Navigating the Lower Saint Lawrence in the 19th Century.

M130/26 Pages 0499-0506 P.L. Gauvreau
 
    No 152
10th Sept. 1850
Protest
of the
Norwegian Vessel
Kong Sverre

by
Captain Fischer
and others.
Original
3 Copies 		     On this day the tenth day of September, at about ten o'clock in the fore noon, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty and in the fourteenth year of Her Majesty's reign Queen Victoria.
    Before the undersigned Notary Public duly sworn and commissioned for that part of the Province of Canada commonly called Lower Canada residing in the District of Quebec.
    Personally came and appeared Didirich Niels Fischer of Bergen in Norway, master and commander of the barque Kong Sverre of Bergen of the burthen of three hundred and ninety tons thereabouts per register, owned by Jerald 		 
 



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mate and John Davidson carpenter of the vessel both Norwegian all Norwegian 		  Nadler, Esquire, merchant of Bergen, and Messrs. Aman O. Amansin, mate onboard of the said vessel ...... and # Edward Rousseau, Branch Pilot for the River St. Lawrence in Canada and acting as pilot on board the said vessel.
    Who being duly sworn upon the Holy Evangils by the said undersigned Notaries on the have said and reported that the said vessel being tight, staunch, strong and every way fitted for a voyage from Quebec to Weymouth in England, sailed from the said city of Quebec on the third day of September instant and proceeded on the said voyage till the fifth of the said month of September instant without any extraordinary thing happened or else without with all favourable circumstances but that on the said fifth of September instant, the wind blowing from the eastward with thick foggy weatheir in the afternoon. About half past eight o'clock at night on the said day, the fog was very thick, say and report the said appearing parties in the following manner sworn as aforesaid:		  
            8 P.M. We had the misfortune to be struck by a three masted vessel, being in the impossibility of getting clear from her, being so thick fog and not having seen her before. She was quite close to our vessel. She run her bowsprit between the main mast and the mizzen mast of our vessel, and broke the mizzen mast into three pieces, broke at the same time the larboard quarter abaft the mizzen mast to the stem and the stern too. When the mizzen mast fell down, it broke and dashed to pieces the deck cabin, the wheel binnacle and ship log. The vessel being heavily injured, we thought that the rudder received damages at the same time, but we could not ascertain it was the case, in consequence of the cabin, wheel, binnacle being last broke to pieces and lying on deck.
    The man who worked the helm at the time was thrown killed and thrown overboard, it is supposed because we did not hear him nor see him since. The pilot was in the cabin when it was dashed to pieces by the fall of the mast and he was severely hurt on the head.
    About ten minutes after we were struck, the water came over the cabin floor. Seeing the water so very high in that short time, the wind blowing very hard and strong and the sea coming very heavy, we thought ourselves in a great danger and we tried to save lives in the long boat. We worked to get the long boat out, and we ran in danger getting her out, ship rolling and striking heavy, but we succeeded happily.
    About 9 P.M. the vessel was full of water and deals of the cabin cargo came out of the stern. The vessel had sunk too deep and was striking so heavy to the sea that some of the pieces of the deck load began to move underfoot and we feared the deck itself. What seemed to move too underfoot should start off. We thought of being unable to do no more to save the vessel, the sea breaking and rolling over the ship. We could no more stand on deck. We tried to save something out of the vessel cabin before we took leave of the ship in the long boat but we could not. In the short time from eight to nine o'clock P.M. we have been so busy about taking out the long boat and securing lives that we could not save anything, ship being fill full of water.
    All hands got in the long boat then and we kept her tight to the ship with a warp about forty fathoms long and we remained there as long as possible, about an hour and half. About 11 P.M. we were obliged to cut the warp that kept the boat tight to the vessel, sea being very heavy and being afraid the boat should capsize upset. We saw great many things clothes, deals, partitions, bed clothes and several other things coming out of the cabin at the time we were in the long boat following the vessel after the warp was cut, we ordered the men to row and we lost sight of the vessel about ten minutes after. The same weather kept the same till about three o'clock A.M. on the sixth September. After 3 A.M. wind and sea got more calm. By 5 o'clock we saw the south shore of the River St. Lawrence, distance about nine or ten miles off shore, then wind was mostly calm, still heavy and rolling sea from the east ward. We tried our best to fetch the shore and we came to the shore at the place called St. Luce at about noon of the said sixth September instant. 		 
 












