The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-11-25
ATEKRIBLE SHIPwRECK.
Three months on a Water-LOgged
Z wreck Terrible SuRerin9s OF the
Crewl-TMe Captain Alone survives.



On.the I'D Of June last the American brig
shelehotf, 213 tons, was dispatched by Messrs
Gildemeister, Muecke 4 Co. from San Fran
CISCO bound to Callao, with cargo OF about
3OO, 900 feet Of lumber, valued NJ about 81, OOO
Her crew and passengers numbered in all
twelve She had rough passage down, and
ON the night of the Sd of July was caught il
cyclone. fortunately the steamship Moses
TAYLOR, on her downward trip from San Fran
cisco to Honolulu, encountered heavy wealth
er, nun OF her course for several hundred
miles, and on the 9Th of October, fell in with
and boarded the wreck OF the brig. Found
one man, the captain, alive on the fore
castle deck in an exhausted condition. All
others, crew and passengers, had died from
privati0n. The captain, who had been a man
of 235 pounds, was found an emaciated skele-
ton. and when discovered on the forecastle
of his wrecked ship he weighed less than 10
pounds. The sutierings he endured for over
three months cannot be told From the
Hawaiian Gazette Of Oct. a. We CLEAN the fol
lowing particulars Of the disaster, given by
passenger on the Moses Taylor
"On Thursday, Oct. ~, at A. NJ, sail
was discovered by the wheelman on the
steamer Moses Taylor The vessel lay directly
| in the steamers track and appeared TO be dis
.hasds having but one matt standing md only
her lower all set running before fresh
southeast wind. On approaching her II
| proved to be brig, apparently deserted, no
persons appearing in sight ON board
Her stern was broken away, the bulwarks on
both sides gone, and her sails flying from the
foremost I'm rags On reaching the wreck the
steamer stopped, and Capt. Bennett sent of
boat to ascertain whether any persons were
on board, and if none, whether any record
could be found respectingh her The sea being
| quite rough, the brig lurched heavily, and the
boat approached her with some difficulty. She
was boarded, however, by the third Officer
and q seaman from the steamer, who infTne-
| diately went alOft into the foretop, snd find
| ing no one, went into the forecastle, where
they discovered a weak, eHneiated man.
who exclaimed, as he saw them Great
God Almighty am savedr' He was
lifted into the boat and taken to the
steamer, The only article brought with him be-
ing small canvas bag containing nautical
almanac, and vial inclosing a sheet Of paper,
with the date of the wreck and names of the
crew and passengers. 1t proved to be the
American brig Shelehoff, 2l3 tons register, of
San francisco, bound to CalIao with a cargo of
lumber. The survivor was Capt Luder Hop
ken, the last of twelve persons on board at
the time Of the disaster. The brig was caught
In o cyclone on the night of July 3, the same
date Of the solar eclipse Soon after midnight,
when the cyclone was at its height, she was
thrown on her beam ends, and found to be
rapidly filing, and in order to prevent a total
loss Of the vessel and her COMPANY her MAIN
topmast was cut away, and she righted up
No time was allowed to save PROVISIONS or
clothing, and the crew were Obliged to retreat
to the fOretop to prevent being washed over
board, ~ every wave made q clean breach
over her. The mate, Mr.. Johnson died first
six dats after the disaster Two half barrels
Of salmon, q haff-barrel Of tongue and box
Of China starch were ished up out Of the
hold, but the drinking water was q found to
be brackish. The salmons, tongbes, starch,
and few fish caught with hook from time
to time, and occasionally little hin water
caught In q sail, and always more or less
brackish from the salt spray; where all that
the ships company had to subsist On.
Capt. HOpken's account OF the sTferings Of
his men and passengers Is 9 most fart-rend-
ing one. After the death of the mise, on the
9Th Of July, none occurred till September 9,
when they began to become delicious and
weak from hunger and thirst, and several
died or jumped overheard In their telirium.
Roils and disease, induced by hungef and salt
water, added 10 the intensity Of thor suffer
ings. Nine or ten days before the steamer
rescued him, Capt. Hopken states thst bark
few minutes, then squared away with
out sending Oh boat or making
any effort to rescue the Ines OF
those on board, of whom there were eight
thea living. The bark came 50 near that per
sons could be seen moving about on her deck.
Those on the brig were so weak as to be I'M
able TO stand, but got on their knees and
waved pieces Of sell cloth, hoping To attract
attention. Their feelings, as they Jaw the
bark square away when 20 near them may
better be imagined than described. Their
last hope being gone, they lay down, and one
after another died or leaped overheard. The
barb displayed no flag, and all that Capt.
Hopken can recOllect Of her appearance was
that she had q new, bright spanker set
Soon sitter the disaster occurred, Captain
HOpken set the 6Dresan and lib (the only sail
usedI and rugged the rudder so as to steer
the wreck from the foretop. This was ac-
BY running the rudder-ropes
through block aft, and then carrying them
forward 10 the foretop. In this way the briggs
course was shaped towards these Islands toll /.
erahly correct. without compass or chart The
accident occurred In north latitude 10, and
west lOngitude III, about so miles south.
west gf Cape a. Eacas The wreck was fallen
n with In north lstitude 70 ~, west longi-
Ipdez146 62, about 400 miles northeast Of
Hawaii. showing that they had run nearly
l,DOQ miles In 10o days.
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THR National Labor Union In HYDE
Park Pa, is Progressing very finely. Nearly