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Saving Ship "Liverpool Packet" in 1881 Captain Patterson's Account The English ship Liverpool Packet, bound from Liverpool to Boston, with 200 immigrants aboard, was caught in a March blizzard in 1861, and narrowly es caped disaster on Nantucket's south shore. The story of how the ship was saved by daring mariners from this island is best described by the leading figure in that rescue — the famous Nantucket pilot, Captain David Patterson. This account, written in his own hand, is as follows: ON THE 19th DAY of March, 1861, there was a fearful snow storm and gale of wind during the night. As I owned a small fishing vessel that was out during the storm I went up into the South Tower early the next morning to see if I could see anything" of her. The snow had stopped and with my spyglass I at last saw my vessel laying all right at anchor off the south shore of the island — the schooner Key West. At the same time I saw a large vessel about twelve miles to the south, wholly dismasted, and lying at anchor, with a signal of distress flying on the stump of her mainmast. The snow was very deep, so that no team could get through it, and it was about four miles from town to where any boats used for fishing along the shore were hauled up on the beach. It was fixed in my mind to go to the south shore, haul my dory off and board my little fishing schooner, the Key West, then go to the dismasted ship. I left the town, picked up two boys on my way, and started for the shore. It was a difficult walk, the snow being deeper than I ever saw before, and when we reached the shore we were pretty well tuckered out. We rested awhile and picked out a dory fitted with a sail and hauled her down to the surf. When we got to the surf we found it very rough. I asked the boys if they were afraid to try it. "No," says both, "we are ready to go with you anywhere." "Well," says I, "if you are ready and willing to go we will try it, but it is pretty rough for a dory and no one here to help us if we get filled. Remember, you are volunteers, and each must look out for himself in case of accident." The dory was got down where we wanted her and the boys took their places. I then told them to keep their eyes on me, and when I told them to pull they must pull all they knew — but to keep their places. After some fifteen minutes following the dory along the beach and keeping her straight (as every sea slewed
