lawyers, who is converſing with one of the Order; over his Head is a Label with theſe Words “No Courts, no LAWYERS:” Another Plate repreſents a very curious and droll Scene of a large Group of the Black Order, or the Sons of Littleton and Coke, mounted on Jack-Aſſes, Peacocks, &c. returning from a rich Feaſt at Concord Court, &c.


[iii]
PREFACE.

To the READER, into whoſe Hands this Narrative may fall; eſpecially my Seafaring Breth­ren.

FRIENDS,

W

When any remarkable circum­ſtances take place in a man’s life, he feels commonly a diſpoſition to communicate them to the world: If they have been deliverances from great and ſignal dangers, he will make this communication from a principle of gratitude to the Being who hath protected and preſerved him: He will wiſh to engage [iv] others to be thankful on his behalf; and a knowledge of the kindneſs of Heaven to him may lead others to truſt in GOD, when they are brought into like diſtreſs and danger. By theſe motives the Subject of the following pages hopes he is influenced in publiſhing them to the world; which is all the apology that may be expected from the Publick’s diſtreſſed Friend,

BARN. DOWNES, Jun.

Barnstable, Septem­ber 10, 1786.

The Author gratefully acknowledges himſelf indebted to a Reverend Gentleman in Boſton for his kindneſs in correcting the following ſheets.



[5]
A
NARRATIVE, &c.

I

I was born in Barnſtable, in New-England, October 2, 1757, of credible Parents, whom I ſerved as an obedient Son, I hope, until the commencement of the late war called me from my home, and led me to exchange the occupation of a Huſbandman, to which I was bred for the more dangerous employment of a Soldier. In this capacity I served my Country 3 campaigns, and know not that my behaviour was censured by my officers.

After having returned for a time to the Farming-Buſineſs, I concluded to try my fortune at ſea: I entered accordingly on board the ſchooner Bunker-Hill, Captain Iſaac Cobb, Commander, on a privateering voyage: But we had not been out more than 6 days before we were taken by the brig Hope, one Brown, Commander, and carried into Halifax. We were committed to jail and kept [6] very ſhort: Then I was taken with the ſmall-pox, thro’ which GOD ſafely carried me when deſtitute of the neceſſaries of life, and under great preſſure of mind. But after my being recovered ſo far as to be returned to the jail from the hoſpital, in conſequence of my having nothing but a ſmall allowance of ſalt proviſions, which were next to poiſon for a ſick perſon, I was taken with a violent fever, which returned me again to the hoſpital, and brought me to the gates of the grave. No perſon who hath not experienced it can imagine how gloomy and diſtreſſing it is to be under ſuch circumſtances: To be far diſtant from our deareſt Friends; to be among perſons who are not only without any concern for us, or intereſt in our fate, but who are our profeſſed enemies, and not governed even by the common principles of humanity, is a caſe truly melancholy. In this ſituation I was attacked with a bleeding of the noſe, (to which I had before been ſubject) which brought me to the very borders of eternity!

After this I was, by the ſmiles of heaven recovered and reſtored, by a cartel, [7] with 400 of my Countrymen to our own homes. How welcome they were to us, and how pleaſant it was to me to ſee the faces of my Friends again, any one may imagine more eaſily than I can deſcribe!

But tho’ I had been ſo unſucceſſful in my firſt attempt at ſea, I could not reſiſt the inclination I had to try once more what Providence would do for me: I left my native place, went to Boſton, and entered on board the brig Arnold, James Magee, Commander. I well remember I felt an unusual dejection when I entered on this undertaking; and tho’ I pretend not to ſay that this foreboded the miſfortunes I was to meet with in this fatal veſſel, yet I have often reflected upon it ſince with a degree of admiration.

While the brig lay in the harbour, I attempted with ſome other hands to go on board another veſſel in a ſmall boat, but the wind ſuddenly riſing we were in danger of being drowned; the boat run on Governor’s-Iſland, and we were obliged to ſtay there 24 hours before we could get off. Providence preſerved my life in this danger, in order that I might live thro’ greater, and teſtify to his loving kindneſs and mercy.

[8]
On December 24, 1778, Capt. Magee ſailed from Boſton: We had been at ſea but a few hours, when a moſt terrible gale of wind aroſe, ſo that the water was almoſt knee deep on the leeward ſide of the quarter-deck. We continued in the Bay that day and the night following, but on the next day we got into Plymouth. The wind was abated, but the cold was ſevere and intenſe beyond deſcription. We came to anchor a little below Beach-Point, in the Harbour of Plymouth.

On Saturday, December 26, about 6 o’clock in the morning, from the violent motion of the ſea, the brig ſtruck the bottom as tho’ it would drive her keel in. As there was not depth of water enough to work the veſſel in the place where we lay, and we ſaw a heavy ſtorm coming on, our Commander thought it beſt to cut our cables and let her drive, which was immediately done. The ſtorm increaſed very faſt, ſo that we were obliged to cut away the main-maſt, and we drifted upon an hard flat a little to the weſtward of Beach-Point.

