On the 22 February 1854, George Benjamin Craner(age 54), his wife Elizabeth (54), and his children Harriet (19), Ann (15), John (11), and Martha (9) set sail from Liverpool to the United States on the ship Windermere with a total of 477 Latter Day Saints.The following is a short description of their voyage.
WARNING: Reading this may cause you to become extremely thankful for airplanes and/or grateful you don't have to travel to Zion.
“As the vessel started in motion the songs of Zion blending in the soul inspiring harmony, thrilled the souls of the passengers and their many friends standing on the shore gazing at the departed vessel, shouting farewell, goodbye, with eyes streaming with tears; doubtless, recalling that only the night before seven vessels with all aboard went down in the depths of the channel.
As the land disappeared in the distance the sweet singing ceased and many began to feel sick. All that night the wind howled fiercely, the sea was rough, the ship was driven from its course towards the Isle of Aton. About 11 p.m. off Holy Head, which is a most dangerous point, and the scene of frequent ship wrecks, was passed. On the morning of the 23rd the sea was still rough and the wind was blowing. During the day the Windermere sailed by the remains of a wrecked vessel. Masts, sails, and other fragments were floating around. Likely, a few hours previous, many departed souls had tenaciously clung to these same objects for relief that never came. All had been consigned to a watery grave, for no signs of life remained and the rolling waves swept over the bodies of the lifeless sleepers, while the wind howled its requiem for the dead.
On the 12th of March from 7 to 8 in the morning an exceedingly fierce storm arose. The wind roared like one of our mountain winds. The masts cracked and the sails were cut to pieces. The Captain of the Windermere expressed fears that the ship couldn’t stand so heavy a sea, and in speaking to Daniel Garn, the President of the Saints on board said, “I am afraid the ship can’t stand this storm. Mr. Garn, if there be a God, as your people say there is, you had better talk to him if he will hear you. I have done all I can for the ship, and I am afraid with all that can be done, she will go down.”
Elder Garn went to the Elders, who presided over the nine wards in the ship and requested them to get all the Saints on board to fast and call a prayer meeting to be held in each ward at 10 a.m. and pray that we might be delivered from the danger. The waves dashed with white foam. The storm continued in all its fury but precisely at 10 a.m., the prayer meetings were held. The ship rolled from side to side. On one side the Saints were hanging by their hands and on the other they were standing on their heads. Then the ship would roll on the other side which would reverse their positions. About this time the large boxes which were tied with ropes under the berths broke loose and with pots, pans and kettles rolled with terrible force on each side of the vessel.
Although the prayers were fervent and earnest, as the pleading of poor souls brought face to face with danger and death, they ceased their prayers to watch and dodge the untied boxes and great confusion prevailed for some time. The wind roared like a hurricane. Sail after sail was torn to shreds and lost. The waves were very large and, as far as the eye could see, seemed to be one angry mass of rolling white foam. The hatches were fastened down. This awful storm lasted about 18 hours, and then abated a little, but it was stormy from the 8th of March until the 18th. Observation taken by the quadrant showed that the ship was in the same latitude as it was on the 8th.
On March 20th, which was two days after this terrible storm, the small pox broke out. One of three sisters was taken down with it. She had a light attack and recovered, but her two sisters then came down with it and both died. After that 37 others–40 in all, came down with it.
Three days after the breaking out of the small pox the ship took fire under the cooking gallery. At this time, we had not seen land for three weeks or more. When the cry of “FIRE, the ships on FIRE” rang through the vessel, wild excitement and consternation prevailed everywhere. The sailors plied water freely. All the water buckets on board were brought into use and soon the fire was under control.
The passengers of the Windermere had passed through a terrible storm, the panic created by the ship taking FIRE, their number decreased by the small pox; still another fearful calamity threatened them. The fresh water supply was getting short and the stores of provisions were failing. The passengers were now limited to one hard small sea biscuit of a day’s rations.
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| New Orleans in 1852 |
On the morning of April 20th, the ship entered the mouth of the Mississippi River. The passengers were more glad to look upon the plantations of orange groves that bordered the banks of the river than the great strong surging waves of the Atlantic which they had left behind them.
Sources: Histories, Vera McBride, Beth Sorenson
Book: Lewis John Bowen and Adelaide Honey, “Together Forever”, compiled and edited by Merlin Bowen, May 1996You can read more about George Benjamin Craner HERE and HERE
You can read more about Elizabeth West Craner HERE
You can read more about Harriet Ann Craner Harris HERE and HERE
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