Kingsport 1844: Doyle’s Rock

41) Doyle’s Rock
Northeast Harbor

A) Doyle’s Rock
A sharp outcropping of rock just east of Hog Island, Doyle’s Rock was once part of Hog Island, but became separated during the earthquake of 1727. It earned its name when an eccentric Irishman named Timothy Doyle built a small hut on the rock and declared himself “King of Doyle Island” in 1728. Generally well-liked by Kingsporters, the isolato reigned over his dominion until 1751, when he simply vanished, presumed to have drown. Even today Kingsporters still use the expression, “Mad as King Timmy.”

B) The Doxie
As described in Chaosium’s Kingsport: The City In the Mists, in 1828 Doyle’s Rock was the scene of a terrible tragedy involving a ship named Doxie. On its way from Portsmouth to Boston, the Doxie was beset by a sudden winter gale. The bark sought refuge in Kingsport Harbor, but a twist of the wind drove it against Doyle’s Rock, wedging its prow between a cleft only three hundred yards from shore. Kingsporters organized a rescue, but the gale rebuffed their boats, and they were forced to turn back or perish themselves. The Kingsporters watched helplessly as the swollen ocean battered and overwhelmed the ship. Some passengers drowned while swimming to shore, some were simply washed from the deck, and others climbed the rigging to escape the waves. Eventually the storm intensified, the blizzard concealing the ship from view. A watch was established along the docks, but all the hot soup and blankets in the world couldn’t revive the corpses that gradually washed ashore during the endless vigil. The storm finally broke at dawn, the rising sun revealing a terrible sight. Dozens of glittering corpses decorated the spars and riggings of the frozen ship, and a dozen more bodies littered the rocks just offshore. One unfortunate woman was frozen in a huddled ball; when they pried her open they found she was protecting her dead baby. Another man was discovered on Doyle’s Rock itself, his hands frozen around his companion’s throat. Forty-three souls were lost that night, and only three survived: the ship’s mate, a Penobscot sagamore, and a small girl. All had taken refuge in the ship’s jolly-boat. (The girl was Peggy Ann Stark, now working in the Starry Busk as Ariel. See Encounter 6. The Doxie’s wheel is located in the Cabinet of Curiosities; see Encounter 27.)

White Leviathan > Chapter 1—Kingsport 1844
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Author: A. Buell Ruch (based on the work of Kevin A. Ross)
Last Modified: 12 December 2021
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
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