FIRST HAND SHIPWRECK ACCOUNT - 1786 Handwritten Record of the loss of the Sloop 'Fame' out of New London, Connecticut, owned by Howland & Coit, as recorded by Thomas Williams of Plainfield. The boat was lost off the Dutch Indies. Twelve pages, very detailed and engrossing, astounding in it's immediacy. Williams, (a common seaman), a 'negro' (cook), an 'Indian' (servant to a passenger) and Captain Colfax seem to have been the only survivors, having lashed themselves to the bowsprit for three days. He recounts the difficulties in traveling on foot from the wilds of Maine back to his home in Connecticut. Corner missing from one page. In portfolio of the period with label on front having later inscription added to the author's telling of his later life in Hampton, CT. Captain Robert Colfax (1761-1829) commanded the Privateer Brigantine 'Thetis' during the Revolutionary War. Typewritten transcript is available, spelling errors intact.