Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-01-01
THE sKELEroN or THE WRECK.

Those who follow the occupation of mariner are ex
posed to many pers, among which are shipwreck and
starvation II is terrible thing TO be destitute of food
and drink and to pass day after day in open boat
shattered wreck or raft far from human assistance
gradually losing strength and suffering all the cravings
Of hunger and thirst until death at last and puts
end to agones which cannot even be conceived. 1t
is said that possessed Of good constitution may
live for days without any sustenance whatever his
frame will gradually and wther the cravings of
hunger increase; and morsel of bread drop of wa
ter will then be valuable him than all the precious
mines diamond gems in the world If he falls asleep
gushing springs of delicious fruits and tempting viands
and suddenly awakens in a few moments to full sense
of the horrors and helplessness Of his condition
One of the most touching descriptions Of shipwreck,
connected with starvation, published number Of
years ago in an American periodical and gives vivid pic
Of the horrors which surround poor wretch in that
sad condition
Many years ago when the brave Commodore TRUxros in
the United States figate Constellation returning from his
famous cruise in the West indies ut the mast
head morning. the had risen above the horizon
the distance three or four miles an object which
looked like the wreck vessel The course of the frgate
altered, and in half hour the Commodore had ascer
tanned that the object indeed the wreck of
vessel Her mass were broken of about fifteen feet from
deck and the hull full of They living thing
board but there deck which had
lin as 70 afford shelter to remnant Of her And
although it blew strong gale the time the humane Com
modore determined to send of boat with instructions to
board the wreck and ascertain whether there indeed any
human being still surviving whom the help Of his felow-men
might save from the grasp of DEATH
The boat proceeded towards the drifting wreck and while
the men were rowing and struggling with the difficulty get
ting alongside, while heavy was running and shouting
all the they could an object which rcsembed
Appearances bundle Of old clothes seen to roll out Of
the apparently against the ee-sde the
vessel With boathook they contrved to seize it and haul
,tn Innt xnhar
being bent head and knees together as scarcely
to be in the ample garments which fitted him when he
enjoyed health and strength He seemed pigmy in the
clothes Of giant He looked pale and ghosty indeed but
although he was unable to speak, he still breabed. E
The boats fastened back to the Constellation with
this miserable remnant of humanity This poor starving
wretch reduced to such dmnuve that lad of if
old able lift him from the When placed
deck he showed asonishment ALL signs of return
ing life and consciousness He tried then opened
his parched and backened lips to speak After
two or three attempts he succeeded in uerng faint
hollow, and sepuchral Tone There another ~
Commodore Truxon Immediately ordered the boat shove
off again for the wreck and after several aborve attempts
the succeeded in boarding the wreck In
house they found two other human bodes wasted like the
they had taken board the rga the very bones
but without spark life remaining Unfortunate men, they
had suffered every thing which it possible for suffer-
and had died the dreadful death of starvation
The boats after completing their melancholy survey
returned board where they found the attention of the
ships company engrosed by preserve the life of the
poor fellow, who being brought board
just life enough remaining to remind his that there
is needless to that possible efforts spared
restore to health this generous sufferer who seemed living
skeleton Food administered him with caution and
under the direction of the surgeon who exerted all his skill
save his ife The undertaking seemed hopeless but
strange finally crowned with In
few days the skeleton began resemble living human
being The poor fellow able to stand, and walk
and afterwards rapidly gained strength and his bones
became covered with fesh Before the gae arrived port
the astonshed to find in the feeble wasted
like being whom they had rescued from situation
stout nearly six feet in height He longer the
skeleton of the wreck"
appeared that the vessel from which this thus
provdentiay saved Dutch brig bound from Curacao
for Amsterdam 1t had been capzed in furious hurricane
the masts broke off, and rghted full of The officers
and crew. with the exception of three seamen drowned
The survivors, for the first few days managed obtain
little provision foaed of the hatchways But these
failed hem and the only they could
to quench their eversh thirst the rain descended
slight showers from the clouds Thytw days had these
wreches dragged miserable existence the wreck
growing weaker and weaker every and only day
before the Constellation fell in with the wreck that of
these miserable men, overcome by their suerngs died
dreadful death.