[9]
This was early on Saturday morning, and we now laboured hard in throwing over our wood and getting our guns off the decks into the hold, but the veſſel began to leak very faſt, and with every motion of the ſea ſhe ſtruck the bottom as tho’ ſhe would ſplit in pieces. We kept 2 pumps going, but could not gain upon the water. The ſtorm now increaſed to a moſt prodigious degree: It ſnowed ſo thick that we could ſee but a very little way from the brig, and the cold was extreme; we continued hard at work all day without eating or drinking any thing ſcarcely, having but little appetite with the proſpect of death continually before our eyes.

Until now we had hopes of eſcape, but juſt before night we looked into the hold and ſaw the caſks floating about; this drove us to deſpair, and we forſook the pumps without a ray of hope but from the immediate interpoſition of divine Providence. Many of the people now began to pray, and I went into the cabbin and ſat upon one of the gun-carriages. I had not been there long before I ſaw cheſts floating about, and perceived that the tide was flowing on us very faſt; by direction of the Capt. all left the cabbin and came upon the quarter-deck.

It is not poſſible to deſcribe my ſenſations at this period; death appeared inevitable, and we waited every moment for its [10] approach! Even now, when I recollect my feelings it is difficult to ſteady my pen! And indeed I had ground enough for my apprehenſions, for we had not been long upon the quarter-deck before the water upon the main-deck was even with it. Our fore-maſt was ſtill ſtanding, which cauſed the veſſel to roll very much, but when we had cut that away ſhe lay ſtiller. The brig now lay ſunk; the tide was flowing faſt and the ſea broke very heavily over us. We were all upon the quarter-deck, and the water came in upon us ancle deep.

There was a ſail in the netting upon the windward-quarter, which we contrived to laſh over us, but there were ſo many under it that we ſhould have been ſtifled for want of breath, if we had not cut places to let in the air. The tide was then about at its height but the ſtorm did not abate. There was nothing to be heard around but ſcreeches, groans and deep lamentations for themſelves and their families, and earneſt cries to GOD for mercy and relief!

There was ſuch a croud upon the quarter deck we could not ſtand up without treading upon one another. Being in a ſtruggle I was thrown down and trampled upon as if the breath would be crouded out of my body: However I ſoon recovered my feet and trampled upon others in my turn; for [11] the immediate regard which every man had to his own life prevented him from attending to the diſtreſſes of his neighbours!

Struggling in this manner and trying to clear ourſelves from thoſe who fell down had pulled off moſt of our ſhoes, and the wet and cold ſoon froze our feet. Nature could ſuſtain it no longer and the people began to die all around me. Capt. John Ruſſell of Barnſtable was the firſt of thoſe with whom I was acquainted that died, but many others ſoon followed him. Fatigue and diſtreſs, added to the extreme cold and deſpair of relief, put a period to the lives of great numbers. Thoſe who were able to ſtand were obliged to huddle up cloſe together, and breathe in each other’s faces to preſerve them from freezing to death, while their comrades were dying around them all night. In the morning a moſt awful ſight preſented itſelf to us; 60 of our Comrades lay dead acroſs each other, and but 2 of my Townſmen were among the living!

On Lord’s-Day, Dec. 27, the ſtorm abated and the ſun appeared clear, but the ſevere cold ſtill continued. We ſaw Plymouth and a number of people coming along the ſhore for our relief: We could diſcern them puſh off two boats and make an hard trial to come to us, but the harbour was ſo full of ice they could not reach us: We ſaw [12] them return and it gave us an inexpreſſible ſhock. The elevation which their appearance gave us tended to ſink us the lower. Our ſituation was very gloomy; we had little to ſupport nature except rum; no ſhoes on our feet, and very much frozen; the Heavens was our only covering!

I retained my ſenſes until about 2 o’clock on Lord’s-Day, but was then deprived of them and lay on the quarter-deck until the next day, when a boat got to us in order to carry the living aſhore, which amounted only to 32. When they were looking around to collect the ſurvivors, they at firſt ſuppoſed me to be dead, but ſeeing one of my eye-lids move they took me up and laying me in the boat carried me aſhore.

I was carried to Mr. Bartlet’s tavern, whoſe kindneſs to me I would thus publickly acknowledge, and hope I ſhall always remember with gratitude. My cloaths were firſt cut from off me and I was put into cold water in order to take out the froſt: I was then placed in bed and having my teeth forced open had ſome cordials poured down my throat, but I have no remembrance of any of theſe tranſactions, for I lay perfectly ſenſeleſs until 2 o’clock on Monday, when my ſenſes came to me at once. My eyes were not open, but I heard the voices of perſons talking around me, and the [13] firſt idea which ſtruck me was, that I was ſtill on board the brig, but that a boat come to our relief. I ſoon however opened my eyes and was informed of what had happened and where I then was.

