The 1880 Salt Marsh Trelawny shipwreck Mrs Nicholson leaves her husband eventually

IN THE late 1800s, Falmouth was still a very important and busy shipping port, as mercantilism was one of the things that poked the development of that northwestern town, which replaced Martha Brae about 1790 as the capital of Trelawny, named after Governor William Trelawny in 1771 when the new parish was established on lands that were part of St James.

The town, which was built on flat land leading out to the sea, was surrounded by marshland, which was prone to flooding. But the location was ideal for the construction of a wharf at Falmouth Harbour.

At times, there were about 30 ships in harbour, and they would remain in port sometimes for weeks, depending on the weather, or until they had acquired enough cargoes, including sugar and rum, before departing. The sailors in town did not just sit and wait for departure. They enjoyed themselves thoroughly, spending lavishly, and loitering on the streets.

The very important people, too, were part of the revelry in this bustling space of commerce. Yet, amid the boom and the bustle, there were also losses of cargoes and lives on the high seas to and from Falmouth. The weather was invariably a factor.

The strength and direction of the wind and current would make a journey successful or disastrous. And, while ships would sink or be damaged out at sea, there would be shipwrecks closer to shore, like the one that took place on December 10, 1880.

Then, it was the Fontabelle, weighing 600 ton, and laden with sugar and rum, leaving the port after waiting for several weeks. The people in the town became acquainted with the crew after all that time waiting. Captain Edward Nixon was in charge, but another captain, Nicholson, and his wife, and her massive Newfoundland dog named Samuel, were also a part of the trip.

Upon the departure of the Fontabelle, the sea was calm and the wind was somewhat normal. A pilot boat led it to a certain spot before returning to the port, where a ship named Medina, and others, were docked.

STRONG WINDS

After a brief while the wind about the Fontabelle had dropped, and it could not move. There was still no strong winds by mid-day, but the sea was getting bumpier. Then it got rough, and rougher, tossing the Fontabelle here and there.

With no wind, it began to drift towards Salt Marsh, a town not far from Falmouth. To steady the ship, Captain Nixon dropped all the anchors, but the wind picked up speed suddenly. The strong wind and the now very rough sea were now turning back the Fontabelle to the shore.

The captains of the boats, Blanch and M edina, got the distress signals, and set out to help the Fontabelle. After rowing three miles they reached the struggling ship, rocking vigorously on the rough waves. When they came upon Mrs Nicholson and her dog, they offered to remove her from the ship. She flatly refused after much egging. There was no way she was going to leave her darling husband. Only death could separate them, and nobody was dead, as yet.

Then, night came, casting a pitch-black blanket over all and sundry, and the tumultuous sea. The captains of the other boats had to leave as their ships, too, were in a lot of trouble. The wind speed intensified, and the Fontabelle’s anchors could not keep her still. In fact, they were being tossed about like the ship.

Her furls were quickly ripped to shreds, and other parts were detaching themselves from the hapless vessel. The anchors, too, had made their inglorious departure. In less than an hour the angry waves had dismantled the entire ship against a small coral reef, after tossing captain and crew into the unwelcoming sea.

Desperately, the story goes, they clutched at everything they could. While Mrs Nicholson was about to give up her life on Earth, Samuel saw her, swam towards her in the dark, grabbed her long hair, and pulled her on to the shore. She was beaten and bruised, her clothes torn to tatters.

Another broken person was a local boy named Henry Jones, who had strapped himself to a spar and propelled himself to shore. When daylight came and people visited the site of the wreckage, they removed Mrs Nicholson and Jones. On the sands they also found the mangled bodies of the sailors and Captain Nicholson. Some of their faces were not recognisable.

The wreck and well-attended mass funeral that ensued on December 12 were the news of the entire country, and Falmouth went into mourning for a month. People wept and wailed, shops were closed, flags flown at half-mast, and Mrs Nicholson laid in bed recovering from her emotional and physical wounds.

After her recovery, distraught, she left Jamaica onboard the Medina, back to Scotland, to her children. She had no option, but to leave her beloved husband. The research did not say what happened to her other beloved, Samuel, who saved her life.