The Persian, an 18-gun brig, commanded by Captain Charles Bertram, was
lost on the Silver Keys, St. Domingo, in the West Indies, on the 26th
of June, 1813. It appears from Captain Bertram's statement, that the
Keys were laid down on the chart too far to the southward, or that the
ship was carried in that direction by a strong current not mentioned
in any of the charts. The Persian struck about five o'clock P.M., by
running stem on, upon one of the rocks; she was at the time going at
the rate of three or four knots an hour. Everything was done to back
her off; the water was started, most of the guns thrown overboard, the
boats were got out, and the anchors cut from the bows. These measures
for the moment seemed to have the desired effect; but in paying off,
she struck on another rock, and from this it was impossible to move
her. Again the same means were resorted to; the remainder of the guns,
spars, &c, were thrown overboard, but to no purpose. The pumps had
been kept in active play from the first moment of alarm, but the water
gained on them so fast, there was little hope of the vessel keeping
afloat till daylight. The Captain, therefore, resolved to prepare for
the worst, and he directed a large raft to be made for the safety of
some of the ship's company. About seven o'clock, two hours after she
first struck, Captain Bertram perceived that she was gradually
sinking; he therefore ordered as many of the ship's company as the
boats would hold, to get into the two cutters and the jolly-boat; the
cutters were placed under the command of Mr. Norris, the second
lieutenant, and Mr. Nicholls, the master; and the jolly-boat under the
superintendence of the gunner. These boats were ordered to remain near
the ship, in case anything should occur to render it necessary for the
people to return on board.
About half-past nine P.M., Lieutenant Price and the rest of the ship's
company, excepting two or three who remained on board with the
captain, took their places upon the raft, which was veered by a hawser
to leeward of the brig, and directed to remain in that position until
the morning. At two o'clock in the morning Captain Bertram, convinced
that there was no hope of saving his ship, got into his gig with the
men who had stayed with him, and he had scarcely left the side of the
Persian ere she slipped off the rock, fell over on the larboard side,
and sunk into about seven fathoms water, the tops of the masts only
being visible above the waves.
At daylight, Captain Bertram, with the other boats, bore up for the
raft, which had broken from the hawser during the night and drifted to
some distance. They found her and her crew in a very deplorable
state,--the lashings had been cut through by the rocks, and many of
the timbers were broken, so that they scarcely held together, and the
men had had great difficulty in keeping her from being dashed to
pieces against the rocks, and in preserving themselves from being
carried away by the surf which washed over them continually.
Here was a great difficulty to be overcome; the raft was evidently so
insecure that it could not be depended upon for an hour, and the only
means of saving the men was by distributing them amongst the boats,
which were already so over-crowded, that it would be imminently
perilous to add to their freight. However, Captain Bertram did not
hesitate to brave the danger, but set the example by first taking four
men from the raft into his own gig, and directing the other boats to
receive the rest amongst them in their relative proportions. His
commands were instantly and cheerfully obeyed, but to carry them into
effect the boats' crews were obliged to throw overboard the few
articles of clothing they had saved, and the greater part of the
provisions, in order to enable the boats to bear the additional
weight.
It was now between five and six o'clock in the morning; the wind was
blowing fresh from the east; the nearest part of St. Domingo was, as
far as they could judge, about twenty-five leagues distant, to reach
which they supposed they must go through the Mona passage, the most
dangerous in the West Indies.
One of the cutters had forty-five men on board, the other forty-two,
the jolly-boat twenty-two, and the gig fourteen; in all, a hundred and
twenty-three persons. The wind increased as the day advanced, and
became so violent that it seemed almost by a miracle that the boats
were enabled to resist the fury of the storm. In the afternoon the
danger increased, and the men were obliged to heave overboard the
remainder of their bread and water, and never for an instant could
they relax in their efforts to keep the boats free from water. God in
His mercy preserved those who had shown such trust in Him; for we can
scarcely suppose that such noble acts of humanity, courage, and
self-sacrifice as were evinced by these men could arise from other
than the highest and holiest principles.
Before the evening closed in, they caught a glimpse of the land, but
too distant for them to make out what part of the coast it was. The
boats were hove to for the night, and a dreary night it was to these
poor men. They were without food, almost without clothing, weak from
want of nourishment, and exhausted by fatigue; and in this miserable
state they awaited the break of day, the rain falling in torrents, and
the sea breaking over the boats.
On the morning of the 28th, they again made sail, and landed the same
evening in a small cove of a bay between Vieux Cap François and Cap
Cabron. Here, to their bitter disappointment, they could get nothing
to eat--not even a spring of fresh water could be found,--and all the
nourishment they had that night was a few limpets, and the rain water
that had remained in the holes of the rocks,--sorry fare for men who
had been exposed to the inclemency of the weather for two days and two
nights, in open boats, without food.
