His Majesty's ship Banterer, of 22 guns, under the command of Captain
Alexander Shephard, was lost on the 29th October, 1808, between Port
Neuf and Point Mille Vache, in the River St. Lawrence, whilst in the
execution of orders, which Captain Shephard had received from Sir John
Borlase Warren, directing him to proceed to Quebec, with all possible
despatch, to take a convoy to England.
The following is the account of this disastrous affair, as given by
Captain Shephard:--
'Being as far as the Island of Bie in pursuance of orders, through
rather an intricate navigation, with foul winds the greater part of
the time, where the charge of the ship devolved upon myself, and the
only chart I could procure of the navigation in question being on a
very small scale, I felt myself relieved from much anxiety by
receiving a branch pilot on board on the 28th October last, on which
night at eight P.M. we passed between that island and the south shore,
with the wind north by west, and very fine weather; at nine, the wind
coming more round to the westward, we tacked for the north shore, in
order, as the pilot said, not only to be ready to avail himself of the
prevailing northerly winds in the morning, but because the current was
there more in our favour. At midnight we tacked to the southward, and
at two A.M. again laid her head to the northward; and at four A.M. the
pilot having expressed a wish to go about, the helm was accordingly
put down, and on rising tacks and sheet, it was discovered that the
ship was aground. As we had then a light breeze at west, the sails
were all laid aback, the land being in sight from the starboard-beam,
apparently at some distance, I immediately ordered the master to sound
round the ship, and finding that the shoal lay on the starboard
quarter and astern, ordered the sails to be furled, the boats hoisted
out, the stream anchor and cable to be got into the launch, and the
boats to tow her out two cables' length, south-west from the ship,
where we found the deepest water; but by this time the wind had
suddenly increased to such a degree that the boats could not row
ahead, and latterly having lost our ground, we were obliged to let
the anchor go in fifteen fathoms, about a cable's length W.S.W. from
the ship, on which, having got the end of the cable on board, we hove
occasionally as the flood made, and in the meantime got our spare
topmasts over the side, with the intention of making a raft to carry
out a bower anchor should it moderate; but the intense cold, and the
still increasing gale rendered it impossible.
'About half-past eleven A.M. the stream cable being then taut ahead,
the wind W.S.W., with a very heavy sea, the ship canted suddenly with
her head to the southward, where we had deep water; we immediately set
our courses, jib and driver, and for some time had the must sanguine
hopes of getting her off, but were unfortunately disappointed, and as
the ebb made we were obliged again to furl sails.
'As the ship was then striking very hard, with a heavy sea breaking
over her in a body, we cut away the topmasts, not only to ease her,
but to prevent their falling upon deck; we also endeavoured to shore
up the ship, but the motion was so violent that four and six parts of
a five-inch hawser were repeatedly snapped, with which we were lashing
the topmasts as shores, through the main-deck ports. At about eight
P.M., fearing the inevitable loss of the ship, as the water was then
gaining on the pumps, I availed myself of the first favourable moment
to land the sick, and a party of marines and boys with some
provisions,--this could only be effected at a certain time of tide,
even with the wind off shore,--and employed those on board in getting
upon deck what bread and other provisions could be come at.
'Though the water was still gaining on the pumps as the flood made,
the wind coming more round to the northward, we again set our
foresail, but without the desired effect. As the stream anchor had,
however, come home, the wind was too doubtful to attempt to lighten
the ship.
'On the morning of the 30th, it being moderate, with the wind off
shore, we hove our guns, shot, and everything that could lighten the
ship, overboard, reserving two on the forecastle for signals. As the
flood made, we again set what sail we could, and hove on the stream
cable,--though, with all hands at the pumps, we found the water
increase in the hold as it flowed alongside; and it was the prevailing
opinion that the ship would have foundered if got off. Being now
convinced, from concurring circumstances, as well as the repeated
representations of the carpenter, that the ship could not swim, the
water having flowed above the orlop deck, and much sand coming up with
the pumps, we desisted from further attempts to get her off the shoal,
and continued getting such stores and provisions as we could upon
deck.
'Towards the afternoon, the wind again increasing from the W.S.W., and
the water being on the lower deck, I judged it proper to send some
provisions, with such men as could be best spared, on shore, that, in
the event of the ship going to pieces, which was expected, the boats
might be the better able to save those remaining on board; and on the
morning of the 31st, conceiving every further effort for the
preservation of the ship unavailing, it then blowing strong, with
every appearance of increasing, I felt myself called on, by humanity
as well as duty to my country, to use every effort in saving the lives
of the people intrusted to my care, and accordingly directed the boats
to land as many of them as possible, keeping the senior lieutenant and
a few others on board with me.
'The whole of this day there was little prospect of saving those who
remained with the wreck, as the surf was so great that the boats could
not return to us; several guns were fired, to point to those on shore
our hopeless situation, and stimulate them to use every possible
effort to come to our relief; but they could not effect it,
notwithstanding every exertion on their part, which we were most
anxiously observing. As the only means which then occurred to me of
saving the people on board, I directed a raft to be made with the
spars left on the booms, which was accomplished, with much difficulty,
in about six hours; the sea then breaking over the ship with great
violence, and freezing as it fell with such severity, that even the
alternative adopted presented little prospect of saving any one left
on the wreck. During this state of awful suspense, we had every reason
to think that the ship was completely bilged, and were apprehensive,
from the steepness of the bank, that she would fall with her decks to
the lee, as the ebb made, in which case all on board must have
inevitably perished.
