Delaware State journal and statesman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1855-1870, 1867-05-07
DREADFUL sUFFERINGs OF A
WHALER'S CREW.

The Edinburgh Scotsman has the following ]
narrative;
ga correspondent in Lerwick favOrs US with
an account of the arrival at Shetland OF the
whaleship Diana, of Hull, which got frozen up
in the ice at Days's Straits last season, and re-
specting the safety Of which grave fears were
entertained This vessel sailed from Lerwick
last May, with crew of fifty men all told OF
whom about thirty were Shetlanders, and the
rest English, and was last heard Of beset in the
ice in the month Of September On this "a
instant she sailed into Rona's Voc in Shetland
with all her fifty men on board, living, dying
and dead No one was missing. Her captain,
with nine of his men dead by his side, lay on the
bridge. Five men were fit for duty and Of
these, two we're able to crawl aloft, and the re-
mainder were lying below sick or dying as
the ship came into the port another man died
The sight which met the eyes of the people iron
the shore who first boarded her cannot we'll be
told in prose. Dante might have related it In
the Inferno
"One Of the survivors says; 'our beef got
done in January, coffee and sugar about that
time also, and our last tea was served out in the
beginning Of February, 1906 Tobacco was
likewise all gone, and some Of us tried to smoke
tea leaves and coffee grounds. The tea leaves
burned the mouth bad, but the coffee grounds
were not 80 disagreeable. do assure you II
was precious cold-especially at night, when
your breath froze in the top Of your berth, TILL
the ice came to be three or four inches thick,
and we had day every week to break it off and
scrape it down with the ships scrapers. The
men began to get downhearted aud some of them
were so weak that they dropped at the pumps
Ow. The doctor did everything be could for them
and was all man should be, taking his watch
regularly and working as hard as any one bu
he couldn't save them. scurvy began with them
and then they couldn't eat what little food thel
had, owing to their gums being so bad, ant
many Of them had dysentery. The first two VIII
III. diod-Forbes Smith and Michael Aberthney-
we made collins for aud laid up beside the cap
tain on the bridge, but we hadn't wood for an,
more. The men we're very quiet and resigned
though, of course, there was difference anon
them. and some were more cOntented than other
"sAt last, on the l7th March, with clei
moonlight, we drove out between ResolutiS
Islands into tho broken ice. There was gre
deal Of "young' ice broken by the heavy ic
which protected the ship very much, althoui
m, she struck heavily at times, and damaged b
rudder Wm. Lofey, one of the harpoone
al acted as navigator. When we got into the op
WOO sea, and the ship began rolling and pitchir
the leak got worse, and we had enough to do
keep her ailoat, as there were not many able
work. On Sunday, 3lst of March, we exchanf
!. longitudes with ship, and that very aftern'
we sighted land, just two weeks from our leay
the ice. But, unluckly. we took the land
saw to be Orkney, and, wanting to go to 81
land, we stood away to the northward along
am west side Of Shetland, all the time supposin
'u' to be Orkney.
"sWe beat about there till Tuesday morn
uiy Of when the mate said he would take the first
is just Dor he could find, and we ran her into Ro
I'D dis. Voc that day at noon, finding to our SURF
morist, that we had been off Shetland all the time.
% have we been out another night, none Of US "
always have stood it, The night before, three Of
rowded watch dropped down at the pumps and only
be duty of us were able for duty, and they not muS
her his speak of. On Sunday night, when we were
ny man rying on her with double reefed opsails, tn
in that halliards gave way; and out Of both wal
p their three we're all that could go out to stow it,
ID blush they weren't fit, and it blew to ribbons.
ondents another man and could go aOft to sto'
r giving main tOpgallant sail when We brought up
imposed we were just able to crawl; and when We
men into down we were done up. We came into thai
xpect it, with nine corpses lying on the bridge, and
Itand on we had anchored, one Of the sick hands
to stand out from his berth, Take away this dead
eats are from me;' and then we found that he had
When dead some time; so that was the tenth, ar
md send laid him on the bridge too"