The Northern Pacific farmer., 1880-03-25
PERILs OF THE SEX.

PERILS OF THE SEX.
Loss of the Steamship Hindoo in Nil
Ocean-The Crew Rescued After Fiv
Days of Work and Suffering.
New York Times.
The British steamship Alexandra
from Gibraltar, which port she left O.
February 9, arrived in the city yestel
day afternoon, bringing the crew AM
five passengers of the steamship Hin.
doc, from New York for Hull, which
was wrecked in mid.ocean on Tuesday
February II, and tossed about for fv.
days and five nights in helpless con
dition. The rescued sailors and pas
sengers number ffty-three, and have
been kindly cared for on the Alexan.
dria, by which they were picked up or
the Sunday following the disaste,
February 22), just as they h4d given
up all hope of escaping a a}watery
grave.
Quartermaster Samuel Woods gives
the following account Of the disaster:
The Hindoo left New York, February
II, with miscellaneous cargo of grain
and provisions and 210 head of cattle.
The crew consisted of fifty-one men.
and there were five passengers. The
vessel had made about 800 miles,
when, at $50 o'clock on the morning OF
February II, the wind blowing heavily
from the northwest, a tremendous sea
struck her on the starboard side sweep
ing completely over her. The
captain, First officer Dodds. Third off,
Ger Crogan, John Wright, the first
uuartermaster, and Samuel Woods,
the second quartermaster, were stand
ing on the bridge at the moment, en-
gagged in conversation. The ship careen-
ed to the waters edge, and the bridge
was swept clean Of its living group, with
the exception of Woods, vino suddenly
found himself alone and saturated with
salt water. The reaction of the wave
brought the captain back, and tossed
him on board, but Dodds, Crogan and
Wright were carried under and never
reappeared. In an instant all on board
was confusion, but the captain soon re-
covered his presence of mind, and gave
his orders with rapidity and decision.
Upon investigation, it was ascertained
that the cargo had shifted to the port
side with the violence of the shock, and
that there was no prospect that the yes.
sci would recover her position. Men
were ordered to the pumps, and gang
was set to work to throw the cattle over
board, as not only their weight but their
frantic believing and struggles were
embarrassing and tended to create con-
fusion. It took about twenty-four
hours to dispose ofthis portion of cargo,
and then the men were set to work
throwing over grain and only leaving
certain articles. They worked in relays
almost without intermission, and with
only such sleep as could be caught
standing. Quartermaster Woods says
he did not shut his eyes for five days
and five nights, and that he scarcely
ate morse} of food during the whale
period. It was literally a hand-to-hand
tussle with death. : -,~
The same sea that laid the ship on
her beam ends, and carried away the
first and third officers and one quarter
master, swept the ships boats over
board, and left the doomed crew and
passengers with nothing but wrecked
hulk between themselves and g. watery
grave. The waves washed the decks
constantly, and the hulk settled little
hour by hour. For five days and four
nights the despairing men toiled on,
keeping a sharp lookout on the horizon,
but not sail appeared. Sunday
morning, February %, broke pleasant.
ly, the first favorable weather that had
greeted them since the disaster. The
vessel had settled to the waters edge,
and there was not the shadow of a. pros;
pect that she could be kept ahcat
twenty-four hours longer. To make
the situation still more critical, the car
'penter was crippled, and the idea of
building raft for the coming emergen-
cy, though proposed, was abandoned
as impracticable. The captain called
his men together and told them that
everything had heen done that could
be done to save the craft: there was
nothing before them except to sink
with the Hindoo, unless they were
picked up by some passing steamer
within the next twenty-four hours.
Time wore away slowly enough, and
yet the men dreaded to see the sun pass
its meridian, for unless they were dis
covered during the day their prospect
of rescue was too slender to be counted
upon.
ut was beautiful day." said Woods,
'but somehow when a man is in terri
BILE trouble pleasant weather only
mocks him." At little before 2 o'clock
in the afternoon moving speck was
described on the horizon, but as the
captains glass was lost, it was impossible
to make it out for some minutes. And
minutes of suspense they were, every
available bit of cloth that would wave
being impressed into service as a sig.
nal. At one time they thought that
they had not been discovered, and that
the steamer was about to leave them to
their fate The steannnr horo dou.. 4a