The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-12-24
A SUPREME HORROR.
Loss Of the Ship NOnantuam. and the
Fnghtful Fate that BefeH Her

A SUPREME HORROR.
loss Of the Ship NOnantunn. and the
Faghtful Fate that BefeH Her
CreyV. as s8
tst John IN. F.) Telegram to Chicago Tribunal
By the arrival of the royal mail steamer
Curlsw from St. Georges bay, on the west
coast of newfoundland, your correspondent
has received the full details of one of the most
disma and heartrending disasters that has ever
been chronicled. $3.50
D1ring the terrific gale of last week the ship
| NOnantunn, of 1000 tons burden, bound to Mar.
| seille, was lost near the Highlands of st.
| Geoge's bay, and became total wreck. Her
| whole crew, numbering seventeen, with the ex-
cepion of two, persisted Iniserably of cold hun
| ger md exposure to the inclemency of the
wiutsr skies. The two survivors are the mate
and me of the seamen. As soon as the ships
| company discovered that there was not the
slightest hope of saving the ship they took to
their boats eleven taking refuge in the he
.boatand tia remaining six In the second boat.
The third boat was stove in and swamped
alongside the bark. W
Dr.. Malcom who attended the sufferers, tells
tho following story:
vas called on Thursday last to attend the
two survivors. whose limbs were badly frost
! bitten, and will probably have to be amputated.
DuIing the intervals of their agony gathered
the story of their sufferings from the time they
abandoned their vessel till reached them, in
thehope of somewhat mitigating their pains.
It's names of the two survivors are George
Kaager, first officer Of the ship, and native
Of Plymouth, England. and Patrick Dooley,
an ordinary seaman, native OF Car
boaar Newfoundland. "We had not long
pushed away from the side of the wreck" said
! kadger, "when our boat upset and we
were all plunged into the water. We
everything we had in the boat, provisions, water,
oars, clothing, and even our rudder. Yet we
were very fortunate in being able to right her at
all. We were then m terrible condition
Neither compass, nor rudder, nor oars nor
bread, nor water, nor even dipper to remove
the water from the boat, now more than half
Tiled. We were compel ed to take our coats of 10
bale her out, which we succeeded in dong after
some three or four hours OF hard work. We were
finally driven ashore and tossed high and dry,
without having sustained any serious acct
dent or injury After being on shore couple
Of hours, our cook, O colored man, who had
shown signs of exhaustion all night, died, and
we buried him on the seashore. The remain
ing ten of us climbed up the cliff in the hope
of seeing some sign or token that might lead
us to a,path or road that would in the l0ng-run
enable us TO find out some settlement. When
We reached the top of the cliffs nothing met
our eyes but long extent of low woods, across
which nothing could be seen that would indicate
arv vestige Of human life for miles at least
in asiy dIfeetien. After travelling about in vain
| for six days without food or fire, and INSULT
Gent clothing, with the little strength that vet
| remained to lis We made a rude camp of ever
| green boughs and lay down to die believing
that we ouh never see human face again.
except during q few short hours our own bag
! gard and hunger pinehed visages. After
little rest through the night that brought little
refreshment, We all determined to make one
final effort to rescue ourselves from death in
those solitary wilds.
1T was now Friday morning, and with shak-
ing limbs and all the agony of hunger we rose
one by one from our chilly pallets and started
once more In the hope of reaching some human
habitation, but we were now starving and
broken-down crew. One by one dropped in the
snow, to remain there forever. A few took
different course from us, but quickly disap-
peared, and we knew that they had sunk
down upon the cold ground, never to rise
from 1t again. The Captain and myself and
Dooley alone remained of the whole eleven
who were washed ashore in the life-boat The
Captain did not stand long. His feet were
frost-bitten so that he had to give up, and we
| left him behind. Dooly had no boots on
nothing but pieces of canvas wrapped around
his feet, and his feet were terribly swollen with
the frost, and | was afraid should be soon
alone. But Dooley proved himself to be an
iron man, and we held on till evening, when we
lay down. but it was not long before the joyful
view. OF two human beings approaching us
greeted our sight"
The two men proved to be two travellers from
St. Georges bay. They we're well equipped
| with food and other refreshments. fire was
| quickly lighted refreshing cup of tea pre-
! pared. and bread and cold meat produced,
which had IN almost-magical effect on the dy-
| ing sailors. Kadger and his dying companion
| Dooley, made a comparatively vigorous effort
| to get up, and the influence of warm room
had the effect of reviving their almost-sus-
! pended animation. Kadger told, in feeble ac-
| cents, to the welcome visitors the sad
| story of his own suferings and those Of his
companions. He and Dooley had been ten
days without food. They had left the Captain
! and four other searnen III rayine some two
| miles distant. Kadger and Dooley, after being
| somewhat refreshed by the beverage admins
| tered to them, were brought to the nearest set
/ Element and kindly cared for. Immediately
| party was mprovised to go in search of the
| Captain and the other seannen indicated by
| Kadger as lying half-frozen in the neighboring
ravine. After very diligent search the local
| ity where these perishing wretches lay
was discovered, but all save the Captain
were locked in the rightly of DEATH The Cap
tain was badly frozen, but still showed sufficient
evidences of vitality to warrant the hope that
life might be spared. The bodies of the dead
were as decently buried in the lone gorge as
/ was possible with the meager means at disposal.
| Capt Johnson was then carried to the neigh
| boring settlement by the rescuing party but
| had hardly reached the warm hearths and hos
pitable homes Of the dwellers amid the High
lands, when he died, after hours of protracted
| agony.
| 1t was noticed by the search-party, before
burying the companions Of the Captain in the
solitary gorge where they were found, that the
arm of one man was completely eaten to the
| bone. as if the poignant agonies of starvation
| tite of cannibalism. Kadger and Dooley are
! both badly frost-bitten, and both are suffering
from pulmonary congestion. They are likely
| to follow soon after their companions in suffer-
! ing, and thus complete the round of this terri
! bic tragedy.