ng-bolts, making a ship with so great a
weight above board very uneasy in a sea. Thus, I think, more accidents
happen to the spars and rigging of timber-ships than to any other,
though they have an advantage in floating longer than other craft.

"The _Eagle_ was one of the first ships which left Quebec this year,
with a crew of eighteen, all told fore-and-aft, with the captain's wife
and several passengers. Scarcely had we got clear of the Gulf when we
fell in with bad weather; and about ten days afterwards, a heavy gale
sprung up from the westward. It was night. The sea soon ran very high,
and the ship being deep, and steering ill, before she could be got
before the wind, it made a clear breach over her. There she lay
helplessly in the trough of the sea, most of her bulwarks carried away,
and the water pouring down her companion-hatch, and deluging the cabin.
It soon found its way forward, and every instant we thought she would
capsize. The captain ordered the main and mizzen topsail-sheets to be
cut away, for there was no time to let them go, or clew-up the sails;
but still the ship lay helpless and unable to answer her helm. Two men
went to the helm, while others rigged relieving-tackles, and at length
all the after-sail being taken off her, the headsail filled, and once
more she ran before the wind. This was a great relief, but still the
water was gaining on us. The seas continued rolling up after us high
above the poop, and at length one broke on board, carrying the taffrail
clean away, and sweeping the after-part of the deck. Had we not had
safety-lines passed across the deck, the greater number of us would at
once have been washed overboard. Our sufferings had now become intense,
both from cold and hunger. All the provisions we could get at were
spoiled with salt water, and the few clothes we had on were drenched
also with water, and the wind pierced through them to our very bones.
We still managed to keep a close-reefed foretop-sail on the ship, with a
mainstay-sail and trysail, or we could not have avoided being constantly
pooped. The gale, in a short time, increased in fury as the sea did in
height. Again it made a clean breach over the ship. All the bulwarks
were carried away; and the ring-bolts being torn from the decks, the
deck timber, which consisted of large logs, was washed overboard, as
were all our boats. At the same moment the foresail blew clean out of
the bolt-ropes; and all those we