Journal of Voyages

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Sinking of the Sloop First Consul

About the first of September, 1842, two of my friends in New-York purchased a Sloop called the First Consul, about twenty-five tons burden, and gave me the charge of her with orders to employ her in any trade I thought proper to earn a living in. I remained in the city some weeks seeking employment for my vessel, but after many applications for freights, without success, I found myself disappointed in my calculations in obtaining business for her in the city. As a last resort, I determined to proceed up the Hudson River as far as Rondout, where I expected to procure some small freights of coal to deliver at the neighboring villages on the river.

On the fifteenth of October I left New-York for Rondout, where I obtained a freight of about thirty tons of coal to be delivered at Poughkeepsie. We loaded and left for our port of destination, where we discharged our cargo and agreed to return and take in another for the same company. Finding the sloop proved leaky I proceeded home to Catskill, where I procured a caulker and gave her some repairs, when we returned to Rondout and took on board another cargo of coal. Supposing the vessel to be perfectly tight in her upper works after the overhauling she had received, we loaded her deep, in order to take a full canal boat's cargo on board. After we had proceeded some distance on our passage we discovered that the vessel leaked badly. We had light baffling winds during the night, and tried the pump hourly. Finding we could keep her free without very heavy fatigue, we apprehended no serious danger, and soon arrived at the same wharf in Poughkeepsie where we had landed our last cargo, and hauled into a small slip which I considered a very safe harbor. I had one man on board with me, whom I told we would get some breakfast, when we would go below and take a short nap, as we had been on deck all night; after which would find the owner of the coal and obtain leave to discharge the deck load that day, although it was Sunday. We then retired into the cabin and laid down to sleep, it being about eight o'clock in the morning. After laying about two hours I was aroused by a loud cry, "Come out, come out, you are sinking." I sprang upon my feet, determined to save my trunk and clothing, which I was prevented from doing by a column of water rushing in at the cabin door. I forced myself upon deck, which at this time was some feet under water, when I found my legs entangled with old rigging and lumber. While trying to extricate them, the shore being steep the vessel settled down, which parted the hawser that held her fast to the wharf, when she slid off into the channel and sunk in thirty feet water, with all my clothing, &c. and I was compelled to swim on shore, which I reached in a shivering condition, but was soon furnished with dry clothing, and treated in the kindest manner by a gentleman living near by.

Two or three days after I hired two vessels, procured spars, chains, and necessary apparatus, together with a number of men, and made an attempt to raise the First Consul. After several days' hard labor and fatigue we succeeded in raising her, so as to float her on the flats, when we bailed the water out and discharged the coal from her hold, the bulk of the deck load having been washed overboard. I found most of my clothing, books, papers, &c. in the cabin in a very dirty condition. My troubles did not end here: before I could receive any assistance from my friends, the sloop was attached for the expenses of getting her up, and sold for less than the amount of the bills, when I returned home penniless, my mind fixed on the distich —

1

The only account I have ever read of Mitchell is, that he was a partner with Lafitte, the Pirate, when they took possession of Baratara, where they carried their prizes. They kept possession of the place for some considerable time, bidding defiance to the authorities on that coast. Governor Claibourne, of Louisiana, afterwards issued a proclamation, offering these pirates a free pardon on condition that they would join the army then under command of General Jackson, for the defence of New Orleans. They accepted of the Governor's terms, repaired to that place with all their men, and put themselves under the command of the General, who placed them in the hottest part of the battle, where they fought in the most gallant manner. Lafitte and Mitchell both held commissions under the government of the Republic of Columbia at this time.