The Otonabee's Tough Time: Schooner Days CCCXXIV (324)

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DO you know what a protest is?

If you have anything to do with anything, you know all right, for you can't even sneeze without somebody protesting that you're catching cold, or that window shouldn't be open, or what you need is more fresh air and exercise, or—

But a marine protest is a different thing. It is a document made out in affidavit form by someone concerned in a vessel, setting forth the facts of a voyage which has resulted in some damage. "Protest" here means testimony. The protest is made before a notary public, who, in the quaintness of legal formality, "protests" against the natural causes of the damage recited.

What good does this do?

You may think that the exhibition of sympathy on the part of a notary public butters no parsnips, but you are wrong. The protest document is the shipman's sheet anchor in collecting insurance or defending himself against damage actions by shippers who have suffered loss of cargo or delay.

All of this has been explained before. Perhaps you will not be offended by a reminder of it when you read through a typical sample. Here is the protest of the schooner Otonabee, made before George Moberly, of Collingwood, who made out hundreds of such documents in schooner days. The Otonabee was on Georgian Bay in that great gale of November 7th, 1880, which wrecked sixteen vessels on Lake Ontario— among them the Belle Sheridan of tragic memory, and the Norway and Zealand, which drowned all hands.

This was the trip Alex. Birnie saved the Otonabee by riding it out at anchor off Collingwood, when all else failed. His redoubtable spouse, "Annavan"—a Saxon attempt at her Gaelic name, Anna Bhan — Ann of the Fair Hair — told him: "Gin ye maun dron me, Aleck, droon me in deep watter, and no amang the stanes o' Fusherman's Pint." But the great Alexander trusted to God and his anchors, and neither let him down. He had his wife and little daughter aboard through the whole grim gale. They were of great help to the perishing crew, for Annavan wrought marvelously on the galley stove, and the frozen sailors were kept alive by her hot broth and carefully rationed whisky from the stone jar.

Here is the protest, with a minimum of explanatory matter inserted:

SCHOONER "OTONABEE"

By Public Instrument of Protest

Ontario, County of Simcoe.

Be it known and made manifest, to all whom it doth or shall or may concern, that on the eighth day of November in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and eighty.

TO WIT: BEFORE ME, George Moberly, a Notary Public, by Royal Authority duly appointed, in and for the Province of Ontario, residing at the Town of Collingwood in the said county.

PERSONALLY APPEARED, Alexander Birnie, Master of the Schooner "Otonabee," of 225 tons burthen, of the Port of Quebec, and brought with him Charles Hawkins, mate, and Malcolm McLeod, seaman, on board of the said Schooner "Otonabee," each of whom did solemnly declare and say as is set out in the here under written declaration, that is to say:

TO WIT: We the said Alexander Birnie and Charles Hawkins, both of the Township of Collingwood in the County of Grey, and Malcolm McLeod, of the Town of Sarnia in the County of Lambton, Do Severally Solemnly Declare that, the said Schooner, being tight, staunch and seaworthy and well and properly found and manned in every respect, left the Muskoka Mills on the North Shore of the Georgian Bay on Friday the fifth of November instant, about noon, loaded with 234,000 feet of lumber and shingles bound for Sarnia.

(A marginal reading suggests Muskosh Mills.)

We were towed out to the Giant's Tomb by Tug "Tender." Arrived there in evening, cast anchor and lay there until Saturday morning about 9 o'clock. Weighed anchor and got under way, wind N.N.E., good fresh breeze carrying all canvas. Good deal of rain.

Sighted Cabot's head about 4 o'clock p.m. on Saturday, the sixth of November. Wind freshened and hauled round to a little west of North. Took in the main gaff top-sail and flying jib and double reefed the mainsail. Wind kept increasing, accompanied with hail and with a very heavy sea.

(We now have the Otonabee under short canvas, her kites all stowed and the mainsail reefed trying to get around the head of Bruce Peninsula for the run down Lake Huron.)

Were abreast of Cabot's Head about 5:30 p.m. same day, wind still hauling around to the N.N.W. and the sea increasing. Vessel laboring very hard and beginning to make water.

At a quarter to seven wore ship and headed back to the eastward. In doing this jib sheet parted and the sail split. Squatted foresail and staysail and settled mainsail a little. Kept pumping steadily in order to keep the water under — wind and sea increasing with a great deal of snow — when about 8 o'clock it blew a gale, when the foresail blew out of the bolt ropes. Could not spare men enough from the pumps to reef it.

