American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-04-23
A Fearful Experience at Sea.

I = ai 4.,f NEW York. April II.
| THE steamship Nebo, from Rio Janeiro, ar
| rived day Her Captain reports thar he fell
| in with tho bark Tiger, from Liverpool for
Baltimore, seventy-seven days out, short OF
provisions. aad supplied her. The crew were
in the most deplU able condition, having stls-
tanned life for several days on strips of Ieath-
er soaked in lamp-oil until the oil gaye out.
and then on the Captains dog, after which
there was nothing but cannibalism and death
staring them in the face. To add to their suf-
ferings, two vessels passed several days before
within short distance, but paid no attention to
their signals of distIo ss.
As the steamer Nebo came up with the r.
ger, they saw the latter lowering a boat
After some moments of hard struggling she
came alongside, her occupants dressed in oil
skins, and evidently very weak.
What do you WANT sang out Captain Cor
don. n-is -59.iai = =. tif.
t'"weare starving to dctthi We arc starv-
ing to dcath,r exclaimed a man in the stern
sheets, excitedIy - r. =
'DId you say you were starvnsS" denanded'
the Captain. aeUin, iu surprise. ,:lA1!uk. -.
YES, we are starving. See, this is all we
have had to eat for nine days.,
He held afoft the skin OF a dog, and one Of
the men held up piece OF boot leather. -
s'tGOd help us!'' exclaimed Captain Gordon.
"Come on board right away and we will do
what we can for YOU A ladder wsS, chen
Nebo ana given food. The young German
commander yof the. TIGER told the Captain
of the Nebp he had been seventyseven
days out from liverpool with cargo
Of cofhRoni sSalt. and he had been
/ in q sa1ast dreadful condition. He. was
hound tos BALTIMORE, and made Cape Henry.
early IN January, and was blown on shore into
|, thu. GnH stJeam. From that time he had
been tossed rhitber. and fhithcr BY the winds
and currents. He bad twelve men before the
mast, al of whom had displayed the utmost
fortitude under the most trying circum.
STANCES Preriiions ran short one month
ago The beef gave. put 'nrst, ana then the
fore spoken by the Nebo. The last drop of
water was drunk, and then, three days later,
everything, even to boots ana shoes; had been
devoufed.. They were literally :. without hit
or sup. 1ne Captains dog had been killed,
skinned and eaten. Thehrots we're cast for
tain himself, who bssonRht the men not to de.
stroy 1t. The starving men spared the cat, out
up their boots. soakod the strips in lamp OIL
and ate them. This horrible food gave
out, and then tho poor wretches eyed
EACH other suspiciously and . hungrily.
and would have killed the cat
could they have found it. But the Captain
hid 1t, and the pangs of hunger were unap-
peased for i've days. Some Of the men medi-
tated suicide God knows how many Of them
thought of murder and cannibalism. Had the
steamer not come to the rescue, the Captain Of
the Tiger said he thought something more ter
ribls than starvat on would have been enacted
The Nebo sent a months provisions on board
When the first boat-load arrived the
mate leaped aboard the Tiger, eating .
biscuit. He was bounced upon by
his shipmates, who literally fought
like dogs for a cracker. Then they rushed
upon the other provisions and tore them in the
same way famished wolves might have
done. The officer OF tho Nebo adds: 1--WE got
the provisions on board and set them at large
once more. They shook the reefs out of their
topsails, set their topgaiiant sails, and steered
in cur wake. The wind was right aft, but the
vessels bottom WAS SO full Of barnacles that
she could not make much headway. She was
able to get along however, and when last we
saw her she WAS signaling adieu and thanks"