The Express.
London, England, 1849-11-06 00:00:00

TERRIBLE BUFFERING AT BEA.

(From the New Bedford (Mass.) Me►eury, Oct. 17.)

We have received letters from Captain Harmer, let*
master of the whaling bark Janet, of Wexport, lurnishing
an account of the privations and sufferings of a boat's crew
belonging to the Janet, comprising the captain and five
others which is almost without parallel in the annals of the
whale fishery. It is substantially as follows :—On the coast
of Peru, 23rd June, 1849, in latitude 3 degrees N., longitude
104 W., while cruising for whales, a shoal of sperm whales
appeared in sight from the Janet, and three boats lowered in
tpursuit. Captain lioenser's boat's crew consisted of himself,
'stancis Hawkins, third mate, Edward H. Charles, Joseph
Cortez, Daniel Thompson, and James Pai:man, seamen.
It blowing fresh at. the time, the boats soon separated,
each having made last to a whale. After Captain
Hosteler had succeeded in " turning up" his whale, end
was towing him to the ship, from some inadvertence on the
part of the third mate in putting about, the boat capsized,
with lose of boat keg, lantern keg, boat bucket, compass,
laddles, &a The crew succeeded in righting the boat, and
ashed the oars to the thwarts across the boat, to pr her
from overturning, she twill filled with water, and the sea
continually breaking over her. Two waifs, or ills, were
immediately set as a signal of distress, the other two boats
being in sight at a distance of about one and a half miles.
Capt. Hamer saw the other two boats tales their wrote
alongside of the barque, which was then kept off in the di-
rection ftr his boat; but, to his surprise and horror, when
within about one mire of hint, they kept off en another
course until sundown. The crew of the captain's boat
then got on to the whale alongside, and tried to bail the
boat, but could not succeed. They then cut the
line attached to the whale, and succeeded in
setting some pleas of the boat sail, and ate ered towards
the barque then about three miles distant. During the night,
they saw a light at intervals, but in the morning tue barque
was about the same distance off. Every expedient well re-
torted to, by making signals, to attract the attention of
those en board the benne, bat in vain. flaw them cutting in
the whiles, and apparently indifferent to the fate of tuele
comrades. In this peahens condition the uLfortunate
boat's crew made smother attempt to bail the water from
the boat, but, owing to their consternation, they did not
succeed They then continued on their course as before',
hoping to regal., the barque, but anon found that she receded
, from them, and it was then determined to put about to
the wind, and remain, whatever the consequenc. s might
i be. On the second morning, the weather being more
favourable, all the whale craft was thrown Over-
t, eird, and another attempt was made to bail the
boat, which; resulted in the loss el one man, without az-
cumplisting the purpose. The effort was again re-
newed in the afternoon, the weather being yet more favour.
able, and they Smelly succeeded in freeing the boat from
water, but with the loss of another of her crew, ale on toad
having been up to their arms in the water during tke last 48
hours. Two of the survivors were seised with delirium, all
of them having been without a morsel of fa d or drink, and
suffering painfully from thirst. Thus disabled, no one on
board being able to ply at the oars, and with only a small
fragment us the boiet's sail remaining. it was determined to
make for Comm Island, on the Peruvian coast, a distance of
about one thousand miles, as the nearest land. Accor-ingly,
the piece of sail was uitd,to the best advantage, and the cell-
. i§g of the boat was torn up and also ;employed as a wind
propeller, steering in a north-easterly direction. Captain
Roemer writes thetreothie g occurred worthy remark until the
seventh day,the crew having in the mean limo been without
• particle tat food or drink, and not a drop of rain having
fallen. In this dreadful state of suffering, it MIS mu-
tually agreed to cast lots as to whine of the num-
ber should be sacrificed to prolong the lives of his
companions; and the unfortunate victim upon whom the lot
fell met his fate with perfect resignation and wiilingness.
At the close of the day a shower of rain proved a very great
additional relief. Being without compass or instruments of
any kind, Capt. H. was compelled to rely entirely upon
his judgment respecting the course, aided only by an secs-
sional glimpse of the North Star, and the rolling swell of the
sea from the south. On the eighth day another of the
number died from exhaustion. It was found necessary to
pursue a more northerly course, in the hope of rain, none
having fallen during the last four days. On the nest day they
were favoured with another shower, and this benefaction
was followed by the remarkable circumstance of a dolphin
leaping from among its finny companies.. directly into the
boat. Several birds also approached so near to the heat as
to fall a prey to the necessities of the crew, admin stering
greatly to their relief. Oo the 13th of Jule, land was dis-
covered in an easterly direction, which proved to be Comm
island (uninhabited), lying in lat. 6 deg. 27 min. N., lon. 3785.
Captain H. and the other survivors succeeded in reaching
it, but in an almost helpless condition. They, however,
secured a pig, and drank its blood, which revived their
exhausted strength, and also obtained a plentiful supply of
birds and fresh water. After remaining two daps upon
the island, they were overjoyed by witnessing the approach
of a boat, which proved to belong to the skip Leonidse
whaler, Captain Swift, of this port, then lying in Chatham
Boy, for the purpose of procuring wood and water, and were
relieved from their dreadful coffering§ by being taken on
board the ship, and treated with every possible tention and
kindness.
The names of those who perished on board the boat, are
Francis Hawkins, third mate, of Augusta, ; James
Palmist', seaman, of Ohio; Henry Thompson, seaman, of
Philadelphia, Pa; Henry Charles, place of risidenee un-
known.
Capt. H, user arrived at Payta, August 21, from which
place his letter to us 1. dated
We have also been f d with an extract of a letter
from James A. Crowell, late first mate of the Janet, to
Henry Wile w, owner's agent, in Weather°, dated at Payta,
August 1. Mr. Crowell, after mentioning the fact of the
three boats putting s.ff fur whales, ea above stated, adds:—
" At 3 p.m. I bad my whale alongside, sad soon the ship
came to me ; and when I got on board, there was but one
boat in sight, and that was five miles to the leeward of the
ship. I went down to it with the ship, and found that
it was the second mate's boat. He had seen Cap-
tain Homer two hours peevionsly, fast to a whale,
and went to the leeward of him when last seen
from his boat. WI prieeeded in the direction
in which the captain's boat had bean last seen, sad lay to
all night with all sails set, and with all our lights fixed.
In the morning saw nothing of the boat We cruised three
days, but unfortunately without meeting any trees of her.
In the meantime four of our hands were sick from fatigue,
and we were under the necessity of making the best of
our way to this port (Payta). We had taken 100 barrels
of oil for the bat ten daileviously, and lost 200 barrels
during the same tints by limn I expect the captain's
boot was taken down by a foal line, se he had a sew hoe
sinavedhis"beeawt,uctiledthtewdosydaiyh
another that night."
•
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FBALYDI or TII6 SToCIL EXCILL24OII.—in COON.
gnome of sumeruue frauds and impontions having been
praotiaoi on the public, by persons falsely repro eating,.
themselves to ►e wesbers of the Stock Exchaege, the isona-
matte of that body, as a protection to the public, yesterday
I caused a list to be suede oat of the aunse sad •Allifesess of the
whole of the 964 'endemic, mambas et tie Stock Ya-
chting', sad copies thereof were posted in the Rotunda,
Bank of England, on the Royal Exchange, and Guildhall,
fog the inspection of these Who may desire inform.tion on
the 'abject.