On the night of April 29, 1849 The Hannah, a brig transporting immigrants fleeing the famine in Ireland sank in the Gulf of Lawrence.1 Encountering heavy winds the brig struck an ice berg that punched a hole in the hull. Captain Curry Shaw, along with his first and second officers, fled in the only lifeboat leaving the passengers to fend for themselves. To escape the sinking Hannah the remaining crewmen helped the passengers onto an ice floe next to the bow.2 The passengers viewed the very object that caused their tragic event also as a potential life-saving strategy. They climbed onto the ice floe and waited for help to arrive. The Nicaragua under the command of Captain William Marshall appeared the next day and rescued the 127 survivors. ...
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