The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-02-14
Horrible Story OF Suffering al Sea

A most horrible account of want and
suffering is narrated by the survivors of
the ship Golden Horn, who recently ar
rived in New Orleans. This vessel, with
a crew of twenty-one officers and men.
left New York for San Francisco last
February. A stormy passage was en-
dured nearly through the month of
March, but the vessel weathered il well
until it reached the Pacific entrance of
the Straits of Magellan. Here the sea
broke the rudder from its fastenings and
carried it away. Another steering appar-
atus made of spare spars lasted few
DAYS, when that too was lost. The YES
sci was then in sight of the rocky inhos-
pitable coast of Patagonia, against which
It soon struck. There was little time for
preparation, but three life boats were
let down, the compass, guns and ammu-
milton and small quantity of provisions
put on board, and the crew were divided
equally among the boats. On the first
day, one boat, i'll charge of the second
mate, was capsized and all on board per-
ished After few days the boat under
the captains charge was swamped, and
the crew, together with the captain,
went to the bottom. Seven men were
now all that remained. 1t was in June,
which answers TO our mid-winter. There
seemed to be no place for landing, and
there was no hope of obtaining food in
case they could land. They had n small
bag of crackers soaked with salt water,
twenty cans of beef anda little tea, coffee
and tobacco. The survivors were put on
an allowance of one cracker n day TO
each man, and can of beef for the
whole number; but as the store grew
lower, half cracker per day, and can
of beef once week was the full allow
ance. They hoped by sailing north, find
in their way only by the aid of the sun
and stars, to reach Sandy Point, III the
Southern part of Chill. But when their
stock OF food was SO reduced that the
men had only quarter of cracker
day, they had no strength to mango their
boat they therefore, landed, built
shelter of sticks, over which they
stretched the sail of their boat, built q
fire, and prepared for the worst. The
camp was so small that they could not
lie down in it, and 10 remain out of doors
long was To perish with cold. Soon they
began TO be sick, first one then another
their limbs swelled SO that they could
not wear their clothing in the ordinary
manner, and were obliged to wrap them
about their legs and arms. Soon the
carpenter of the party died, and as they
could not dig Il grave they carried him
into the bushes and laid him down. Soon
three others died and were placed by
their late companion. Their crackers
were all gone. Some one brought some
shell fish from the shore, but they proved
to be unwholesome. At length, the man
who acted as steward went out into the
bushes and returned with slices of meat
Every one knew whence they came, but
they roasted them on the Goals and eat
them i'll silence. Nearly all of the last
body was gone, when schooner hove i'll
sight, and one man dragged himself TO
the top of cliff and waved an inverted
flag. The signal was answered by the
schooner, which proved to be seal
fisher from the Falkland Islands. The
famished men were taken on board and
carried to Sandy Point, where the CHILEAN
Government provided for their wants.
The Z. 5. sloop of war, Ossihee, soon
came into port, took the men to Rio
Janeiro, from whence they were sent to
New Orleans.