However, it was a great thing to be on shore; for many of the people
had suffered severely from being so closely stowed in the bottom of
the boats, and their limbs had been terribly cramped. They now wisely
endeavoured to make themselves as comfortable as circumstances
allowed, by lighting a fire to keep off the insects, and to dry their
clothes, and then they composed themselves to sleep, which they much
needed. The next morning, being somewhat refreshed, they started
across the bay to a place called Margante, which they reached about
eight o'clock. Here they found the people well disposed towards them,
and they were able to purchase some beef and plantains, and plenty of
good water, of which they all gladly partook. The inhabitants informed
them that it was probable they might find a vessel at Port Plata that
could take them to St. Thomas's, that being the nearest port where
they were likely to fall in with any of His Majesty's ships. On the
30th of June, they departed from Margante, taking with them a pilot,
to guide them to Port Plata. In order to ease the boats, Captain
Bertram and part of the ship's company walked along the shore. Towards
evening, the people had gone upwards of twenty miles, and were so
exhausted, they were obliged to put into a small bay called Scott's
Bay (B. Ecossaise), where they came on shore and erected a tent, with
the sails of the boats and a few logs of mahogany. With the help of
some turtle, the whole of the ship's company were supplied with food;
and they remained on shore till the next morning, when the boats were
again launched, and all the party embarked in them, as there was no
way along the beech. They arrived safely at Port Plata at eleven
o'clock that night, and were received with great kindness and
humanity. Three houses were provided for the men and one for the
officers, and everything was done that could alleviate their
sufferings. Unfortunately there was no vessel at Port Plata large
enough to convey them to St. Thomas's. With some difficulty, a boat
was procured, in which Lieutenant Price was despatched to Turk's
Island, with a letter to the naval officer there, describing the
situation of the crew of the Persian, and requesting that assistance
might be afforded to Lieutenant Price to enable him to hire a vessel
to take the crew to St. Thomas's.
Lieutenant Price made a successful voyage, and returned to Port Plata
on the 10th of July, with the government schooner Swift, and a hired
sloop. Three days were spent in fitting out these vessels with the
necessary stores, and on the evening of the 13th, the ship's company,
to the number of 112, embarked in them, and arrived at St. Thomas's on
the 22nd. The crew was by this time in a very sickly state; the
crowded state of the ships had engendered a complaint of which the
surgeon died an hour after they cast anchor; and there is little doubt
that had they been forty-eight hours longer on their passage, many
others would have fallen victims to the same disease. At St. Thomas's,
the sufferers received the care and attention they required, and were
sent home to England.
We cannot conclude this account without quoting the following passage
from the narrative of Captain Bertram:--'I most justly attribute the
preservation of the ship's company to very great coolness and
persevering exertions of both officers and men, in keeping the boats
free from the water they shipped, and their great attention in
steering before the sea. I am happy to say that every man behaved with
a regularity that is seldom found on similar occasions: in fact, when
the little clothing the people had saved, and the remaining bread and
water, were from necessity ordered to be thrown overboard, there was
not a murmur,--they vied with each other who should obey the order
first.'
In the year 1808, Captain Bertram, then a lieutenant, was appointed to
the Emerald, a 36-gun frigate, commanded by Captain the Honourable
Frederick Maitland. On the 13th of March, they were off the harbour of
Vivero, when a large French schooner was discovered at anchor, under
the protection of the batteries. Captain Maitland determined to
attempt to capture or destroy her, and accordingly he stood in for the
harbour at about five o'clock in the evening. The first fort, which
mounted eight 24-pounders, opened on the ship, as did also another
fort about a mile higher up, as soon as the frigate came within range.
As it was impossible to place the ship in a position to act upon both
batteries, Captain Maitland ordered Lieutenant Bertram, with a party
of marines and seamen, to storm the outer fort, whilst he took the
ship as near the inner fort as the water would allow. Mr. Bertram
succeeded in driving the enemy from the battery, and spiking the guns;
he then made the best of his way by the shore to take possession of
the schooner, which had been run upon the rocks. He was joined by Mr.
Baird, a midshipman, who had been sent with a party for the same
purpose. On the road they were met by a part of the schooner's crew,
consisting of about sixty men. These were speedily assailed by the two
young officers and their men, and put to flight. Lieutenant Bertram
then advanced towards the schooner, which proved to be L'Apropos, of
twelve 8-pounder carronades, and he persevered for several hours in
his attempts to get her afloat, under a galling fire of musketry from
the shore. All his efforts, however, were of no avail, as she had gone
on shore at high water; it therefore became necessary to set her on
fire, which was done; and the lieutenant returned with his party to
the Emerald.
In this gallant exploit, nine men belonging to the Emerald were
killed, and Lieutenant Bertram and several others wounded.
Captain Bertram, has lately accepted the rank of Retired Rear-Admiral.