I recovered gradually, but was obliged to paſs thro’ the painful operation of having ſome of my limbs ſeperated from my body: But after all theſe diſtreſſes I am ſtill among the living to praiſe GOD! Let my ſpared life be devoted to his ſervice, and may I ever be mindful of his benefits!

Names of the Deceas’d belonging to Barnſtable.

Capt. John Ruſſell, Barn. Lothrop, Daniel Hall, Tho. Caſley, Eben. Bacon, Jaſey Garritt, John Berry, Barnabas Howes, Stephen Bacon, Jon. Lothrop, Boſton, a Negro Man.

The SHIPWRECK: A Hymn of Praiſe.

Deep calleth unto deep at the noiſe of thy water-ſpouts: All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.—Yet the LORD hath ſhewn his loving kindneſs in the day-time: In the night my song shall be with him, and my prayer unto the GOD of my life.—When I remember theſe things I pour out my ſoul in me, with the voice of joy and praiſe. David.

When mountain billows o’er me roll
I poured out my troubled ſoul
When waves of adverſe fortune meet,
Thou prov’d a guide unto my feet.
[14]
    2. My ſong ſhall always be on GOD,
I’m ſav’d by his uplifted rod;
My utmoſt ſearch ſhall be to know
The LORD who ſav’d from froſt and ſnow.
    3. LORD may I fear thee all my days,
Thy mercies claim my higheſt praiſe;
For in the time of deep deſpair,
Preſerv’d I was by heav’nly care.
    4. The LORD is good to thoſe who call
On Him, and do depend for all;
In adverſe fate if we depend
On GOD, he will deliv’rence ſend.
    5. In deep diſtreſs and trouble ſore,
When ſurging billows round me roar,
Altho’ he ſlay me, yet I’ll truſt
On God, my Saviour, who is juſt.
    6. Not only truſt but I will call
On Him, who is the LORD of all;
My day-ſong ſhall in thee accord,
And in the night I’ll praiſe the LORD.
    7. Thy goodneſs and thy tender care
Reliev’d me when in deep deſpair;
Thy gracious and thy friendly Crook
I will record in this my Book.
    8. Had it not been for thy controul,
The deep would ſwallow up my ſoul;
Tho’ froſt me of my feet deprive,
Yet I will praiſe thee I’m alive.
    9. Alive to praiſe thee, O my GOD,
Tho’ chaſt’ned with afflicting rod;
[15] But ſhould my ſins been marked well,
My ſoul would have been ſent to Hell.
    10. But bleſſed be his holy Hand,
I am return’d to native land;
Tho’ ſickneſs did my ſpirits waſte,
Thy flowing mercy I do taſte.
    11. My Kindred and my Friends ſo dear;
Truſt in the LORD and always fear
Him who can ſave, if you rely
On One who rules above the ſky.
    12. Lo, Seamen, one and all attend,
Look well to what I here have pen’d;
Let me intreat you not to ſwear,
But live in GOD’s moſt holy fear.
    13. He will vouchſafe when danger’s nigh,
To help, if on Him you rely;
Tho’ ſtorms ariſe on raging main,
He’ll bring thee ſafe to Friends again.
    14. I ſay to all truſt in the LORD,
He will your grottos always guard,
From tempeſts dire and ſickneſs ſore;
Your baſket fill, and bleſs your ſtore.

A HYMN. By another Author.

My ſoul, my powers bleſs ye the Lord,
    With Hymns of praiſe his wonders ſound,
When threat’ning danger round me ſtood
    I ſought his help and ſuccour found.
[16]
2. Hopeleſs I saw my gloomy caſe,
    When burſting waves broke o’er my head,
Then did my ſoul addreſs his throne,
    And all its wants before him ſpread.
3. Then in the mount did GOD appear,
    And made his light in darkneſs ſhine,
At his rebuke the Tempeſt fled,
    To magnify his arm divine.
4. He ſaid I have a ranſom found,
    Therefore ye ſons of men return,
I will no more with you contend,
    Nor let my wrath forever burn.
5. I am the LORD who rules the ſeas,
    My voice can huſh the roaring waves,
The keys of death are in my Hand
    To ſhut or open oozy graves.
6. Come truſt the LORD in all your ſtraits,
    His great ſalvation call to mind,
My own experience can atteſt,
    The LORD is good, his dealings kind.
7. Within the book of his accounts,
    Each of my members written are,
Without commiſſion from his Hand,
    There ſhall not fall a limb or hair.
8. With joyful heart I’ll tread his Courts,
    And pay my vows among his Saints,
To Him my life, my all devote,
    Who bow’d his Ear to my complaints.

Transcriber’s Note

Archaic and inconsistent spelling retained, along with inconsistent hyphenation (quarter-deck/quarter deck).

To revert to modern letterforms, globally replace "ſ" with "s".