Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1872-10-17
HORRORS OF THE SEA.
A Terrible Shipaoreck- Discovery Of an
Abandoned Vessel at Sea- The Cre,o
Starred to Death.

A Terrible Shipwreck- Discovery of an
Abandoned Vessel at Sea- The Creo
Starred to Decth.
Mr.. James Dugan. who arrived in New
York from Sydney Cape Breton the osb
er day. gives the following additional par.
ticulars OF the disaster heretofore reported
| of the wrecked brig, which the schoone.
LancasterCin which Mr.. Dugan was 8
passenger came up with and boarded Oh
| Thursday, the 18th of September.
On the night Of the 18th ultimo
strong headwind prevailed At different
periods the captains attention was drawn
to mysterious object. now off the port
and now of the starboard bow. The
look outs we're continually reporting the
black hull that kept in sight all the time,
until the captain gave his opinion that
the object seen ahead was dismasted and
deserted vessel.
Just after dawn the unknown object
hove in sight again, bat none of those on
watch could distinctly make out what it
was. The ycaptain. however. sa.iaiqd;
himself that it was sr abandoned weasel.
While at breakfast, the second mate, Mr.
Prior, hurried into the CABIN, and address,
ing himself to the captain s:sid: "There's
an abandoned hull adrift Of the starboard
quarter, her spsrs ere gone, and size
looks to have been e brig Or brigatine."
Soon after Captin Martin weat on deck
the hull Of large craft vas plainly dis
cernable off the starboard quarter about
two points to the northward That the
dismasted vessel had been deserted there
was no question as the heavy mass was
being tossed about like log. The cap
tain gave orders to bear away for the
wreck, anu at midday the schooner Lam
caster was broadside of the abandoned
vessel.
On boarding it a dismal sight present
ed itself. Splinsered spars, entapgled in
canvass and rigging gear, and The planks
of a beat torn esunder by the Wind and
sea, were scattered around IL SD confu-
sion. MoEs dismal were tho scenes which
further investigation. brought TO light.
Belo# heap Of motley rigging, aid
broken by The weight Of spar which lay
across it, were tie bones Of . human BE-
| ing-a skeleton. I'hs skull and bones
had been crushed alaost CO a ls7el with
the deck. Shre3s of canvas trousers and
Guernsey frock we're found among ard
near the skeletons. A slight covering Of
crisped flesh remained CT forr of the skel.
etons. showing that they het. died nore
recently than the other two. Many of
the utensils Of the galley were found, and
Captain Martain made q strict search
among them to assure himself whetaef
there had been any food on board e. the
| time of the death Of these men. Not
single remaining pct or vessel of any ma
ture in the cooking department of the
| Inflated craft contained the least particle
Of food. THIS discovery seemed to satis-
fly the Captain that all on board had per-
ished from hunger, having failed. after
mouths Of eager expectation and short al
loWance, to meet Win any helping hand.
The spectacle on board the dreary sepul-
chral hull was at least appalling. t.
The hardy sailors themselves seemed
to sicken at the revolving disclosure, and
an ominous silence seemed to have b,el
spontaneously determined on by tLe liv-
lug ones who stood among the skeletons
of the drifting hull. It was ascertained
that the vessel had been .igged brige.
The hull bore no maize on its stern-
post On the bows1rit the word "Gla-
nalvon" was barely legible. In the fore
castle, which Gas almost filed with wa
ter, most unearthly stencil was discov
cred, AID only two men could be found
to erter and remain long enough inside
to report on what they had seen there.
There were two corpses on the floor and
one stretched across bunk These sad
relics were removed on deck, and tie
niue bodies were arranged in line and
covered in canvas by the captain's Or
der. go,
The wheel house had been carried
away, and the fastenings of the rudder
broken. This ss the Captain remarked,
was the work of some tremendous sea.
The foremost had been cut away to save
the vessel from foundering-cne of the
extrem est emergencies in a hurricane at
ea.-The jibboom was gone, and the en-
tire craft, as she then appeared, was the
most complete wreck Captain Martin had
seen " heard of in his nautical experience
of nearly forty years. III.
Entering the cabin 6 fcul odor was
discovered but not intense enough to for
bid a thorough investiga ZION. Toward
the end of the steps leading down to the
cabin fetid pool of water wasseen and
men had to wade through it in order to
reach every portion of the cabin, Between
a stationary table and coach the head Of
a corpse protruded from berth in the
wall. and whea brought OH deck it was
found to be in state of decay. A but
toned jacket of good material blue panta-
looms, flannel shirt, marked IT F."
and one boot covered the corpse. The
chronomuter in the cabin. pointed to II
o'clock, and on the stationary table was
an open Bible turned downward, a re-
volver with two chambers loaded a bot
tie containing a..piece Of paper, upon
which was written, "Jesus guide this to
some helper. Merciful God don't let US
PERISH The words we're detached, and
hiatus occurred between every swo or
three of them, which showed that the
writer must have been either in the low
est stage of debility or driven to madness
by hunger. In the Captains state room
his corpse was found bent on the foor
as though he had fallen from weakness.
while struggling with faint hope to save
himself and men. 90 his bed were scat
tered books. papers. &c, but one sbee.
attracted particular attention. 1t was
dated.
] MAKr1sIeuE, May so. 1872 Dear