Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1871-11-29
SUFFERINGS AT SEA.
A Dreadful Story Of Shipwreck, Starva.
ton and Death-A Humane Captains
Action.

1he vessel lay directly IN the steamer
track and appeared to be disabled, hav
ing but one mask standing and only hel
lower topsail set, running before a fresh
southeast wind. On approaching her, ii
appeared to be a brig. water-logged, with
her mainmast carried away, apparently
deserted, no persons appearing in sigh,
on board. A sail spread over the fore.
castle and a tent rigged in the foretop
crOsstrees, showed that the crew had oc.
cupied these places for some time At
every lurch the sea made clear breach
over the vessel from stem to stern. To
all appearance it was a wreck which had
long been water logged and her crew Ia
ken off by some passing vessel. Her
stern was broken away, the bulwarks on
both sides gone and her sails flying from
the ioremast in rags.
On reaching the wreck the steamer
stopped, and Captain Rennet sent off a
boat to ascertain whether any persons
were on board, and, if none, whether
any record could be found respecting
her. The sea being quite rough, the
brig lurched heavily, and the boat ap.
preached her with some difficulty. She
was boarded, however, by the third officer
and seaman from the steamer, who i'm
mediately went aloft into the foretop, and
finding no one. went into the forecastle,
where they discovered weak, enact
patcd man, who exclaimed, as he saw
them, "Am | saved p He was lifted in
to the boat and taken to the steamer, the
ouly article brought with him being a
small canvas bag. containing a nautical
almanac and vial enclosing 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.' 3l3 tons register, of San
francisco, bound to Calloa, with cargo
of lumber. The survivor was Captain
Luder Hopken, the last of twelve per.
sons on board at the time of the disaster
All others, crew and passengers, had
died from privation. The captain, who
had been a man of two hundred and
thirty five pounds, was found an ENACT
pated skeleton, when discovered in the
forecastle of his wrecked ship. weighing
less than one hundred and twenty
pounds. The suferings he endured for
over three months cannot be told he lit
orally subsisted on bis own fat, as he
had nothing to eat. His providential
rescue came at the last moment, for it is
believed it was his intention to end his
suferinss the same day by taking vitroil
aud ink.
The brig was caught in cyclone on
the night of July 3, the same date as 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 filling. and in order to pre-
vent total loss of the vessel and her
company, her main-mast was cut away,
and she rightcd. No time was allowed
to save any provisions or clothing from
the cabin, and the crew were obliged to
retreat to the foretop to prevent being
washed overheard, as every wave made
clean breach over her. The mate, Mr..
johnson, died the first six days after the
disaster. Two half barrels of salmon, a
half barrel of tongues. and box Of
China starch were fished up out of the
hold, but the drinking water was all
found to be brackish. The Salmon,
tongues, starch, and a few fish caught
with hook from time to time, and oc-
casionally little rain water caught in a
sail, and always more or less brackish
from the salt spray, were all that the
ships company had to subsist on.
Captain Hopken's account of the suf-
ferings of his men and passengers is a
most heartrending one. After the death
of the mate, the 9th of July, none occur
red till September 9th, when they began
to become delireous and weak from hun.
ger and thirst, and several died OF jumped
overheard in their delirium Boiles and
disease, induced by hunger and salt
water, added to the intensity of their
sufferings.
Nine or ten days befor the steamer
rescue d him, Captain Hopken states that
barque ran down to the wreck, hove
to for few minutes anc then squared
away without sending off boats or making
any effort to rescue the lives Of those on
board, of whom there were eight living
The barque came so near that persons
could be seen moving about her deck
Those on the brig were so weak as to be
unable to stand, but got ON their knees
and waved pieces of sailcloth, hoping tc
attract attention Their feelings as they
saw the barque square away, when 81
near them. may better be imagined thar
described. Their last hope being gone
they lay down, one after another, ant
died or leaned overheard. The barou