Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-11-06
Skeleton of the Wreck

While Sir Michael Seymour was in
the command of the Amethyst frigate,
and was cruising in the Bay of Biscay,
the wreck of a merchant ship drove
past. Her deck was just above water,
her lower mast alone standing. Not
soul could be seen on board, but there
was clubhouse on deck, which had the
appearance of having been recently
patched with old canvas and tarpaulin,
as Ii TO afford shelter to some forlorn
remnant of the crew. Ii blew at this
time a strong gale; but Sir Michael,
listening only to the dictates of human
ity, ordered the ship to be put about,
and sent OF a boat with instructions to
board the wreck, and ascertain whether
there were any surviving, whom the
help of his fellow-man might save from
the grasp of death. The boat rowed
towards the drifting mass, and, while
struggling with the difficulty of getting
through high running sea close along
side, the crew shouting all the time as
loud as they could, an object resembling
i'm appearance bundle of clothes, was
observed to roll oat Of the clubhouse
against the lee-shrouds of the mast.
With the end of boat-hook they man
aged 10 get hold of it, and had hauled it
into the boat when it proved to be the
trunk of a man, bent head and knees
together, and so wasted away as scarce
ly 10 be felt within the ample clothes
which had once fitted it when IN a state
of life and strength. The boats crew
fastened back to the Amethyst with
this remnant of mortality; and so small
was it in bulk, that a lad of fourteen
years of age was able with his own
hands to lift it into the ship. When
placed on deck, it showed for the first
time, TO the astonishpent of all, signs
of remaining life; he tried to move and
the next moment uttered in hollow,
sepulchral tone: "Tbere is another
man - The instant these words were
heard, Sir Michael ordered the boat to
shove off again for the wreck. The sea
DOW DCNtihC cuAbOlbtis lAiCN suO
ceeded this time in boarding the wreck
and on looking into the clubhouse, they
found two other human bodies wasted,
like the one they had saved, to the very
bones, but without the least spark Of
life remaining. They were sitting in
shrunk up posture-a hand of one
resting on tin-pot, in which there was
about gill of water, and hand of the
other reaching to the deck, as if to re-
gain bit of salt beef about the size of
walnut which had slipped from his
nervous grasp. Unfortunate men,
They had lived on their scanty store
till they had not strength remaining TO
lift the last morsel to their mouths !!
The boats crew having completed their
melancholy survey, returned on board,
where they found the attention of the
ships company engrossed by the efforts
made to preserve the generous skeleton
who seemed just TO have life enough TO
breathe the remembrance, that there
was still "another man, his companion
in suffering to be saved. Captain Sey-
mour committed him to the special
charge of the surgeon, who spared no
means which humanity or skill would
suggest to achieve the noble object Of
creating anew as it were, a fellow-crea-
ture, whom famine had stripped of
almost every energy. For three weeks
he scarcely ever left his patient, giving
him nourishment with his own hand
every five or ten minutes; and at the
end of three weeks more, the skeleton
of the wreck" was seen walking on the
deck of the Amethyst; and to the sur
prise of all who recollected that he had
been lifted into the ship by cabin boy,
presented the stately figure of man
nearly six feet high.
! 1 seems that death from hunger oc-