The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-11-07
a9sGtsceI1atrepi1s.
TWELVE DAYS WITHOUT FOOD.

A IIyInR Skeleton Found on Board the City OF
Ohs1tsr-The SufIerlBgS Of James DOnnsllI In
AIiVlng Tomb
The New York Times elaborates
startling item of news which has already
been given by telegraph.
A shocking sight was witnessed on
board the steamship City Of Chester OF
the Inman line last Friday. The ship
reached her pier at the foot of Charlton
street, New York, Friday Morning, on
her arrival from Liverpool, and in the
afternoon was put into the hands OF the
stevedores for the purpose OF unloading
1t took a long time for the men employ
ed to clear away a mass of rubbage lett
in tie steerage by the passengers, and 1t
was $50 o'clock before they were ready
to open the main hatch between the
steerage deck and the orlop. When they
raised that hatch sight met their eyes
that made most of them quail, and sew
eral of them ran away in fear. lmme,
diately under it lay the emaciated and
barely living skeleton of a starved man,
who had been penned in there without
food or drink during the entire time oc'
Cupied by the ship in making her pas
sage. When struck by the fresh air the
skeleton exclaimed, in feeble voice,
"My God" The frightened stevedores
rap in all directions. Some officers OF
the ship ordered a stretcher and had the
man raised to the main deck and placed
alongside the mainmast. There the
fresh air again revived him, and he said,
in answer to several questions, James
Dohnelly." He again became insensible,
and seemed likely to die at any moment
The ship surgeon was not aboard, ana
the surgeon Of the City of Richmond Dr.
Oore, was summoned. When he reached
the man he was a most pitiable object
His flesh was all gone, his skin was
shriveled, his eyes closed, lips parched,
and his tongue lolling out His whole
body was covered with black and blue
sores, the result of the poundings it had
got in its helpless state by rolling about
In the movements of the ship. DIR, Dore
sent for brandy, broken Ice, port wine,
milk, and beef tea. He placed some
small pieces of ice on the poor fellows
tongue, and he did his best to take into
his mouth and MUNICH them, but had not
the strength. Small quantities of brandy
and milk, and port wine, and some beef
tea were afterward administered to MIN,
aud he revived little. In fact his
strength became sufficient to allow him
to speak few words. From these 1t was
lesTned that his name was James Dom
nelly, that he was riveter by trade, be-
longsd to Dunbarton, Scotland, and had
gone aboard and into the hold while
drunk before the ship had left the Eng
lish port, and, falling asleep beneath the
hatch, was fastened in there. The City
Chichester left the Alfred docks, at Dirk
enhead, on the morning of Monday, the
23d ult She anchored in the Mersey till
Tuesday noon, when she proceeded on
her voyage, which occupied altogether
I2 DAYS. When the steamer left her
dock the orlop deck was very closely
hacked with merchandise of all kinds
Immediately under the main hatch was
leftaspace of about 15 feet This was
walled closely to the hatch by large
boxes, making escape impossible in any
side direction. When the hatch was
closed down the space became dark and
horribly close. After the hatch was
closed and fastened, some five tons OF
rope and q quantity of merchandise was
placed over and above it. On the day
before the ship left Donnelly found his
Way aboard and down the hatch to the
orion deck. He was under the influence
of liduor, and had bottle of whisky in
his pocket. He tell asleep during his
drunkenness, was not noticed and was
imprisoned by the shutting down OF the
hatch When he awoke from his spree
the ship was rolling upon the sea. Do
what he could he could not escape from
bis small, dark, and sitting prison, and
no human lungs were ever strong enough
to make a man heard beyond the place,
He had to settle desperately down to a
long voyage, with the most terrible pros
poets and thoughts, and nothing to sub
sist on but a email bottle of whisky.
While yet comparatively strong, he cod
brace himself against the rolling of the
ship. but when hunger and thirst wasted
away all his strength, he was left help.
less mass to be tossed about and bruised
like cork.
After Donnelly was slightly revived
by DR.. Dores treatment, he pressed his
hands upon his stomach in feeble at
tempts to stop the cravings which he vas
too weak to satisfy even in the midst OF
abundance. He could swallow nothing
substantial, his stomach rejecting it in
stantlv. An ambulance was summoned,
and the poor fellow was carefully re-
moved to Bellevue Hospital, where he
arrived in very preCarious condition
Doubts are entertained Of his recovery.
The officers of the steamship pro-
nonnce the case the most extraordinary
and distressing that ever came under
their notice. They believe that Dom
nellys story about his accidental impris.
onment is true. They say he was by no
means "stowawsy," as all stowaways
90 aboard ships provided with food
Two such were found in other parts Of
the vessel, and we're dragged out and put
to work. No one but drunken man OF
lunatiC would have selected the place
in which Donnelly was found to steal q
passage in, as it was, when the hatch was
fastened down, a perfect living tomb
from which all escape was absolutely i'm.
i 4 81, ont1VA nni6