Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-01-28
Suffering at Sea Wonderful Presersa-
lion.


steamer foundered in the Bay OF Biscay,
and were taken to Gibralter, arrived at
Southampton Dec. "a, in the PENN
sular 81 Oriental steamship Cathay,
which brought them home from that
port, where they had meantime been in
lowing narrative of the sufferings en-
dured by them and their narrow escape
from death is taken from the Gibr<er
Chronicle:
On Sunday morning, the 29th when
it became evident that the La Plata must
founder, the fires being extinguished and
the water rapidly rising in the hold, two
of the life-boa on deck, one on the
port and the other on the starboard side,
were manned by some of the officers and
crew, in the expectation that when the
ship sank beneath them the boats would
be left fioating-this was really the case
with one of the boats-but just as the
ship was on the point of sinking a
heavy sea washed over her, broke up the
other boat, in which fifteen men, includ
ing Lamont and Hooper, were sitting,
and washed the whole of the boats
crew overheard. Lamont and Hooper
had just risen to the surface when
the ship took her final plunge,
and they were drawn down again
by the suction. On coming up
the second time they saw floating
close TO them the damaged air-raft, which
they contrived to get hold of. This raft
was made Of compartments filled with
air, and joined by canvas band, form
ing a seat Seated on this band, they
were in a sort Of trough and the water
came up to their waists, their bodies be-
low the waist getting gradually be-
numbed. Their only hope of escaping a
lingering death lay in their being OBJ
served by some passing ship, and this
chance seemed small indeed; for to
any ship not passing quite close they
would have been u tiny, dark speck on
the water, invisible unless when just on
the crest Of q wave, and then only visible
by the aid of telescope. The sea was
continually washing over them, and I'M
less they had been of strong vitality and
sound physique they could hardly have
lived through the three days until their
final rescue. During the Sunday, the
first day Of their suffering their anxious
eyes could only discover one passing
ship, and she passed.much too far off to
see them. On Monday there was q strong
breeze and q nasty sea, but the weather
was fine. Several ships passed at a dis
lance. These they could plainly see,
but by none of them could they hope
TO be seen. Tuesday was calm dur
ing the greater part Of the day,
and their hopes of safety were
raised by seeing q three-masted
schooner, which passed within half a
mile Of them. They shouted with all their
might, and thought they must be heard,
but the schooner sailed on The cry of
distress was not heard nor the dark speck
on the water observed Toward Tuesday
evening the breeze freShened and it con
tinued 10 blow hard during the night.
The men were exhausted, and in the con-
flict between wearied nature and hopes
Of life they sank into state between
sleeping and waking, doing for min
ute or two, and then suddenly starting
again into consciousness. About four
o'clock on Wednesday morning the one
who was in his waking moment saw
through the darkness the loom of a YES
sci bearing down upon them, and imme-
diately reused his companion. The YES
sci rapidly approached and came within
100 yards of them. With all the strength
that was left to them they uttered their
cry for assistance, and after few sec
onds' interval q bright light told their cry
had been heard and was answered. For
two hours the light beamed like a beacon
of safety before their eyes, but just be-
fore dawn it disappeared and when day
broke no ship was anywhere to be seen.
Hope was fast given way to despair
when, about two hours after daylight,
the missing vessel bore down toward
them. This was the Dutch schooner
Wilhelm BenklezOOn. The master, when
he heard the cry of distress, had imme-
diately brought his ship to, and lay-to till
the morning. In the meantime the
shipWrecked men on the air-raft had
drifted to leeward. When the master
of the Wilhelm Benklezoon found at day
light that nothing could be seen, he con-
jectured from the force and direction of
the wind the point to which any floating
wreck or boat would have dritted and
bore down in that direction. But the
sea was running SO high that the master
of the little schooner dared neither to
lower boat nor bring his vessel along
side the raft. He feared in the first
case that he should uselessly sacrifice
his own men without rescuing the others
and in the latter case his vessel would
swamp the raft He therefore beckoned
to the two men to quit the raft and swim
to the schooner. Thoroughly exhausted
by their three days exposure they mis-
trusted their powers of swimming even
this short distance, but it was their only
hope. Lamont, the boatswain. first made