The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 4, July 1900 - April, 1901 Page: 86

86 Texas Historical Association Quarterly.
island, but .it had been moved to Anahuac, and that Mexico. had
closed Galveston as a port of entry.
Captain S hilhnan, the pilot, said his home was, on Spillman
Island, and that he had ,a grown son living there. He said he would
tae the schooner to Harrisburg in a few hours, ,if the wind and tide
were favorable. The passengers had all been seasick, and 'were will-
ing to go anywhere to get on land. The wind ,did not rise that
night, but the next morning a terrible storm came up. The vessel
dragged her ,anchor, and Captain Denmore sent the ,passengers down
in the hold, sand then she shipped water 'till the sailors closed the
hatch-way. It was so dark 'we could not see. In the evening the
schooner ran on the beach at Clopper's Point, near Virginia Point.
She grounded and turned ,on her side. The sailors saved the- women
and abhildren. The men carried father ,out. He was very sick, and
had been all ,the time.
'The storm subsided, the water 'went down, and the schooner
remained on shore. There was a small log house near. It was
vacant and had a fireplace, but no floor. The people took posses-
sion. Men and sailors carried the freight out of the schooner. We
were nearly starved, for we had not had anything to eat all day.
There were three negroes with us, one man and two 'women. They
began cooking. The men put a plark across the house. They set
the ends between the 'logs for a table, and there we dined the first
time in Texas. We slept that night in wet clothes. Captain Spill-
man's son came during the night with a small keel-boat and men
to our assistance. Father decided to go to Harrisburg.
Clopper's Point, Texas, April 29, 1833.
Mother and Mrs. Johnson were the only white women in our
party. IMrs. Johnson had no children. Mr. Johnson decided to
wait for the return of the boat to take them to Matagordia. The
oapta'in said father's family should go first. 'Mother spent the
next morning .drying 'out clothes. The freight was not badly
injured. 'By noon we were aboard, bound for Harrisburg. My
'mother's brother, James Wells, went with us. The trip up Buffalo
Bayou was very pleasant. We stopped at Lyndh's Ferry, passed a
steamboat sunk 'at the junction 'of Sian Jaicinto and Buffalo Bayou,
and arrived at Harrisburg in the night. No one expected a boat