Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-09-19
Spacs. W. n. n. s n. l Ut.
Suffering ON q Raft,

uo5. II, Harris. one OF the crew c1 acnooacr
week. 1 10 the hurricane II Hs.teras on sha
"A b ulsimo, snd Who was taken frcn raf'
seVcra! niles o1: on the ocosn BY shc s:esnsaip
Santiago do CuSa, gives the fooajpg account
of his saEsriugs:
"The TeSsel vas wrecked stmcs: Instantly,
and ell of Us Wcat into sue rigging. Soou thea
sea swept ove1 snd the vessel began to siok.
l wss uada. tie Teter ssmo time h7:ore d;J-
covered the vessel Was silking. When ! did |
10! SO o. inc rigging and connelc:d swimming
towaTds the scrlaea aad came 1eer suff5ca,icg
before | reached ii. The 6rst thing i did on
reachlos TIM surface Tss to get out of my
clothes, Sc could swim better. Tacn say E
piece OF white pi1o scaatling hoatlag eE. |
succeeded 10 getting hold OF that aud managed
to keep myself shoat with it. Itwss about four
iLcae5 squae Q and f!tocn feet long. My deg
was cineng to the piecs Of timber with NE.
Wten the vessol Weut over he Was 10 the Csb,o;
how BIO managed to get out | do not know.
Sometimes the seas would s:iise Us, kncckiog
"a sTsy tcom the piece ADD Eaarly dr0wolng U.s.
When 1t would pass away we would swim back
to 1t again. The poor Dig WAS nearly drCwoed,
and bis master not much better. He would
swim 10 to me and put his mead on lue
aud whiao 40 piteou5:y, eskicg me the
bast he could to save hiu, and to cod
bis sufflruRs | killed him and pushed him
away from me. Aud then (God forgive mt) |
tried to dr0wa mSs:lf, as | eXpec:ed every mo
ment to be ont by shark, nud | EneV l cnu;d
70: live much longer thst way nohow, 90 let
20 aud sulk. With eyes sut mGu'h open. l
drark salt v,tcr By tho pio. | could stay un-
der vary well un;l would 20 10 draw ny
breath; then she |stGr wGu:d rush Up my p;s;.
,pfF> | MD I'm, n n
sssi7. | maGo two attempts to drnSn myself
aud then gsv9 it up and waited uo.iI CID saw
TT 10 tako NE. | wss ca that piaoo of tiraScr
about SIX hours Sometimes Tho sea would
wash Ele ch aud throw il SONG dis:suoa from
m@: .Gen | would swim back aud get hold of i:
| sgalc. After lorg time, CT just before night,
l discovered largar piece o! .iraosr h)a.ing
ahead of me. After tryi9s very bard finally
raacSed 1t Cud craWled upoa it. | fouGd il tc
| be pisco of the cabin abtu: four feet wide
! ahd twelve feet long, with three smsli windows
sloog orc side ab5u: tToIvo By eighteen ircaes.
; | never had nnp hope Of being savad Until 90;
on th!s p!ece. | begso TO have Sumo hope then
OF being saved if did not starvo to death. |
was lsY!ng Ell full leDgth on my rafs. ciinziag
| ou each side With mg hands, when happoled
| 10 lock ever the side, ecd, oh. heavens and
| earth; there Res followed By pack of nun
cry sharks swim nicg ell srtuud ne, You can
Just imseieo aow | islt and how c;ung 10 thai
| raft. Why It was they noper iutersevcd With
mo while | was in the water | 90 not know uu-
! less it wss because kept ia motion all tho time.
Sometimes tho sea would broak over MP raft
! sn1 capsizs it. Thon would c:av! on top of
i.rg,in SIS quickly as possible. thinking oil the
whlse ct the sharks around mo aid expecting
| ev4ry moment 70 be seized by them. Il Was
| ncx very near dark, aud the wind Was modera
! ting in measure a1d the sea was going Gowa
! somewhat. 1t Was still sgusliy eGd continued
| so ell night, with rain. Naked sId tho rain
beAliog doTn upon ME felt as sboash soms one
were pel4lng NO with g,gva Tss ojd too,
/ snaklag ell over, and my teeth kept knocking
/ together all pighs. How prayed sos moraipg.
L was lbs longest night ever spent 10 ny life.
tiaa!!y the 6sy came and the squalls blca har.
| dor, but did net think the sess wese S, high,
whiou Ess good sign. [ Tss nog bcgirniog
to feel thirsty snd hungry. and vhso i: would
rain woC3 aud my head up, open ny ta0u:h
END try to catch s1rio raio esator, bat the salt
spray would aY in my month. The sharks Still
kept Ts:ch about my rs!t. Throughout The
dsy | kept q lookout for vossele, though | knew
if one should sight ma it coad not rescue d.
in that gale. The day (Thu;sday) passed away
end darkness settled down again upon the ftoe
| Gl tIE Oeep. luo Hlcu uOHtE3lCu CCDslucraDy
during the nigh. and tic seq Rvee quite smooth.
L; wss csm nesriy all day Friday. i,n3 GOT
seen siogic sail ltd PAS 81 thirsty c1ud
have driQk p5 oRo blood. Tue sharks
sero sill about Friday and Saturday,
passed xiih nothing to mark them. My
mouth end throat were parohaG. | WAS
exposed to the sua lo3g coough no Saturday 10
| burn my body. Saturday pigh. did not feel
right 10 my head. l 4ss growing delirous md
kOew it. end !ritd to shske it off, but cjuld not.
| In this condition | inasioed all sorts of wild
things. could see Springs CT water srd
everything else my mind ran on sud would
stoop down to drirk what would suppose to
be pure, fresh water, onlg TO fad it sn!t, ard
thus were NY sufariags augmented. Su.dsy
morniig The SUI arose out OF & clasr horizoo,
| not cloud visible il the heaven. discovered
| wls on my raj; agsin, bu, Q uld nof tHlbk how
| got thero. That ls the Isst tbag | remeub Der
uotI Monday evening. What l suffered ard
| want through With can nsyer tell "