Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1876-04-27
A story OH sho heA.
THE WRECK or THE s1RATRhoRE-eII NoN1Hs
ON A DEsoLATk LELAND.

THE WRECK or THE s1RATRMoRE--eII MONTHS
ON DEsoLATE LELAND.
Correspondence Of the csy'on Timss
The Sirdthmore, q. new ship, one OF the
finest ever launched in England, sailed
about April last, with smigrants for Ots-
60. New Zealand. Eighty souls
were Oh board, and she had never been
heard Of to the hour when wired you.
When l WAS ut home her loss was much DIS
GUESSED at Lloyd's. being the third ine Aus
traliAn liner lost In short period, and the
rates OF insurance to Australia rose. The
Sirattmore, when out seventy-five days,
ran on the rocks At night, on group known
W the Twelve Apostles, in the Crozct
group. Aout forty-fonr persons were
drowned. The remsining forty
four lived seven months on this bar
rem island, which fortunately had Que good
spring on its summit. They lived on sea
birds and their eggs Several vessels came
near them during the seven months, but
the wrecked people failed to attract their
attention. When saved by the American
whaler they were In destitute and ema-
cisted condition, and scarcely had rag On
them. The Sierra Morena, which took hxIf
the saved from the American vessel. arriv-
cd here to-day, bound to Kurrachee with
railway material. According to last &C.
counts twenty-four more were Oh the whal-
or. The second mate Of the Strath,nore aud
the captain OF the vessel that rescued them
, came ashore first. Forty nine people were
saved. Fivs died on tiA,A.,.lAnR three from
having been frost-bittsn in the fest and
their toes r0tting OF with modification. The
captain and chief officer were drowned
Those saved lived for six months and TWEEN
ty-one days on sea birds and kind Of wosd
like the top OF carrot growing on the is
lsnd, which WAS one and a half miles long.
Half Of 1t wss perfectly bare rock, the other
half was covered with rank grass. Their
fuel for cooking was the feathers OF the
birds. few matches we're saved, and they
kept lamp perpetually burning with oil
expressed from the birds as fuel for the
lamp. Nothing hardly was saved from tho
wreck. The bosts they escaped in were lost
the tirst night. the rocks being perpendicu-
lar and no beach to hesve them upon.
Mr.. Allsn, the second mate Of the Sirah
more, says that a thick fog prevailed on
June 80, and Capt. Macdonald ordered a
sharp lookout to be kept for Crozet Island.
The log Was constantly thrown. At mid
night there was cry Of "breakers ahead p
and the ship struck on the Twelve Apostles
group OF rocks. She soon began 10 settle
down, and boats were made ready for
launching. One boat with eighteen per.
sons in it, including Mrs. Wordsworth, WAS
hoated from the deck by heavy wave, and
miraculOusly kept in an upright position.
About twenty Of the passengers and crew
assembled iu mizzentop. The fore part OF
the vessel was still above water and stuck
on the rock, and here the survivors clus-
tered and waited till daylight, when it was
found that the ship was wedged between
perpendicular cliffs OF rock hundreds OF
feet high and nthar pniutn ~ n dim ~, l;L.,
so many needles. Seven or eight got into
the gig under the charge of the second
mate, who said he would return and take
on the rest il he succeeded in finding q
landing place. He found to his astonlsb-
ment that the boat with eighteen on board,
which had been washed away during the
night, was knocking about half full Of wa
ter. The one boat took the other in tow
and succeeded in reaching the rocks, up
which the shipwrecked persons managed
to scramble. Those left on board were
saved in like manner, but two days elapsed
before their rescue was accomplished. Some
matches. spirits and biscuits we're all that
could be saved. The biscuits were given
to Mrs. Wordsworth AZ she could not eat
the rank BIRDS flesh. A case Of confection-
cry was much priced, a. the tins became
handy for boiling binds in. After q few
days on the island the boats were dashed
to pieces on the rocks aud lost This was q
great misfortune, ~ no more visits could be
paid to the wreck. The tirewood lasted =
month, after which substitute WAS found
in the birds skins. Five deaths took place
on the leland. The corpses were not stifY
but remained as pliable when buried as
when in life. Tho first death was on July
z; the next, that Of Thomas Henderson, in
September the next in October, the next
that OF William HUI band, and the last lit