Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1869-01-09
TERRIBLE SUFFERING At SEA.
The Tale OF one OF the
Survivors OF the Hi
hernia.

On Thursday morning We got lug san
on our '..,ic boat, and made tie best oil cur
way for Ire irish coast, before a southwest
e,iv breeze. Nothing note occurred that
a. nut .he following night tfIjds7) an
c.d man, Who nad shown symptoms OF de
rnsement, jumped owe board, 81 ing ac
was gong 10 bed. On .ne ilirc day the
Oce,z 70 fell very Il hit and We mad % take to
cur OARS. Next morning one O. the pas
sengers. supposed 10 10 Francis Rodgers,
suddeniy .hrew himse1i overheard. A wo-
man, supposed 20 be his sister, pleaded
hard HAT rome u he should throw her into
the sea alter I'm bot We endesvored TO
socthe ner and succeeded n some degree.
Rodgers was evidently out q. as senses
lie hal quarrclei with us because We nailed
tho compass 10 the thwar,s lie war.ed he
knees OF as row sers darncd, - he 'cou
MOI, lie 50 d. $50 home n holes il
them. Cpie this time PROVISIONS had
been given in moderate quantities, and
cscn person had daily al.ossncr Of pint
0 water. We had now TO shorten The al
lowanee. We had to keep pulling both on
the fourth and fi:,h days, and did not make
much progress. SUNDAY was calm I'll day
The children had hitherto been lolsra6ls
lively. The infant was ted on mashed bis
cut, its mother having no milk, ard tue
Others got biscuit and preserved most, with
. small qu.ntity Of pre.ervsd fruit. The
want Of sufficient water now began to 10
felt; and, owing 10 the close packing Of All
in the boat and the frequent MEETINGS,
cramps we're very general. We we've forced
to keep everything in one position - much
- possible, to avoid capsizing. Up ~ the
Monday ne one bad seriously complained
Of the disco,nfsrts, and ali were n ;olera.
bic spirits The seaman did oil in HE power
TO inspire hope; and the quartsrmaster,
Blair, spun ysrns 10 keep their spirits np.
On the Wednesday,, the second engineer
sang the l0o,h Psalm, and many Joined
with him. That day the wind blew hard
from the southwest, and w had TO bring
the boat to BY using the sail and two ofour
oars - floating anchor, and n % doing
lost both sail and osrs. IL was useless 10
seek FOR them, i, being now dark, 80 We had
TO make sail out ola piece Of tarpsulin,
anu 10 content with one oar and half We
had in The boat. The wind blowing asrcsly
the tarpaulin was torn into rags. and We
substituted for it bed covers. The latter
were a.se sosn destroyed. Samuel Brew
SER, an old man, died on Wednesday, after
going 7aving mad Many Of our number
now showed signs Of madness, probably
from despair and exposure to extreme cold
Some became violent and threatening in
.aeir conduct, ard ws had 10 use fierce With
certain ofthem, and We gradually got thsm
ealped down.
E,rlv on Thursiay morning child, Eve
years Of age, ed and shortly afterwards
rs mother expired. Another child took
:ock- Jaw. and died also. The bodies we're
brown over BOARD The effect on the sur
vvers WAS very visible. Al, this time We
were making SLOW progress towards the
IRISH coast. The torn tarpaulin had bte,
mtnisd vi he oest fashion We could, and
served in K nd OF way for lug. sail. Pro
Visions and water were nov given ia small
quantity. One o. the barrels Of biscui. 40
found 10 os much soaked with ass water,
and one Of the fresh water casks had leaked
bali Q. ito contents. We had 10 disregard
the appeals for drink, and The const q uspcs
VAS shat several sesmen among the rest
took to qusnching their thirst with .a't
water, IN spite Of our remonstrances. This
was continued until number got perfectly
mad Walter McFarlans, fireman, was one
Of these Who persisted in taking salt water,
and his eoaducs became SO dangerously out.
yassous that he had to be tied to the bet.
tom He died in This state. On Friday
morning We mad sailed $50 miles. Tn.
tsrpaulin sal had given way halt dozen
tines. and as often mended, CT the whole,
the b,e, had gona very well. This day toe
ir.au; died Oar situation became m,>ers-
DE IN the extreme. Tho sea Was breaking
over the boat in clouds Of spray. wet;ine
every one 10 the skin. and oil were sitting
in pools OF water. There was nothing now
TO cover the women, a. we had used everv-
thing for sails. Cramps had .eixed al Of
Us more or less, and our legs and hands
we're greatly swelled. and consequently
very painful. The fresh water was 30
scarce that less than pint had to serve
.fsur persons for . day, and provisions were
equally scanty. Some Of " were ravine
and vielsstly mad. About IL o'clock :
heavy wave struck the boat, and those ON
beard II their drowsy condition falling
suddenly in mass to the lee side, che
vent evss, ssd oil wsss LETT stsueelioe in
The water.