1849 — Apr, gale, British ship Josephus grounds, outer bar off Highland Light, Cape Cod MA–25

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 9-14-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

Blanchard note: Have been unable to locate a source noting the specific day in Apr of this event.

–25  Small, Isaac M. “Loss of the Josephus. Pp. 7-11 in Shipwrecks on Cape Cod. 1912.

            –23 crewmen

            —  2 would-be lifesavers in overturned small boat launched from shore.

–25  Snow, Edward Rowe. Great Storms and Shipwrecks of New England. 1943, pp. 273-275.

Narrative Information

Small, Isaac M.. “Loss of the Josephus. Pp. 7-11 in Shipwrecks on Cape Cod, 1912:

The first shipwreck of which I have any personal recollection was that of the British ship “Josephus,” which occurred about the first of April, 1849. The terrible circumstances attending the destruction of this ship were so vividly impressed upon my childish mind, (I was four years of age at the time) that they are as plain in memory as though they had occurred but yesterday.

“This vessel stranded during a dense fog, on the outer bar, directly opposite the location of the present Highland Life Saving Station, about one mile north of the Highland Lighthouse. She was a full rigged ship from some port in England, bound to ,Boston, and carried a cargo of iron bars. Losing her bearings during a protracted fog and severe easterly gale her keel found the sand bar half a mile from shore, immediately the huge waves swept her decks; and the ship was doomed to destruction.

“In those days no life savers patrolled the beach to lend a rescuing hand and the first intimation of the disaster was when, during a temporary rift in the fog the light keeper, from the cliffs discovered

the stranded ship. The alarm quickly spread to all the neighboring farm houses and to the village, from all directions men came hurrying to the beach, hoping in some way to be able to aid the suffering sailors on the wreck, which by this time was fast being smashed to pieces by the thunderous waves which pounded upon her partly submerged hull, her masts had already been torn from her decks and with tangled rigging and strips of sail thrashed her sides in a constant fury, many of her crew had been crushed to death and their bodies swept into the boiling surf.

“When the spars went down others could be seen clinging to such portions of the wreck as yet remained above the angry waters, and their screams for help could be heard above the wild roar of the awful surf, by the watchers on the shore, utterly powerless to render the least assistance. At this moment down the cliffs came running two young men, just home from a fishing voyage, they had not even stopped to visit their homes and families, but hearing of the wreck had hurried to the beach. Lying on the sands of the shore was a fisherman’s dory, a small boat, about twelve feet in length, such as small fishing vessels use and carry on their decks. These men were Daniel Cassidy and Jonathan Collins, immediately they seized this boat and ran it quickly over the sands to the edge of the surf, the watchers on the beach stood aghast, and when they realized that these men intended to launch this frail skiff into that raging sea strong cries of protest arose from everyone, ‘Why men,’ they said, ‘you are crazy to do this, you cannot possibly reach that ship, and your lives will pay the forfeit of your foolhardy attempt.’ But in the face of the earnest pleadings of their friends and neighbors they pushed their boat into the gale driven surf and headed her towards the wreck, their last words were, ‘We cannot stand it longer to see those poor fellows being swept into the sea, and we are going to try to reach them.’

“Standing with my mother and holding by her hand on the cliffs overlooking the scene I saw the little boat, with the two men pulling bravely a t the oars, they had hardly gone fifty yards from the shore when a great white cataract of foam and rushing water was hurled towards them, the next instant it buried men and boat under its sweeping torrent as it swept onward towards the beach with the overturned dory riding its crest; two human heads rose for a moment through the seathing sea, only to be covered by the next on-rushing wave, and they were seen no more.

“Darkness soon settled over the terrible scene, the cries of the despairing sailors grew fainter and ceased, while the mad waves rushed unceasingly towards the shore. The watchers, believing that every sailor had perished, turned away and sought their homes with sad hearts. The light keeper, Mr. Hamilton, coming down from the lighthouse tower at midnight, where he had been to attend to the lamps, decided to visit the beach again, thinking possibly that some of the bodies of the lost

sailors might drift to shore. What was his surprise to find upon a piece of the cabin of the ship, which had washed ashore, a helpless sailor moaning piteously, still alive but suffering terribly from the hardships he had endured, he had been scratched and torn by the broken timbers through which he had been washed and driven.

“After great exertion and a long struggle the light-keeper succeeded in getting the unfortunate sailor up the cliff and to the lighthouse, where the man was put to bed and a physician sent for, he finally recovered, but he was the only man of that ship’s company of 24 souls who escaped with life, these and the two men who attempted a rescue, made a total death-list in this disaster of 25….”

Sources

Small, Isaac M. Shipwrecks on Cape Cod. North Truro, Highland Light, Mass. January 1, 1912. Accessed 9-14-2024 at:

https://provincetownhistoryproject.org/PDF/046_245_541-shipwrecks-highlands-coast-of-cape-cod.pdf

Snow, Edward Rowe. Great Storms and Shipwrecks of New England. Boston: Yankee Publishing Company, 1943.