Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1873-01-30

SGIN6 puL W 1lSllI tl1O GloooiOA wy
There's nothing calm but Heaven!
A FamiShed Crew Subsistins on
Human Flesh.
One Of the most extraordinary in
stances of human privation on record,
and calamity that has rarely been
euualled in the history of maritime
disaster, has been brought to light
through Mr.. John Saville, first officer
of the American ship Golden Hind
VINO reached New Orleans, from Rio
de Janeiro, on Tuesday. The New
Orleans Times says:
The wreck of the ship Golden Hind
has already been recorded, but the
unparalleled suferings Of the portion
Of her crew who vet survive we be-
ieve has never yet been made public.
In long interview yesterday, Mr..
Saville detailed all the fearful par
ticulars, and we give the frightful
story in his own words.
The American snip Col len Hind,
Captain Benjamin F. Robbins left
New York on the 18th of February
on a voyage to San Francisco. When
in latitude Of st. Catharines we
experienced a series Of heavy westerly
gales, which continued for nearly a
month with great violence. On the
18th of June last, when on the west
side of Patagonia, and, d,at the Pacific
entrance to The Straits of Magellani
the pintals and gudgeons Of the rud-
der gave way and it Hoated off. Three
days were consumed in constructing
temporary one of spare spars. 1t
lasted about a week, but in another
heav- gale this was also carried away,
and we drifted. at the mercy of the
winds. On the second day after this
last disaster, the Golden Hind struck
between two rocks, one forward and
one aft, ON the western coast of Pata-
gonia. Three boats were hurriedly
prepared, the men put on extra suits
Of clothes, laid in a small quantity Of
provisions, and at seven o'clock that
evening lowered away. In the hurry
Of departure nearly all of our. nauti-
cal instruments were left on board,
and, in fact, many articles absolutely
necessary. There were three boats
lowered, The first under the command
Of Captain Robbins, the second COM
manded by myself, and the third in
charge of Mr.. Webb, the second mate.
Each contained seven men. Mr..
Webb asserting that he knew the sit
uation better than we did, parted
company almost Immediately, and it
being then quite dark, We lay under
the lee of the land until morning.
The sea at the time we left the ship
was breaking over her foreyard, and
during the night she beat to pieces
on the rocks.
The next morning the last vestige
Of the Golden Hind had disappeared,
and search, which continued two
days, was made for the other boat,
but no trace Of her could be seen.
We had long ere this concluded that
she was swamped, and that her entire
crew were drowned. Upon exami-
nation it was found that we had q
small box and a bag of hard bread,
the latter soaked with sea water,
about twenty cans of beef, little tea
and coffee. An allowance of one
cracker to each man and one can Of
beef to fourteen was at first issued,
but this speedily decreased to half a
cracker, and finally we did not taste
meat more than once a week.
A few days after We left the wreck
the captains boat was swamped, and
We lost our compass, the only instru-
ment we had, and a aquantity OF pro,
visions. An attempt was made to
reach Sandy Point, a Chilian convict
settlement, aud the coaling station Of
the Pacific mail steamers, about two
thirds the way through the Straits Of
Magellan, but our course could only
be determined by the sun and stars.
1t was then mid Winter, the noun
tains along the coast were covered
with snow 49, ice, and the mercury
must have been several degrees be-
low zero. We pulled close to land,
working all night in fair weather, and
during heavy blow landing and 60
ing into camp. There was plenty of
scrub trees along the coast, and as we
were provided with two hatchets and
a good supply of matches, a fire was
always to be procured. During these
visits we secured quite good supply
of shell-fsh, resembling the muscle,
but we found that this diet brought
on constipation, and the entire party
became unwell.
For about twenty days the men
held out admirably, but,in the bitter
cold number were frost bitten, and
our legs and feet were terribly swol-
len. On going into camp we con-
structed tent of the boats sail and
a mizzen-royal sail with the oars. A
fire was built in the centre, and the
fourteen men sat around it the night
through. We suffered terribly from
loss of sleep, as no one dared to re-
main away from the fire for fear Of
freezing to death, and the tent was
too small, to hold all in reclining
position. At the end of the twenti-
eth day the general debility from in
sufficient food and the extreme pain
in our limbs rendered the progress
slow, and very often we camped for
several DAYS at time. The allow
auce of bread had been reduced to a
quarter OF a cracker day, and very
often the men did without for day
or two togetn r to help out the sup
ply. Their conduct throughout the