New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-12-29
THE LoSS or THE BIEEEEIA


FURTHER PARTICULARS THRILLING NARRATIVE
OF TIE STEAMSHIPS SECOND OFFICER-IN-
SANE PASSENGERS LEAP INTO THE OCEAN
MARVELLOUS EsCAPE OF a BOAT
The GIasqow HeraH publishes the narrative
Of MIR Dvies the second officer Of the Hbcrna who had
etch marvellous escape IN ono OF the ships boats lilo
says when left the IicruIa we had In our boat Two
of preserved meat Two hours after leaving the snip We
found the boat fill that We deemed neees
make room for passengers The boat was lfeboat,
y feet long with xix or seven feet BEAM one woman
had two children, OF three and five years old respect
cy and another an infant Of six months old orr boat
leaking badly when We started ana II required tMo
constantly balling 20 keep her afoat soon aiter
leaving the Iihcrnia, we fell astcrn OF the
other h0iS Derng %G cordiion When The mt
mates boat capSzcd we attempted 10 get rouhu 10
were obliged 10 attend safety. During that
day pulled before the wind, but ~ night we lay TO
by means of n floating anchor and underworld 10 make
the boat rs trim rs possible We tried 10 make the No-
over The forward part OF the boat Nobody asked get
ANYTHING TO eat the first day. all being too anxious to
think of eating ON the following Thursday morning
we go Iucsll set ON the boat and made the best Of our
way for the Irish coast before ouwestcrly breeze
Nothing of note occurred that day. but the Following
night (Fridayl an old man. who had shown symptoms
of arrangement jumped overheard, saying he
going TO bed on the third day the breeze fen very
light. and we had to take to the oars. Next morn
Rodgers suddenly leaped overheard woman, supposed
to his sister, pleaded hard that some OF lis should
throw her into the after him. but endeayored TO
sOOthe hear. and succeeded IN some degree Rodgers
was evidently out of his senses lie had quarreed with
us because we nailed the compass TO the thwarts He
wanted the knees OF his trousers darned as he could
not he said go home with holes in them Up to TINS
time provisions had been given IN moderate quantities,
aud each person had daily allowance Of pint OF water
We had now to shorten me ailoWanee. we had 20
keep pulling both on the fourth and NTH days ana dd
not make much progress sunday was calm az day inc
children hitherto had been toerably HvGy. Inc hIaht
was fed mashed biscuit It's mother having no mix,
and the others got biscuit andpreseryed meat with small
quantity OF preserved fruit The want oi suclent water
began TO be felt; and owing to the close packing
Of all IN the boat and the frequent wettlng cramps
were very general. We forced 10 keep everything
position much as possible to avoid capsZlns
Up 10 the Monday no one had seriously complained ot
the dscomforts and all were IN toieraDle spirits me
did all in their power to inspire hope ana TIE
quartermaser Blair spun yarns to keep their Splits up
Psalm, and many joined with him. That day the WIND
blew hard from the southwest, and we had 10 Drhg INC
boat To by using the sa and Two 81 our oars as 9ang
anchor and in doing so lost both sails and oars II was
useless seek for them IL being now dark so we had to
make "A sall Of piece OF tarpauln. and be content
with and half that we had with us In the boat
The wind; blowing hercey. tne tarpauh Mas .of ,, INTO
and we substituted Tor IL bedcoVers These latter
were also destroyed. Samuel Brewster IN old man,
died Wednesday after going rayng mad Many OF our
number now showed Signs OF madness; probably from
despair and exposure To extreme cold Some became yo
force with certain Of them, and gradually we got them
Gained down. Early on Thursday morning, chlh, n'e
years Of age died and shortly anerward its mother
pired Another child took .oaw ana died Also Inc
bodies thrown overheard The effect on The tnrvi
yors very visible All this time we were making slow
progress townfu me rish coast Inc tVh lAIpaun nh
been mended In the best fashion could aud served In
"A "A
now given In small quantity one OF the barrels Of bis
cults found 10 be mach soaked with sea wafer aud
one OF the fresh water casks had leaked half OF ia con
tents We had to disregard tho appeals for drink ana the
consequence that several among the rest took
circumstances Thi. was continued until number got
perfectly mad. Walter MoFarane. fireman, ono OF
became 80 dangerously outrageous that ho had 90 be tied
to the bottom. lie died In this state. ON Friday morn
way half N dozen times and often mendcd and on the
whole the boat had gone ycTy MEL IIs ok ss infant
The sea was breaking oyer We DC Ss NJ
pools OF water. There nothing now 20 cover tho
women, IA had used everything for sails Cramp had
seized Mi Of US more OF ess aud our legs and hands were
greatly sweled. and consequently, very painful.
The fresh water was 40 scarce that lesA than
pint had 10 serve four persons for day, and pro-
Visions were equally scany. Of raying and
violently mad woman died as the evening closed IN.
but fact not noticed AZ the time and the body
Was stl I'm the boat when greatest Of all calami
ties occurred About II O'Clock heavy wave struck the
inc suddenly In mass TO the lee side over aud
ali were left struggling in the water The boat hostod
ss on the sn Keel lie assisted blair % get Hp which the
latter DID with some dihcnty a. drowning PAisensef
who had also shake himself clear OF some cnginR
10 hs foot No others got hold OF the boat though
era heard for time shouting OK s"eans as they
about In tho darkness one poor soul had
got under the boat. and no was heard Tor nearly
half an hour He was apparently holding on by the
thwars and breathing the air which had been inclosed
the chnks in her tmDers About u o'clock heavy
struck the boat and the three who sitting stride
the first his position and by his assistance the
other two men brought up the boat. The sail
was floating alongside and We got hold OF the ropes at
tached the mast and, watching for favorable oppor-
tuny managed, by pulling the ropes 10 get the boat
righted She was Of course, full OF waller and we baicd
her at with fiat pieces Of wood and afterward with
two Tin cans which found attached 10 the thwarts At
length by hard labor got her clear. Everything was
boat except the mast. the arpaun
sail and the and thus left without provisions
or water When broke again made sail upon the
boat well could aud again seered our course To
the Eastwsrd with favorable wind, by Sunday
it,x opaTg hsl tn ~
sa-the first we had seen-but she did not observe
and darkness shortly afterward closing nwe had Light
with which to attract attention We were downcaht nj
this but about o'clock we were suddenly cheered by
seeing a light 10 the Eastward which turned out 10 be
Tory Island Light House. We made Tor the light,
though il blowing strongly from tho southwest,
with heavy running. On getting close TO the land,
found ourselves among dangerous breakers and were
forced 10 make out again to cave our lives We
ran out some five miles and brought TO- 20 wait for day
light About this time some heavy showers fell, the frat
Of any consequence that We had mot with since the
wreck and we employed every means within reach
10 catch little fresh water OF which We stood terribly
IN need At daylight Monday morning once more
set our sa made for the land, determined 10 get
ashore at all hazards We along the shore for some
distance TIL likely place In Mulroy Bay, on the
west side OF Fannett Point. Having fayoring breeze
we made for the shore and run the boat up with
such tho recedng left her dry upon the
beach After coming ashore found our limbs swollen
such extent that 1t utterly impossible to move
The three survivors Davies Blair. aud Reilly were taken
from Fpnnett TO Londonderry
-----------