'About half-past eleven P.M., the barge came off; and as the lives of
the people were now the primary consideration, I sent as many of them
on shore by her as possible, as well as by the launch, when she was
able to come off; and at two A.M., on the 1st November, having
previously succeeded in sending every other person on shore, I left
the ship with regret, in the jolly boat, and landed, with some
difficulty, through the surf. About eight A.M., the same morning, I
attempted to go off in the barge to save as much provisions and stores
as possible, but found it impracticable, as the boat was nearly
swamped. All this and the succeeding day, the gale continuing, we
could not launch the boats, and were employed carrying such provisions
and stores as were saved, to some empty houses which were discovered
about six miles to the eastward of where we landed. Finding that with
all our exertions we had only been able to save three days' bread, the
officers and crew were put upon half allowances, with the melancholy
prospect of starving in the woods.
'On Thursday, the 3rd November, the weather moderating, we launched
the boats before daylight, and dispatched the jolly boat, with the
purser, to a village called Trois Pistoles, about forty-five miles
distant, on the opposite side of the river, that he might find his way
to Quebec, to procure us assistance and relief, there being no
possibility of communicating with any inhabited quarter from where we
were but by water.
'During our stay near the wreck, we had repeated gales of wind, both
to the eastward and westward; and so violent, and with so much sea,
that the mizenmast was thrown overboard, all the upper deck beams
broken, and the ship's bottom beaten out.
'We embraced every intervening opportunity of going off to save stores
by scuttling the decks, which were covered with ice, the ship on her
broadside, and the water flowing over the quarter-deck. On these
occasions we were generally away ten or twelve hours, exposed to the
wet and cold, without nourishment; from which, and fatigue, I had to
lament seeing the people every day become more sickly, and many of
them frost-bitten from the severity of the weather. By the
indefatigable exertions of the officers and crew, we succeeded in
saving all our spare sails, cables, and stores, to a considerable
amount; though the cables were frozen so hard, that we were obliged to
cut and saw them as junk.
'On the 7th, I again sent a boat with the second lieutenant, to Trois
Pistoles, in the hope of procuring, if possible, some temporary
supplies; but the wind increasing to a violent gale from the eastward,
with a heavy fall of snow, they got frozen up on the opposite shore,
and did not return till the 12th, having then only procured three
hundred weight of flour, a few potatoes, and some beef--two men having
deserted from the boat.
'At this period, I had a respectful request made me from the people,
to be allowed to go to Trois Pistoles, that they might shift for
themselves whilst the weather would admit of it, dreading the
consequences of remaining longer where we were; but out boats would
not have carried above one-third, and I conceived the public service
would have suffered from allowing them to separate. We had, also,
several desertions--in consequence, I believe, of hunger, and the
melancholy prospect before them; two of the deserters were brought
back, and one returned delirious, after five days' absence, with his
feet in a state of gangrene, having had only one small cake to eat
during that time. Those still missing must have perished in the woods,
from the accounts of the men who were brought back.
'On Sunday, the 20th November, we were relieved from the most painful
state of anxiety by the arrival of a small schooner, with a
fortnight's provisions, from Quebec, and information that a transport
had been procured, and was equipping for us, which nothing but the ice
setting in would prevent coming down; and on the 24th I had the
satisfaction of receiving a letter by the government schooner,
announcing a further supply of provisions, with some blankets for the
people; it, however, then blew so hard, with a heavy fall of snow,
that she was obliged to take shelter under Bie. On the 25th the
schooner returned, when we embarked, and were carried to the opposite
side of the river, where the transport was expected,--the pilot
conceiving it unsafe to bring the ship nearer to us at that season of
the year.'
'Captain Shephard concludes his narrative in paying the following
tribute to the discipline and good conduct of his crew:--
In justice to the officers and crew, it now becomes my duty, and a
very pleasing part thereof, to bear testimony to the particular
perseverance with which they bore the cold, hunger, and fatigue,
whilst endeavouring to save the ship; and when that idea was given up,
in saving the stores with the dire prospect before them of being cut
off from all supplies had the winter set in, the ice rendering all
communication impracticable during that season of the year.'
The sufferings and privations endured by the officers and crew of the
Banterer, during such trying circumstances, have been ably described
in the above narrative of Captain Shephard. From the 29th of October,
to the 24th of November, a period of twenty-seven days, these men,
with little hopes of succour, had borne, with almost unexampled
fortitude, not only hunger and cold, but, to use the words of the
surgeon, 'a considerable number of the crew were affected with
inflammation of the extremities, which in nearly twenty cases produced
partial mortification, and one extensive gangrene on both feet,
attended with delirium and other dangerous symptoms.'
Captain Shephard died, as rear-admiral, in 1841.