Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1856-03-29
sHIpwREoIx ANp Loss oF


SHIPWRECK AND LOSS OF
LIFE.
The packetship GeMa0Rid, Capt Wood, ar
! rived at New York on Sunday evening from Hay5
re On the 26th February, IN LAT. 10 deg %
f1nin. n :, long. 46 deg. 20 min. w, She fell IN
with Ieebergs snd that same mig entered field
Office which extended to the northwest IS far as
the eye could reach By Standing 10 the souths
least the Germania cleared this ice-ield In three
\ hours. 1cebeTgS were seen as tar south as lat
Il deg. - min. n, long 50 deg 2s MN
On the IS Of EebrnaEY 9 hlf''sE boat was
I seen ahead of the Germania a boatwas imrne-
diately sent from the latter to rescue, Hhen sad
! spectacle presented itself In the boat aelrift
were found one living man aud four dead bodies
one Of the latter being that:of asfemale. The
survivor, Thomas W. Stye, of New Bedford, sat
amid the dead, frozen In his hands snd feet, and
himself nearly dead from starvation He and
1.-The dead by his side were all that sremalndEd
above the waters out Of thirteen who nine days
before had lett the5&reck of the ship John -Rut-
fle.lge Capt Kelly, of New York. The story of
the John Rutietige, as given by Ar. s>ye. IS as
follows:
The John Rutledge sailed from Liverpool on
the 10th of January, in lat. ~ deg 81 min,
long. &c dee. 56mi,. " she fell in with ice. On
the 10 she entered field of ice, but cleared it
Soon afterwards, however, on the same day, she
I; encountered an iceberg, which stove hole in
her bow and damaged her to such an extent that
at six O'Clock IN the evening she~asa complcte
wreck and evidently sinking. Nothing remain
ed but for those on board TO abandon the wreck
as best they could. Five boats were lowered,
four of which took their loads and left.
In the fifth boat, which was the one found by
! the Gerniania, the mare of the John RltledgS
ifr. Atkinson. and several others were just about
entering, when1t broke afirift with the thirteen
taIrea;iy in 1t, ksayiH3 the mate and those with
him go down with the wreck. Those IN theboat
now pulled 1t through the water and ice as we'll
MS they were able, but soon their compass was
broken, and amid the snowy and cloudy wealth
ier which followed they knew not.which way
they went -7
| The party consisted fitne boatswain, Scotch
sailor, five men, four women, and little girl,
passengers, and myself We had only about 3
gallon ofwater and six or eight pounds of bread
The weather was intensely cold Mrs Atkinson
took charge of the bread and water antlolSould
give but little ont Sheand the boatswain drank
most Of the water. Both were soon SSflanstcd
and then the bitter cold began to tell upon US
1t is my opinion thai if we had been well sup
piled with food and water most of us could have
fwithstood the cold.
On the third day in the boat male passenger
being his only one. He was followed the next
day by a woman, whose husband survived her
but day or two. On the 9th day I'LL those in
the boat with me began to drink sea water.
warned them against 1t, but they PERSISTED. l
drank no sea water. When my mouth became
parched and dry rinsed it with sea water, but
swallowed none. Some snow fell one day, which
found great relief After the others began
to drink the sea water they died quick success
sion. On the seventh day the last one died,
land left me the only living being in the boat
The dead who were first succumbed were thrown
overheard; but the four last were beyond my
little remaining strength, and for more than
two days was forced sit with their distorted
bodies before me, and with but little hope that
la better fate would be mine. The last who died
was passenger, an English lady, of slight form,
the mother of the little girl. Her daughter pre-
tccded her few hours. cannot remember the
order in which the others died
The boatSwain, the night before his death be-
came delirious and furious He assaulted Mrs.
Atkinson, bit her severely on the arm, and
scratched her. He threw the bucket overheard,
and attempted to throw the oars overheard also.
Hc assaulted nue. with the canteen and struck
me blow on the face, the marks of which I
still bear. He died about noon, some hours BE-
ore which he became listleSs and stupid. Near
all the others became dclirious. Mrs. Akin
ION calledin the most agonizing tones for water,
;tretchins out her hands to receive it. They ali
jed like the boatswain, and in many instances
he first notice that l had that another victim
.ad fallen was by his pitching over when the
BOAT lslrched heavily.
When all my companions were dead fixed an
ar upright, with a white woollen shirt and a red
iik handkerchief waving from the top as sig
lal. This was the first permanent signal that
iad been erected. My feet and legs had become
:ery badly frozen, and was hardly able to move.
lay in the bow of the boat. 1t would ship a
occasionally, and would rouse myself and
oail it out. 1 would then lay down again. On
he 29th Of February, when had been nine
laySin the boat, saw ship bearing down to-
Yards me. was now confident that would
&c rescued. Twas directly in her path. As she
reared me she hove to and sent to a boat tn lny
:elieG Myself and the boat which had borne
ne 50 long in mid ocean were hOiSted on board.
Che bodies were consigned to the deep.
found the ship to be the GsFRaRiG, Capt.
Wood from Havre for New York. Capt Wood,
his wife, Mr.. Papon, (tfc stewart aRd the first
innate have been unremittins in their attentions.
My frozen limbs were put in cold water, and
then bran pUuitices were applied to thGm. To
this and other udicious treatment shall he in
tdebtetl for the restoration of nay limbo TO use
| attribute the continuance of my existence be-
lyond that Of my companions to ny abstaining
from the tlse III sea water. used S0lns of the
ice that formed upon the boat Il was only a
little hitter, having lost the brackish lasts pcc-
liar 70 sea water, and was without it, injurious
effect upon thu Hysten. ycompanions appear
ed 10 suffer great pain after they l.a,l drank sea
water.
The owners Of the John Rutledge are Mcssrs.
Rowland ( Ridgway, of New York. The ship
was built IN Baltimore some four or Ave years
iaSO, and is Insured here for seventy thousand
Edoilars, while her cargo. consisting Of 500 tons
lOf merchandise, was insured in Europe.
FRIGurFrI RAuROAp .AccDExr.-Thercv asa