The Miracle of the Kent:A Tale of Courage, Faith, and Fire

by: Nicholas Tracy (Author)

Publisher: Westholme Publishing

Publication Date: October 30, 2008

Language: English

Print Length: 240 pages

ISBN-10: 1594160724

ISBN-13: 9781594160721

Book Description

An Extraordinary Rescue and One of the Greatest Human Interest Stories of All Time “A naturally gripping adventure tale.”—Publishers Weekly  “Powerful and intensely focused.”—Booklist  “Tracy's satisfying narrative constitutes the first mode account. A finely detailed maritime history.”—Kirkus Reviews In 1825, the Kent, an East Indiaman, set sail from England for India with a crew and nearly 600 men, women, and children on board. North of Spain, the ship was slammed by a ferocious gale, and while a sailor was inspecting the hold for damage, his lante ignited a cask of spirits. A fire quickly erupted, and even with the desperate expedient of opening hatches and flooding the ship, the fire bued out of control. As night wore on, the ship became an infeo, with the flames moving toward stores of gunpowder. At this point, everyone on board knew that they would perish, and they began preparing for their ghastly deaths. Despite the raging tempest a sailor climbed one last time to the top of the Kent’s mainmast and—miraculously—a sail was sighted on the horizon. It was the Cambria, a small brig on its way to Mexico. The Cambriaspied the buing Kentand through determination and dogged seamanship in towering seas, the little brig closed the doomed vessel. Launching their boats, the Kent’s and Cambria’s crews were able to transfer nearly all of the children, women, and men to the brig and pull away before the Kent exploded. Dangerously overloaded, the Cambriamade the Coish coast three days later. In The Miracle of the Kent:A Tale of Courage, Faith, and Fire, award-winning historian Nicholas Tracy reconstructs this extraordinary tale through records left by the participants, revealing how those aboard the Kent faced their deaths, and their reactions to being offered a second chance. The story of the Kentis both a page-tuing adventure and an inspirational homage to the capacity of the human spirit.
An Extraordinary Rescue and One of the Greatest Human Interest Stories of All Time “A naturally gripping adventure tale.”—Publishers Weekly  “Powerful and intensely focused.”—Booklist  “Tracy's satisfying narrative constitutes the first mode account. A finely detailed maritime history.”—Kirkus Reviews In 1825, the Kent, an East Indiaman, set sail from England for India with a crew and nearly 600 men, women, and children on board. North of Spain, the ship was slammed by a ferocious gale, and while a sailor was inspecting the hold for damage, his lante ignited a cask of spirits. A fire quickly erupted, and even with the desperate expedient of opening hatches and flooding the ship, the fire bued out of control. As night wore on, the ship became an infeo, with the flames moving toward stores of gunpowder. At this point, everyone on board knew that they would perish, and they began preparing for their ghastly deaths. Despite the raging tempest a sailor climbed one last time to the top of the Kent’s mainmast and—miraculously—a sail was sighted on the horizon. It was the Cambria, a small brig on its way to Mexico. The Cambriaspied the buing Kentand through determination and dogged seamanship in towering seas, the little brig closed the doomed vessel. Launching their boats, the Kent’s and Cambria’s crews were able to transfer nearly all of the children, women, and men to the brig and pull away before the Kent exploded. Dangerously overloaded, the Cambriamade the Coish coast three days later. In The Miracle of the Kent:A Tale of Courage, Faith, and Fire, award-winning historian Nicholas Tracy reconstructs this extraordinary tale through records left by the participants, revealing how those aboard the Kent faced their deaths, and their reactions to being offered a second chance. The story of the Kentis both a page-tuing adventure and an inspirational homage to the capacity of the human spirit. Read more