The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-05-22
PICKED UP IN MID-0CEAN.
AN ESCAPED CONJICT RESCrED by AN
AMERICAN VESSELS CREW.
Floating on Frnii Ran aud Followed by
school of sharks-Tcn Days AHont-Two
Companions Lost aud lie Ready 10 Perish.


school of Shnrks-Tcn Days Ahont-Two
Companions Lost aud lie Kendy TO Perish.
Monday, the nth Of February, was dark.
rainy day in the South Atlantic Ocean. The
schooner Carrie +. Long of stockton. Me- on
her voyage from Buenos Ayres TO New York.
had reached Il point just south OF the equator
and about two hundred miles from the Brazil
ian coast. Nothing wns to be seen in any dircc-
ton when all at once the lookout shouted out
A sal!" At the same instant husky cry was
heard by tho scamcn on tho deck. All looked
I'm the direction whence the cry came. and
laughed ut tho lookout for his announcement
that sail WIS in sight. All that was to be seen
was nm uneven mass OF bamboo. not ten feet
square. in the middle Of which n hnlf-nakcd
black man was knccng upon n box. The only
sail visible was n shirt discolored with sea
water. which was flying from slender bamboo
pole. Beside the man was n rusty Kerosene
can; in his hand rude paddle which he used
10 support his feeblo body ms he raised himself
TO shout for help The rnit WINS SO narrow and
So low ia tho water that every slight wavn rolled
over II from stem To- storm. The man shouted
inressnntly. but now and then the sound died
away in his throat and the hearers only knew
that he had shouted 10y the cOnvulsivc action OF
his mouth and chin.
A boat WIS lowered from the Carrie f. Long
and made its way toward the raft. The man
continued to shout. although rescue was so
Nigh us cries were not intelligihle, but IT
As the boat ncarod the raft one Of tho sailors
pushed OF again with nm exclamation The
man on the rHft uttered scream of despair.
What did you do that for 2" the mate asked.
me onendlng sailor made no reply but point
the others saw three or four immense sharks
swimming lcisurely there. Now and then one
would thrust its nose between the light bnmboos
Ms II To pry them apart More than once the
open mouth of one could be- seen raising itself
over ne t2p.of q" ran within II yard Of the oc-
the raft ptuSpU Ia shout md gppmpl tD lpppulp
dumb with terror
Again approaching the raft. tho rcscucrs this
| time secured II to the boat and transferred its
| single passenger to thcir own craft. No sooner
| had he touched the ships deck than his
| strength. sprung from excitement and the in.
stinrt OF self preservation. abandoned him. and
| he fell unconscious. As he lay on tho deck
| II could he seen that the sores on his body had
| been made 10y the continued wetting with salt
| water. Crystals of the salt were visible on the
| raw edges ~ the wounds. The body was cma.
| cated and the bones ut the joints seemed rs II
| about TO thrust themselves through tile skin.
| The ord mary black hue Of his skin was turned
| dirty drab. His tongue. swollen to unnatural
| size. hung half out of his mouth and the wonder
| was that he could have uttered single sound.
| After he was aroused. he could only gasp mar
| ticulate means and pointtoh.s mouth Tor water.
IL was nearly week before his apuc.
ttc, and with 1t his strength. returned
50 that he could bo questioned There was not
| Portuguese scholar on board the Carrie l..
Long, although one OF the crew knew a little
of mouth that he told Ms story. liz said Tint
| his name was Manuel Francisco and that be-
| had been al sea ten days whom rescued. Origi-
| nnlly. there were three on the rant. hut one had
| been washed overheard aud dryoured by SHARKS
h.tore his eyes before they were two days out.
| The second died from exhaustion on the fourth
| day. He threw his body 10 the sharks. think
| ing in that way To cause them to quit following
| the raft. hut after they had torn his comrade To
| fragments they only followed him the moro in
| tcntly. He dared not sleep, for fear 81 walking
ON me rht mt thor opfn lqws. water gave
| the loss Of sleep. His only food was bread,
| which had become musty from long conilne-
mcnt In tho Kerosene can. and the eating ~
| which consequently only added To- his thirst
without satisfying his hunger His suilerin.s
| became So intense that he was about 10 cnst
| himself TO tho sharks when the Carrie l.. Long
Where did be come from and what was he
| dong ON the rattf Francisco failed To answer
! this question satisfactorily He insisted that
| he had originally sailed from the Brazilian
| coast. but took advantage OF his quest toner's
| Ignorance OF the language to avoid explaining
why he had pnt TO sea on so iran raft The
| measure answered the question. and accounted
| Tor his unwillingn"ss 20 b" moro definite. In il
was "A magistrates commitment pf "a ieion. trr-
| sumuhy Francisco, 20 eight years penal servi-
| iud" ior some small THEFT. The date OF the
s sorI, showed tnnt M prson"r ha
! 81 Fernando Noronha. situated three degrees
below tho equator and about 400 miles from the
| main coast. WAS within a few hundred miirs
| from whore Francisco was picked up. and u
| was con"turcd that he had escaped
nrmed when tho Carrie +. Long arrived
| at Mntanlns and the customs officer came on
| board As aoOn ms the accents OF the Spanish
tongue iei on his ear; Francisco ran below and
| cvlncrd great fear OF recputure. ON hearing
! his story aud reading the commitment tho
| Brnzlllan agent at that port wanted 10 hold
| francisco until the Governor OF Fernando
| Nuronha had been communicated with. But
| Capt Park put his foot down at ;his and de-
| clared that franclsco should not be removed
| from the vessel. The agent did not press his
| claim and FrHncisro arrived in this city on the
| Carrie J.. Long ON Monday might. On the
voyage he made himself useful serving "a Il
seaman. The sailors called him Monday be-
| cause he WAS rescued IN that day.
| When the writer saw him yesterday he saw
| stout. healthy man, with nothing in his smil-
| ing face to indicate the horrors he had passed
| through. He is thorough black. with the
| crisp, curling hair peculiar TO the inhabitants
| OF hot countries. He seems Intelligent. and
| rather ashamed that he can speak no Language
| but what he calls " Brazilian"