The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-01-26
G A S T A W A Y S.
Adrift in Mid-Ocean in an
Open Boat.
A MIRACULOUS RESCUE.
A Thrilling Tale OF Peril and
Suffering.
MIRACULOUS
THE CAPTAINS STATEMENT.


most remarkable in the annals Of the sea The list Of
disasters aud remarkable already TO its credit
Is longer that of any two years OF the last decade
and the record grows The latest addition to this
interesting collection OF romances and tragedies Is
that the loss OF tho bark Nancy Bryson and the SUBJ
sequent of captain and crew after they had
abandoned all hope Of ever sighting land again. Tho
fact that tho Nancy abandoned has already boon
chroniced in HERALD. but nothing was told OF the
manner of the Of her crew. who we're picked up
and brought to Matanzas Cuba, by the American brig
A. G. Pettengill
CAPTAIN DuNcAS's STORY.
Tho captain of tho Nance Bryson, Hugh Duncan
arrived in town yesterday morning from Havana, OF
the steamer City of Vera Cruz, and from HIM HEEALp
reporter obtained detailed statement OF tho last
hours board the i'll fated bark Captain Duncan,
remarkably well read and intelligent man, told his
story with great modesty, and now and then INDUCED
in bits OF description Of remarkable vividncsa AZ
first tho captain did not think that the story
the of sufficient interest TO DO repeated
length, but finally after the formality Of the meet
ing had worn away, he told the yarn after his own
fashion, interrupting the narrative and then with
inquiries what had been happening In the world
since ne LETT Pcrnambuco, the 18th Of last Novcm.
ber
''rHEy SAILED AWAY"
with fair wind and weather." tho Captain began.
1--WE left Pernarnbuco on the afternoon OF November
2s, bound for New York with cargo OF sugar The
numbered eleven all told and the prospect for
quick pa sage very favorable. On the I'd OF De-
cember crossed the Equator In west longitude
81 deg. 10 min, and tho wind blew fair until tho 22d
when it became squaly. During the night OF the I'D
tho wind blew strong, ana II raned before morning,
when tho wind changed iis quarter and an ugly
the weather was unsettled, and on that day
we had stir gale. The barometer fell
to rs. so IN the morning and the Nancy was under
lower :opsails. The gale increased Ia strength
Friday and hove the snip to- under lower main top
SAILS reeied spanker and mizzen staysaiL At noon
had terrible sQnall, which was followed by others
during the afternoon, each moro furious than
predecessor. About shutdown the wind vecred from
southwest TO west and the ship Iaborsd and strained
heavily. In anticipation OF trouble had had the
pump attended to- but al this time the snip was
making any more water than usual say about three
inches in four hours During the cary hours
oil night the began TO rise and by
midnight the most tremendous l ever Witnessed
was running. II was a bright moonlight night and
the rolled IN mountains around US the upper
half OF each wave seemed TO be- oil q different color
from the rest oil the water. Down in the trough OF
the sea Il as black AS ink, with here and there
neck OF sllvery moonlight; but In the waves, the
a / ght bright green color. From tho top of every
wave the wind blew shower OF milk white loan
Once twice one VI these mountains poured down
upon and she ship staggered and reeed
MEN OVERHEARD.
mort .oS md ts from heIow rsm"nau s sa
struck and well nigh tor" the ship 10 pieces. The
shock was SO great that It was some seconds before
recovered and W hen did found that our sarboard
bulwarks anu stancbions had been snapped OF from
the cathead clean ait to the main shrouds. This
also carried away the fore house, boat skids,
casks and everything movable on deck. The
wave that bore all tho debris aloit with
II, and saw four struggling, while tho forco
OF the water spun them around aud tossed Thorn up
like SO many corks. In a moment they were In tho
Of the cea again and the next wave was as clear
as crystal not even splinter OF the wreck IT,
thought the poor fellows had been stunned by being
hit against the tore house, in which they were when
b. Inn of Mas
board " massed all hands the port side, and ropes
were made ready to throw 10 tho men n they APP.
