The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-03-31
NUMBER I99.

Isight. With her went all hope. A burning
thirst soon fell upon all of them and needless
tof young Nye's earnest appeals, they fell to
drinking salt water. This only increased
Their thirst, and they drank eagerly and re-
Ipeatedly of the fatal fluid. What follows is
the old story of delirium and death. One by
one they grew mad and madden; besought each
other to kill them then they dreamed Of sit
/ ting at the sumptuous feastS, and spoke Of the
rare danties which Knocked their grasp, of tho
delicious beverages which they in vain essayed
to quaff.
At length, worn out with the intensity of
their physical and mental sufferings, they grew
more subdued, their haggard features becams,
rigid, their wild eyes assumed a CLASSY look,
and their shrunken forms seemed gradually to
Esubside-the next lurch of the boat tumbled
them eff the seats dead! Such were the sights
which young Nye witnessed daily. As they
died he threw their bodies into the sea as long
as his strength lasted.
He says that although his thirst was OF the
most agonizing character, he not only warned
his fellow suffers against drinking salt water
but showed them how he obtained relief
by simply rinsng his mouth occasionally
They were hopeless and desperate, and would
not listec to him. The boatswain grew de-
lirious, and died within ten hours after drink
ing it. In his delirium ne was most violent.
He attempted to throw tho oars overheard,
and did succeed in throwing over the bucket
with which they bailed out the boat.
Nye did his best to quiet him and stop him
from drinking more sea water, but he struck
him a severe blow upon the chin. inflicting a
wound which has not yet healed up. Mrs.
Atkinson was also very violent, and being of
a strong constitution, it was a long time be-
fore she expired. Our n ormant's recollection
of events which occurred about this time is
very indistinct. But, from what we could
gather, on the sixth day, there were only HIM
self, small woman wrapped up in two blank
ets and the little girl alive in the boat. Before
sunset the child died, and on the following
day the woman breathed her last. He had
strength enough to throw the body of the
child overheard; but that of the woman, to-
gether with the bodies of three others, was so
coiled up under the thwarts, that he was un-
able to extricate them Feeling strong sense
of drowsiness creeping over him, he fastened
a red shirt and a white to an oar, and hosting
it to attract any passing vessel, he coiled HIM
self up in the stern of the boat and dozed
away the hours. 493ctr7
Occasionally he would rouse himself, and
pale out the boat, and then lay down again.
He did not sleep, but the time passed in kind
If waking vision. Occasionally he felt light
began to dream Of being at homs
n New Bedford with his family. Fearing
hat he too might be delrious, he fought
against those influences, and kept himself
wake by various means. At first the sight
If his CHASTITY companions caused him much
distress, and his mind became oppressed with
,loomy forebodings. He resolved to shake
hese feelings of, and hope for help even to
he last, thinking it better to go to the next
world with his senses about him than to die
raving maniac. Thus resolved, he bore up
ravey and to the end. On the 2Sth of Feb
uary ship hove in sight of the lonely boy
lie saws that he saw her before. those on board
discovered him, and he was sure from the first
hat they would pick him up. That vessel
vas the packet-ship Germania, Captain Wood,
rom Hayre, bound to New York
When Captain Wood deserted the solitary
,oat he ordered one of his own quarter boats
o be lowered, and sent an officer to see what
t contained. As they approached him poor
Iye groaned ''For Jesus Christ's sake take
ne out of this boat" They did take him out
With womanIy tenderness, and with the boat
nd it's fearful load in tow, rowed back to the
hip. The young sailor was quickly trans
erred to the comfortable cabin of the Germa-
ia, and his late companions, already far gone
n decomposition, were thrown into the sea-
The boat was half fullof water, and the bodies
Washing about in it had covered the seats and
ides with blood. 1t is wooden hfe-boat
bout 25 feet long. After being thoroughly
leaned it was hoisted on board and brought
nto port.