The Grant County herald. (Big Stone City, Grant County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1883, 1880-10-16
ADRIfT ON A RAFT.
A Touching Story of the Sea.

| '0 'iAiy 'iihS Aoic touIhiIS otch loIu
than simple tale published in the
Friend Of India some years ago, as hav-
| ing been narrated by seaman--one
Aaron Frazer, survivor OF the ship Roth
esay, which was abandoned by her crew
on the Both of June, three days after
| casting off the tug boat from Calcutta.
At twelve O'Clock on the Goth, the pilot
! expressed an opinion that they were over
| taken by acyclone. and as next day the
vessel was found to be in critical con
dltlon, the crew were la8hed to the mast
for safety. Frazer narrative proceeds:
| ''Tne pilot then asked for volunteers
| TO build a raft: the chief mate (who was
the captain SOM, myself, and the boat
| swain, and a seaman named John Roach,
volunteered for the work. Within two
| hours We had the raft ready tor launch
ing to windward, when a heavy sea
! took 1t from of the bulwarks, tl,ated it
over the other side, at the same time
breaking the captains leg in two places.
washing the second officer overheard,
! and fatally crushing the boatswain's
| mate. After the raft was launched, we
lowered the captain tendcrly, and secured
| HIM; but, as he said he felt that he had
| not more than an hour or so to live, he
| requested to be placed again on board, as
he wished to 90 down with the ship.
| The chiet officer this SOM, and boatswain,
| and some others OF the crew, also re-
manned on board
The sea at this time was fast rushing
into the ships matches, and she was al
most down to the waters edge. The pi-
lot ordered all men who desired 10 get on
ba ,..ft ~. /. L., a
Tho raft was then astern Of the ship,
held by a rope. dumped of the stern,
and made for the raft; the pilot followed
me, and he was the last man to leave the
ship. The pilot ordered the hawser to
| be cut, and within an hour atterward we
saw the vessel keel over and 60 down.
we dritted all the day and night,
heavy seas breaking over US. We were
all up TO our chins In water. as, having
so many men upon 1t, the raft floated low
All the night Pilot Elson, being very
| powerful swimmer, swan round the raft
| in order TO see to the lashings, which re-
| gulred constant attention. At Two in
| the morning, oae man, a Greek, Peter
Lecoll, was washed of the fait by
breaker; the pilot immmediately made
for him, and brought hIm back; one or
two more men. similarly washed off,
were also saved by Pilot Elson.
The pilot then suggested that we
/ should remove the thrce booms, which
in part held our smaller raft 10 relieve
! the men on the larger one. Tie men
were all suffering from the salt W tter, the
raft being SO deep in the water. The
! pilot, myself = seaman named John
| Butler, and another London seaman
(name net known, who shipped in CAL
| cutta, took to the small raft, and alter
getting on to her we lost sight OF the
large raft. Our small raft Was made of
| the three boOms aforesaid. and was in
| the form Of a triangle. During the night
| fetched IN every piece OF wood that
| tioated passed us, to improve the buoy
aney of our raft.
| Toward the morning OF the %, when
| the sun began to increase IN power, the
two men seated At one corner Of the tn
angle became delilious, and allowed the
| lashings to 90 adrlt't. Later on, the three
spars of the raft got separated, and III
swimming about in a heavy surf TO get
these together again, the pilot ana l be-
came very much exhausted. AT about
| four o clock heavy sea washed off ore
OF the aellrious men, and within an hour
after the other man shared the same fate.
then observed to pilot Elson that We
were the only sWo men lett, and must
| try and fight 1t out, when he replied, 'Oi
Fraser, l can't hold out any longer |
replied, Pilot, you mustn't give up that
way. | will see to the lashines; you re.
main quiet / further said, 1t you think
you cannot hold on, can lash you on.
| He then made some exclamation about
his poor wife, and said, I will hold on
Il then turned to make fast the LASH
ings, when heavy sea broke upon us
and knocked him of. made for him
III sufficient time TO lay hold Of him by
the hclr Of the head, but my hand slip
! ped from the raft. found it tlmp0ssible
q to hold him, and was forced TO let him
i 30, as had great difficulty III regaining
the RAFT. | then got the raft little to-
gether, and lashed myself to it. l scarce
" knew at the time what | was about,
being SO exhausted ana felt that was
about to share the fate Of my companions.
cannot say how long | remained on
the raft after this, for become senseless.
, But eQentually(neAt morllng) | was
high and dry on the beach, the part Of it
near the Balasore road and sixteen miles
from Contai. managed to walk to q
small house on the beach about two
miles distant. where l learned that Of the
eleven men on the big raft eight had
come ashore and three washed off,"
1t is gratifying to learn that some of
the leading firms of Calcutta have start
ed subscription for the widow and chill
dren OF Elson, whose heroism and self