Squatting or settling sails means lowering them down part wry, so that they round out like bags and ease the strain on themselves and the spars.

About 10 o'clock p.m. the wind veered round to the N.W. still increasing and causing a very heavy cross sea. Altered our course to S.E. and made for the Port of Collingwood, the sea being too heavy to head up to it.

(This was about the time when the gale bit in on Lake Ontario.)

About one o'clock a.m. on the seventh, wind shifted more to the westward, and caught the mainsail aback and jibed it, and carried away the strap of one of the main sheet blocks. The main boom then broke against the rigging, the main gaff also broke at the same time, the mainsail commenced tearing and continued tearing as we went along. We could do nothing with it.

After daylight as the main boom was over the side of the vessel, striking against her, we had to cut it adrift with a large piece of the mainsail hanging to it.

It was snowing so thickly could not make out the land and so we got our anchors ready. About 8 o'clock it cleared off a little to the Northward and we sighted the Christian Islands.

About 8 o'clock on Sunday morning we threw overboard a quantity of lumber from the forward tiers in order that when we came to anchor the vessel might rise to the sea better.

Hauled vessel up to the Southward as much as possible, and after a little it cleared up so that we sighted Collingwood about 9 o'clock.

On sighting Collingwood we hoisted a piece of the flying jib which split immediately, so that we had no whole sail on board except the two gaff topsails, which were stowed.

Found that we were so much to leeward we could not make the harbor with the canvas we then had. Headed vessel to Eastward of Collingwood where we expected to get the best holding ground, and when in about 12 fathoms of water let go both anchors, giving 60 fathoms of chain to the big anchor and 30 fathoms to the small anchor.

About two miles before coming to an anchor our yawl boat on the stern davits filled and broke one of the davits. Got her clear and towed her about half a mile when she broke the painter and we lost her.

Found our anchors took a good hold and held vessel. In answer to our signal the Tug "Mary Ann" came out about half past three p.m. on seventh, and took hold of our line and parted it twice when finding the sea too heavy to get our anchors up, she left us and came out about 8 o'clock a.m. on the eighth (Monday) when the sea, having calmed down, we were enabled to get our anchors up and were towed in to Collingwood Harbor about 10 a.m.

And we make this Solemn Declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true, and by virtue of the Act passed in the thirty-seventh year of Her Majesty's reign, entitled "An Act for the Suppression of Voluntary and Extra-judicial Oaths." Declared before me at the Town of Collingwood, in the County of Simcoe, by the said Alexander Birnie, Charles Hawkins and Malcolm McLeod, this eighth day of November, A.D. 1880,

(Signed) ALEX BIRNIE

CHARLES HAWKINS

MALCOLM McLEOD

(Then good old George Moberley, notary public, put in the following sympathetic oar.)

WHEREFOR I, the said notary, at the request of the said Alexander Birnie, Master, of the said Schooner "Otonabee," as well on his own behalf, as on behalf of his Owners, Freighters, Officers and Crew, HAVE PROTESTED, and by these presents, do most solemnly Protest, against all and singular the causes operating as aforesaid to the serious detriment of the said

SCHOONER "OTONABEE"

her cargo, sails, rigging, and other t gearing, or any part or portion thereof and more especially against the storm and heavy winds and gales, high and dangerous seas, experienced on her late voyage, bound as aforesaid: and for all losses, costs, charges, damages, interest, and expenses whatsoever, suffered or sustained, for or by reason or means of the facts and circumstances set forth in the foregoing declaration, to be claimed and recovered in time and place convenient: AND these presents to serve and avail for that purpose.

IN WITNESS THEREOF, I have hereunto set my Hand and Official Seal, the eighth day of November, A.D. 1880.

GEORGE MOBERLY, Notary Public.

HAS ANYONE A PICTURE OF THE OTONABEE? This is one of a vessel of her size and type, but its identity is doubtful.

AND ESPECIALLY too Capt. John Williams, master in steam and sail for sixty years, who is able to celebrate Yuletide with his family at 57 Isleworth avenue. He emerges from hospital intake for Christmas after having his leg amputated. In health and spirit he rates A-1 at Lloyds. May he do so for one hundred years.

These scenes show the Katahdin of Owen Sound at Kincardine one Christmas and the stripped fleet in the harbor, among them the John G. Kolfage and the little schooner Greyhound, which appears to have been a converted tug.