152 FISHERMEN'S OWN BOOK. 



ger. He lifted the mortgage by selling his house, and had $233.50 left. 

 This money he put in an envelope, and the envelope in an inside pocket. 

 He set sail for Boothbay with his family in his vessel, and on Saturday, 

 Sept. 3, when off Cape Elizabeth, as he leaned over the rail to pull in a 

 rope, the envelope fell from his pocket into the water, and as $1.50 of the 

 money was in silver it sank before his eyes. 



At the Mercy of the Seas. — Five Days withoiit Food or Drink. — John 

 Whitlaw and Samuel Orgrove, two of the crew of fishing sell. Edward A. 

 Horton of this port, left that vessel on Grand Bank, Thursday, July 1, 1880, 

 for the purpose of hauling their trawls. After loading their dory they found 

 themselves unable to return to their vessel, on account of a heavy fog hav- 

 ing shut in, and rowed aimlessly away in the hope of finding succor. After 

 undergoing great exposure and hardships, on the following Tuesday they 

 effected a landing upon the coast of Newfoundland, greatly reduced and 

 almost in a dying condition from their enforced abstinence from food and 

 drink. They were kindly treated, and were forwarded to St Johns, N. F., 

 where they arrived on the evening of July 9. 



Death from Exposure on the Fishing Grounds. — Sch. Polar Wave, 

 Capt. Jerome McDonald, was on Banquereau, March 24th, 1880, when the 

 wind suddenly shifted and it set in extremely cold while six of her dories 

 were out. The vessel got underway and found five of the dories without 

 difficulty, but the other, containing George Nelson and Charles Ray, re- 

 mained undiscovered until morning. These men had hauled up and rowed 

 away from the vessel instead of towards her. They soon discovered their 

 mistake, as a strong light was set in the rigging of the vessel, and they re- 

 mained within sight of it all night. They threw overboard their fish and 

 gear, but were unable to make headway against the wind and sea to the 

 vessel. The next day they were seen by the crew, who went to their suc- 

 cor. When found at three o'clock, P. M., Nelson was dead, having died 

 from the exposure at about nine, A. M. He was an Austrian, a native of 

 Tricate, about twenty-three years of age, and had followed fishing from this 

 port for some time. He was buried at sea March 30. He was spoken of 

 as of a very delicate constitution, weighing about one hundred and ten 

 pounds, and notwithstanding the continued cheering up and entreaties by 

 his companion, to continue rowing, and they would surely be saved, the 

 poor fellow was so utterly exhausted that he could not make further efforts 

 and succumbed to the terrible cold and exposure. 



A Caution Which Should Be Heeded. — If the fishermen would only 

 take the precaution to place a jug of water and some hard bread in their 