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who was still on board		       The vessel that struck our ves ship was a full rigged ship and painted black. They got clear after our mizzen mast broke and sailing fast. She proceeded on her way without taking notice of us. We called on those people to get their vessel round and to give us assistance, but they did not. Perhaps they have not heard the call, but we think that every good seaman should have done it in such a case.
    The pilot believes and is even sure to know the vessel that struck our vessel to be an American vessel and that the pilots name who piloted her down is Narcisse Clavet.
    Further reports and says the said Didirick Fischer that the next day after they got ashore that he, the pilot # that was still onboard and another pilot, of the name of Benjamin Pineau got across the River St. Lawrence to a place called Manicouagan where they thought the vessel could be found according to the direction she had on the day before when she was abandoned but could not find her.
    They came back across on the eight of September and found in coming across several little things belonging to the ship and specially the papers concerning the vessel and the clearance papers of the port of Quebec. That as soon as he got ashore he was told that the vessel had been found abreast of Little Metis and was still there and got carters to drive him and three of our men to that place.
    That having the vessel in sight he sent two men with a bark canoe to tell the people then on board of the vessel, to come ashore meet him and make arrangement and pay their trouble, but the men reported that they would not and that they wanted to bring the vessel up to Quebec.
    On which said particulars and protest are sworn to be true and correct, and happened by accident or misfortune and are not to be imputed to the master's or any other's negligence.
    Therefore the said appearing parties have protested and by these presents protest for all and every damages, cost and expenses suffered and to be suffered in consequence of the said vessel being struck and perhaps being most severely injured.
    Of all the said particlars the said parties requested and demanded an act, which has been delivered to them to same and avail as to law and justice.		  
    Two references good. Fifty four words struck are null.       This done, and protested under the number one hundred and fifty two, at the parish of Saint Germain, in the said District of Quebec, the day, month and year above written, in the presence of the said undersigned Notaries and have, the said parties and Notaries set their hands and signatures to these presents and on thr first duly read according to law and signed at the same time. Three copies of the same form and content.  
      Didirick Niels Fischer  
      Aman Olai Amanson  
      D. O. Johnsen  
      Ed. Parant
N.P.		 P. L. Gauvreau
N.P.		  
 

Quebec Gazette #7341 11/09/1850.
 
      The following is an extract of a letter received by Captain Boxer this morning, and communicated by the gentleman to the Quebec Exchange:  
 
 "Metis, 8th September, 1850.       
      I have to inform you that on the 7th instant, at 10 A.M., my son and a lad who was with him fishing, picked up a barque, timber laden, with mizzen mast carried away, her stern, wheel and cabin broken, and waterlogged. They happened to have a gentle breeze at the time, and have taken her into Little Metis, where she lays at anchor in ten fathoms water. There was no living thing on board except a little bird.
    Accounts from Ste. Luce. About 7 or 8 leagues above Little Metis, say that a Norwegian captain and crew came ashore at that place on the 5th instant, and stated that their vessel had been run into by an inward bound American ship, knocking the man at the wheel overboard, who was lost, and wounding several others of the crew. They then took to the long boat, thinking their vessel to be sinking, and landed as above stated, and are on their way to Quebec.
    Several pilots, it is said, have gone in search of the said vessel. A strong breeze from the eastward prevailed here on the same day, the 5th instant, that the above accident is said to have occurred.		  
 
 
Quebec Gazette #7343 16/09/1850.
 
      The Norwegian bark Kong Sverre, which was taken into Metis by two boys, waterlogged and abandoned, was brought back to this port, yesterday morning for the salvors.  
 
 

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G.R. Bossé©1999-07. Posted
August 5, 2000.		 Updated
19 February 2007

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