Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-09-18
A FLOATING COFFIN.

to meet the ship, and on arriving on
board was informed by the captain that
the crew was down with the scurvy,
and assistance was needed to bring her
into port. Capt Bingham at once re-
turned to the city and ordered twenty
men out to work the ship, and the pow
erfal tug Rescue to tow her in. The
Bremen was for twenty years engaged
as steamer in the line between Bre-
men and New York, but as she con-
sumed too much coal, her owners de-
termined to have her transformed into
clipper ship, the changes being made
in Liverpool, and in January last she
was again ready for sea. The Bremen
registers 5,694 tons. She is in COM
mand of Capt. Lawrence S. Leslie, an
old and experienced commander. On
the 9th of February she sailed from
Liverpool for this port, with cargo Of
coal, the Captain, three mates, carpen-
ter, sailmaker, carpenters mate, three
apprentices, two stowaway boys, one
white ordinary seaman, and thirty-six
colored seamen. She was well pro-
visioned in every respect, and sailed
with every prospect of fair passage.
On the 18th of February six days after
leaving port, the first case Of sickness
was reported to the Captain, the invalid
being Charles Parry, one of the colored
crew, who came aft and complained Of
a chest and thoart. The Captain ex-
amined him and found that his lungs
were completely gone, and gave him
dose of cough pills, which he was una
BILE to swallow. Parry grew worse un-
til Feb. IL, when he told the Captain
that he was feeling easier, but was salts
fed he was going to die. Two days af-
terward Parry tainted IN the arms of his
shipmates. The Captain was sent for,
but on reaching the forecastle Parry's
life was extinct. From this time on
sickness continued to increase among
the crew, although the Captain COM
menced to serve out lime juice On Feb
ruary IA.
At midnight on March 13, the mate
came below and reported to the captain
that the colored crew refused to do duty
that the ringleaders were Black and
Scott, and Scott had threatened to
cut the second mates lip of. The cap
tain armed himself and went on deck,
determined to restore discipline at all
hazards. He found one watch in open
revolt and another of eighteen men
standing by, ready to join the others.
The ringleaders, Black and Scott, gave
insolent answers, and said they would
rot muster The crew were then in
formed of the serious consequences that
would follow from the revolt and in
subordination, The eighteen not on
duty were ordered to stand aside, while
Black and Scott were placed aft and
kept there till A. NJ. AT 8 o'clock
they were put in irons and ordered to
be kept ON bread and water for one
week. The following morning both
men sent word to the captain that they
were sorry for what they had done.
They were brought before the captain
and mate, and after opoligizing and
promising TO do duty were released.
Symptoms of scurvy began to show
in March, and the only cause that can
at present be assigned for so many of
the crew being taken down with it, is
the fault of the sailers Most of them
shipped in Liverpool few days after
their arrival there from New York;
when taken sick they would refuse to
take the vinegar and other medicines
given by the captain, until they were
helpless. They also became demoral-
lied and frightened, as they saw their
numbers decreasing one by one. The
carpenters mate went to bed quite well
at night and the next morning was dead.
Another feature was that as soon as the
ship came out of cold weather into
warm, the black men went down, as
the captain says, like sun flowers. On
the 25th of April the ship was off Cape
Horn, and on the 2Sth April the cap
tain gave orders for fresh messes to be
served out twice a week instead of
twice month. On May 7 the forecas-
tie was disinfected; still the disease con-
tinued and reached an epidemic form
and three-fOurths of the crew were help
less.
On May 21 all the sick men were re-
moved from the forecaste into a improv-
ished hospital on the main deck. The
food consisted of sago, rice, arrowroot.
oatmeal, and fresh meat twice a week.
Alum gargle was given for the mouth,
and port wine and quinine as medicine.
The captain was unremitting in his at
tentions, but all that he did seemed to
be of little avail. The crew were al
lowed to eat as much vegetables as they
liked. The stewart says they often re-
fused to eat the vegetables and several
occasions he told the captain it was use
less to cook any vegetables, as the men
would not eat them. The crew were
paralyzed. Horror was depicted on
their contenances. On June the cap
tain ordered that three times the quan
tity of lime juice be given to the crew
that was required by the act, as he had
an abundance on board; but the men
refused to take advice, and on the goth
of June fourteen of the crew positive
refused to take any lime juice. On his
ohclal log book the captain has an entry
that some penalty should be attached to
seamen who refuse to take lime juice
and eat good pressed vegetables. There
was but little complaint on the part of
the crew as to the food. There was
plenty OF good, fresh Australian NUT
ton, which was served three times q
week, with salt meat aud vegetables.
Only the latter part of the VOYAGE broad