Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-03-31
PERILs OF THE SEA.
A Ships Crew Attacked by SaVages in
the Straits Of Magellan.

The schooner Sarah H. Merrie,
which sailed from New York on the
18th of October, 1868, for Valparaiso,
entered the Straits of Magellan on the
18th of December. Early in January
the vessel touched at Port Gallant, in
the Straits, and large number of saw
age looking natives were seen on the
| shore. The British survey ship Mas
sau was lying there, which wss found
very convenient, as a protection
against the Indians, who made many
attempts to come along side, or get on
board. The Captain says:
1--WE opened our side ports and ran
out two stovepipes fifteen inches in
circumference, painted black, which
were taken by the savages for guns
All hands were called to arms-thOse
that had no muskets shouldering cap
stan bars, and the harpoons also being
gotten in readiness. These proceed
ings kept the Indians at bay, and at
night vigilant watch was kept on
board 10 guard against sudden surprise.
| Whilst we remained here the Indians
made several attempts to take a small
boat that was surveying the harbOr,
during the absence of the steamer,
which was surveying another, at some
distance. Though the thermometers
stood at so degrees, they were entirely
naked except small piece of seal skin,
about two or three feet square, worn
around the shoulder bv some, and by
others about the waist. Their faces
were deeply painted. The heavy gales
from the southwest, heavy rains and
the blank desolation of Port Lamar,
induced a vague feeling of discomfort.
| Neither human nor brute life could be
seen on shore, and the few water fowls
and mysterious fish hawks, with faces
like a death-head flew round our ves-
sci with malicious cries that only
made the loneliness more real. No
tongue can express the forsaken, rough,
rugged aspect of the country. In the
midst of . severe gale, on New Years
day, we sighted small row boat with
a signal of distress flying, and contain
ing crew of six men. We took them
on board, but not without some diff
Guilty, as it was blowing gale and the
sea was breaking right over the boat.
When the rescued men had recovered
somewhat, they informed US that they
were a party from the British mail
steamer Santiago, from Valparaiso for
Liverpool, and which, when entering
the western entrance of the Straits of
| Magellan, ran on to a sunken ledge
and bilged. In three hours afterward,
she had disappeared beneath the
water. By dint of great exertions on
| the part of the Captain and officers of
the Santiago, all the passengers, who
numbered over two hundred, were got
on shore except three, who were
drowned-One being child eighteen
months old, which had been left by
its mother in bed when the alarm was
first given, the mother being in a
frantic state with fear. A small guam
| tity of biscuit was also landed, and an
attempt was made to shelter the
women and children by erecting huts
of canvass and brushwOod, but with
very little success. All were suffer-
ing severely from cold, wet and hum
ger, they being on an allowance of one
biscuit a day. The party who were
picked up volunteered to go to Bunta
| Arnts to seek help-that settlement
being about 10 miles eastward of our
] positiOn-when we rescued them. As
soon as possible we hastened to the re-
lief of the shipwrecked people, we
having to work our vessel to the wind
ward thirty miles against strong
northwest breeze and rough sea. We
arrived there on the 9th of January,
and were greeted with cheers by the
men and the tears of the females and
children, whose food was but exhaus-
ted when we came to their relief, and
who hailed with joy the prospect of
\ being released from a region where
there was neither food nor civilized in
habitants. We threw overheard a
portion of our cargo and placed our
cabins at their disposal, so that we
might make them as comfortable as
possible, and left the port to convey
them to some convenient place of
refuge, but when we had proceeded
one hundred miles in the direction
contrary to our voyage, we fell in with
the British man-of-war Nassau, Janu-
airy 26th, which is surveying the
Straits, and to that vessel we trans
ferred the suffering people.