The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-01-18
Lost jn MageUdn's Straits.

Lost in MageiJdn'S Straits.
One might look all the world over with
out finding coast more bleak, desolate
! and lEhospitable than that of Terra del
| tuego, and the southern part of Patagonia.
| Owing to certain meteoroloei ical causes, The
| cold is comparatively greater in the south
ern than in the northern latitude icebergs
| are found ten degrees nearer to the equa: or.
| In the Straits OF Mage Han, which are about
| the same distance from the equator as cen
tral England, the cold in winter is SO in-
| tense rs to be almost unbcarable. Here
| icebergs are found floating, and glaciers
! larger in extent than any Switzerland can
| boast Of ; the land is entirely covered with
| snow, down to the water S edge, while bit
ter. piercing winds rush down the clefts in
! the mountains, carrying everything before
! them, and even tearing up huge trees in
/ their passage. Not a pleasant coast this
on which to be cast away and yet such,
| Ill 1867, was the fate of two unfortunate
J men who formed part Of the crew Of her
mapSty's ship Chanticleer then on the
! Pacific station !; and an account Of whose
! sutferlngs we propose to lay before our
! readers.
One day early in September a sailing
party had been sent oft with the hope Of
increasing the ships stock Of provisions by
! the addition OF fresh fish, which is here very
: abundant. The nets soon became so heavy
! that extra hands were required to haul
| them and, as there appeared even then
| little chance OF the work being over before
sunset, the fishing party obtained peymis-
sion to spend the night on shore. Tents
we're pitched, huge fires were lighted, with
the double object of aifording warmth and
cooking some of the produce of their sue
| ceSsful expedition blankets were diStTib-
uted, grog was served out, and altogether
| the party seemed determined to defy the
| cold, showing disposition 70 be Jolly in
| spite Of it that would have gladdened the
soul of the immortal Mark Tapler. How
| ever, after all these preparations 10 keep off
the effects of the biting frost, they were
compelled about nine O'Clock in tue even
| ing to send off to the ship for mOre blankets
! and provisions.
Two sailors, Henty and Riddles, volun-
! teered to go On the errand in the ''dingy"
! "a small two-cared boat, and having Oh
| tanned the desired things, they started to
/ return but when about midway between
| the ship and the shore the wiuG began 70
! rise, carrying the boat to some extent out
| of her course, shortly after which she Tuck
| on a sandbank, and in trying 10 get her OF
! one Of the oars was lost. Soon jhPN were
| Giifted out into the strong current. Ii was
now dark as pitch the wind continued TO
rise, and although all through the night
/ InPN uldue every DDSSlblc tlAOIb 10 lHsttll iLt
shore, when morning dawned To their alarm
| they found themselves miles away from the
! ship, and pOwerleSs TO contend any longer
| with their one oar against the force OF bo b
wind and tide. They were finally driven
on to the beach in bay opposite Port
Famine, spot not less dreary than its
| name.
The sea was so rough that here for day
| and a night our two men were compelled to
| remain and when on the second day they
ventured to launch the boat, il was upset :;
nearly all their things were lost, and they
! were left to endure the intense cold with
out the means of making fire, with no
clothes but those they wore, and scarcely
any food. For while they walked about
! trying not very successfully to keep up cir
! culatiou and by-apd by the feet of both
! began to swell and grow so painful that it
| was no longer possible to keep on their
| shoes. Still although suffering both from
| hunger anu cold (Henty's toes being al
ready frost bittcn,) they kept mp their spir-
! It's in true British fashion, not for a minute
| doubling that sooner or later they would
| be picked up and true enough, on the
| fourth day the Chanticleer was seen in the
distance under weight, and standing over
toward them. Taking the most prominent
| position that could be found, they made
| signs and tried in every possible way 10
attract attention, but in vain. Ii they had
only possessed some means OF kindllng
fire, they might have succeeded but al
| though those on beard were atthe moment
| Oh the lookout for their lost messmates. no
one saw them; and the hope with which the
| two poor fellows had buOyed themselves
| up faded away as the ship changed her
course, grew smaller and smaller, aud by
and by, late in the afternoon, while they
still watched, altogether disappeared.
Although now their only chance OF res
cue was apparently gone, and the last scrap
of food was consumed, yet the brave fei-
lows did not despair Their boat was very
| leaky but on the 5th of September, hav-
! ing repaired her as far as possible, they
| took advantage of finer weather to endsav
| or to reach some spot where there would
be more probability of getting rescued by
passing ship, but they had scarcely got
! half way across the straits before there was
| a terrific snow storm 1t blew gate the
boat began to fill rapidly; and finally they
were blown back again into the bay, upset
| i'm the surf and nearly drowned, being uua-
BILE to swim through having lost the use of
their legs from sitting So long III water
| However, they were thrown up by the
! waves high though by no means dry, and
in this miserable plight and under n pitiiess
snow storm, they were forced To remain All
| through the night. The next day they
/ managed to eject Something ~ the ESfm "