The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-12-30
A Thrilling Incident 1t Sea.

=, AA0 Oa"Ite01ou correspondent OF the
New York Times, while at sea on board
the dispatch steamer Eliza Hancox. wit
| messed the following thrilling incident
Just as darkness was closing around us.
pilot Hardiz, Of the Hancox, discovered
off to seaward larger fragment of the
wreck than any we had yet seen. and
made the suggestion that we should run
down to 1t and ascertain if it supported a
human being. Capt. Post acceded and
We had scarcely changed our course when
q thrill Of Joy passed through all on board.
at the sight Of a poor creature runnino
frantically around bis narrow raft like an
imprisoned animal in cage, and waving
bis hands imploringly. Ever and again
the man would be hidden from our view
as mighty wave with curling crest. curled
over his frail support. The Hancoxs boat
was lowered and CALAMITY manned by VOL
unteers from the crew, who did not weigh
the risk to themselves in Drawing the an
CRY sea, while they sturdidly pulled tow
ard the shipwrecked sailor. With some
difficulty they laid their boat alongside the
raft, with not only getting the living man
on board, but, in obedience to their bu-
name impulses, bringing off the ghostly
corpse that lay bound to the wreck beside
him.
The boat returned in safety to the Ham
COX, and after the rescued man had GOT
the chills out of his bones, by the aid of
hot coffee and warm clothes, he told the
following story:
His name he gave as John r. Cruise, of
Dorchester, New Jersey, and said that he
was hand on the schooner r. B. How
lett, of Philadelphia. The vessel had
been lying two months or more inside
Charleston bar, with cargo of coal for
the blockading feet, and had been recent
ly anchored in the channel-way, and used
as the inside lightship Her crew list wss
as follows:
Captain-James Brewer, of Absecom.
MGe-A. b. Dean, who hailed from
some port "Down East"
Orew-Chas. Winslow, of Port Rich
mond, Penn; Lewis Mulcott, OF Millyille.
n. j.; John r. Cruise, of Dorchester. N
j.; Enoch Turner, and another seaman
who had left the schooner a day or two
before. .e.-
Cruise, continuing bis narrative. said that
on Friday morning about 9 O'Clock. thew
experienced the full fury of the hurricane.
The stock of the anchor which held the
schooner broke through the force of the
gale, and the vessel began to drag. An
attempt was them made to let 20 the other
anchor, but the chain fouled at the bawse
hole after two and halt fathoms had
run out, and it was impossible to extricate
it. In this plight the vessel began to drive
toward the northern bar, when Captain
Brewer made an effort to get her under
eail, but she would not swear" owing to
the dead weight of the anchor, and moth
ing further could be done to save her from
going ashore. Presently she struck, and
the first blow knocked her stern COMPLETE.
ly out Keeling over on her bilgs. the
second blow snapped all her lee timbers
like pipe stems, and in half an hour after
wards she was broken to pieces. The en-
tire company got on the foremost while it
remained standing, and when it fell all
managed to secure small pieces of the
wreck, but the sea ran so high, and an ebb
tide setting Oft shore, made it impossible
for human being to long escape drown
ing under such circumstances.
EOA OH AOOA VI uICIc OIuS0 1QQ DIS COIQs
panions buffetted the waves, gradually be-
coming separated by the angry sea, and
the last that he saw Of them convinced
him that not one of them could hold out
great while longer.
Dean, the mate, was on piece of the
poop deck, and Cruise drifted near him,
succeeded in getting upon it, thus obtain
ing better support than the deck plank
which he had seized when the vessel went
to pieces. Upon this small piece Of the
deck he and his companion were carried
out TO sea, passing through che breakers
off Stono Inlet, where they were several
times washed off. Dean had been severe
| " bruised on the head by plank when he
was thrown into the water, and only sur
vived the injury ard bis desperate circum-
stances until 10s O'Clock on Friday night.
For hours before his death he was sense
| less and helpless; and Cruses strength
was nearly exhausted in bis atterrpt to
| hold him on the raft. After the decaase
Of his companion, Cruise Invested him Of
his clothing, to add to his own comfort.
and dashed the corpse to the wreck. lhay.
| ing already contemplated the horrible ne.
oessity OF feeding upon it, if another day
passed without relief came to him. :. When
we rescued Cruise he had been .thirtv:three