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Kate MacArthur lived in Maitland, Nova Scotia and sailed to sea on the woodenship the Milton (1891). She was pregnant and left with her two young children and her husband, the captain of the ship. While in the mid Atlantic, the cargo of coal caught fire and the crew, Kate and her family got into three life boats. The first life boat drifted for 26 days before being rescued. The second life boat was never seen again. The third life boat had Kate and her family along with a number of crew members. They drifted 46 days before they were rescued. During that time they ran out of food and water. Four days before the rescue, Kate held her youngest child in her arms as he died of dehydration. The day before the rescue the ship’s carpenter died. The day of the rescue, the able seaman died. While being rescued by a passing ship, Kate gave birth to a 3 pound baby who later became a doctor. They named the child after the sea captain that rescued them.