On the next wave. and were making desperate
struggles to reach the ship AS soon as they appeared
a a a aoa' wers saved had
they would all have been lost, for It impossible
At that time to launch boat
'Thc that washed these men on burst the spanke
and the mzzen staysas and the jagged tails Of toru
canvas snapped as loud as rife detonations The
wind howlcd through the rigging and tho Nancy
toycd about like q feather in a gale. Alter
the had been taken below and looked
alter | discovered that further damage had been
done by the wave that swamped u.s. The boats on he
port skds had been stove IN, the port wheel of tho
pump was broken, and tho foremost swiftcn on tho
rigging carried away. Thinking that the
snip might be making water through tho rips, where
the stanch,ons had been torn OUT sent tho carpenter
rips, but In the lower hold the carpenter found water
above the keelsons. Then so. tho ship Leiore tho
wind and manned the pumps
'At about daylight on Saturday morning saw there
was no hope OF saving the ship. SO made masthead
watch, and tho men relieved one another the look
out for some passing vessel When the wind changed
around to the west the mercury In the thermometer
went down about fifteen degrees, and II was bitter
cold. SO that u man could not stay oloft very long,
Shortly after daybrcak l called tho men aft and told
them that the ship badly sprung aud there
hope OF saving her. sent one gang nail sheet lead
over tho holes stove IN the port boats. another 10
got the s,ar a boats ready and another 10
about nine O'Clock A. N. 20 water began TO gain on
tbs pumps rapidly, and boat was lowered, but IT
stove and swamped After this accident tho wafer was
half way up TO the hold beams. When l discovered
this | ordered the men away from the pumps, and all
hands assisted in lowering the last boat Tho ship
hauled to tho wind aud the boat launched IN safety
Az about all ready, and loft the shp 10
latitude "a deg 40 MN north, longitude Is deg. west
OF taking observations The men werc all In the boat.
and had taken about eighty pounds OF bread and
small cask oil water. stood on the dock for moment
took a look around and then stepped into the boat
An inquiry at this point from tho reporter inter-
Eyes, stepped into the boat said the Captain
thc ship low in the water that did not have
to lower myself had Just scrambled into tho stern
OF the boat when rode and were clear Of the
ship Tho men behaved magnhcently, and they
pulled with will from the ship
AfLoAT IN AN OPEN BOAT.
'We were just we'll clear OF her whom she went
down had magn ncent opportunity Of seeing her
go under When the last gallon oil water that Uroko
her balance had been shipped. sea struck her and
she noary went on her beam ends, and showed her
hull almost TO the Keel Then she righted and plunged
head nrst down into tho Hcr main opRallant sail
was the last thing saw. Whom we mounted the next
blliow saw about two acres Of white wake wafer IN
the spot where she went down. There wasn't even
stick OF wood IN IL nothing TO show that snip had
been there. The fcboat was unmanaeeabc. so We
riggod drag oil order 10 keep her head to the
sea. During the afternoon She wind changed again,
and a vexcd Onco twice we
were almost swampcd. During tho night II grew
sill colder and began to ram. never enjoyed
rain SO much In all my liIc. Tho salt water that
drcnched inc was making my body sore and my eyes
weak, almost closed, with salt When tho rain came
l managed to wash my face, and fot much
frcsned atcrward During the night We ate some orthe
bread. II was saturated with salt water, but don't
remember, sir, having eaten such dainty
bit before. When a man is very hungry
you know he's not very ncc, and never
tastcd the salt. During the early hours Of
Sunday morning tho men began 10 give and three
or Tour OF them dropped into the bottom OF the boat
and went TO sleep, warned them that they would DO
frozen stin, but nothing seemed 10 rouse them.
MYSTERIOUS NOISE.
II was now growing light and discovered the cause